KANSAS CITY -- All streaks must end eventually.
The Royals’ seven-game win streak was snapped on Saturday night with their most lopsided loss of the year, a 10-1 blowout to the Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
This homestand so far has been defined by the Royals’ pitching, but Saturday’s game was the opposite of what the Royals have come to expect from their staff, even if those expectations can be a little unfair after the excellent week they’ve experienced on the mound.
The 10 runs allowed Saturday night were double the number of runs Kansas City had allowed in the previous five games combined on this homestand.
Starter Cole Ragans allowed four of those runs in five innings, with Rafael Devers’ RBI double -- the second of four hits on the night for the Red Sox's designated hitter -- snapping a 23 2/3-innings scoreless streak by Royals starters dating back to Tuesday night.
“It’s been pretty incredible what the guys have done,” Ragans said. “Just try not to think about it too much because you don’t want to be too perfect. It’s been incredible to watch.”
Ragans, the Royals’ Opening Day starter, has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four starts, for a 6.88 ERA, after allowing three runs or fewer in each of his first four starts (2.28 ERA). He skipped his turn in the rotation two starts ago because of a mild left groin strain but says he feels “great” physically right now.
Saturday’s loss just came down to execution.
Part of what has made the Royals’ rotation so good this year is how deep starters have gone into games. They’ve thrown 20 quality starts in 41 games. But Ragans hasn’t recorded an out in the sixth inning in six of his eight starts this year. One of those two starts was on April 13 in Cleveland, when Ragans threw 7 2/3 innings.
Five innings seem to be the sweet spot for the lefty, who has wanted to pitch deeper into games in 2025. His elite stuff allows him to rack up the strikeouts -- he added eight more to his total on Saturday -- but he wants to be more efficient with it.
“Lately, I haven’t been doing a good job of that,” Ragans said. “Today, I felt like if I had a little bit quicker of a fifth, I could have gone back out for the sixth. I just had a long fifth. It’s more so minimizing the big innings. I didn’t do that tonight.”
Ragans entered the fifth inning Saturday at 60 pitches, but things went sideways during the 35-pitch frame. And it started with a walk.
Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez was down 0-2 on Ragans with one out when he laid off a curveball below the zone. Narváez fouled off a slider, got back in the count with two balls, and then fouled off two good fastballs in the zone to stay in the plate appearance.
“Ended up throwing a 40-foot curveball,” Ragans said.
The pitch in the dirt put Narváez on first base. No. 9 hitter Ceedanne Rafaela doubled, and the top of the Red Sox order hit three consecutive singles to put up a three-spot on Ragans.
“I think there [I was] just being too fine on the edges,” Ragans said of the walk to Narváez. “I’m not trying to strike him out right there, just wanted to put the ball in play. He fouled off some good pitches and then I just didn’t put him away.”
Manager Matt Quatraro added: “I think if he puts [Narváez] away, that inning has a whole different complexion.”
After Taylor Clarke pitched a scoreless sixth inning, Angel Zerpa allowed five runs on two homers over the next inning-plus, inflating the lefty reliever’s ERA to 7.20 this season. The Royals entered the year wanting Zerpa to pitch in their highest-leverage lefty spots; now that role has shifted to Daniel Lynch IV while Zerpa works through the inconsistency on his breaking balls. Both homers Saturday night came on Zerpa’s slider.
That put the game out of reach for the Royals, who managed just one run against Boston ace Garrett Crochet. There were opportunities for Kansas City’s offense -- first and third with one out in the first inning, and the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh inning -- but the Royals left nine on base Saturday.
“Tonight just wasn’t our night,” Vinnie Pasquantino said. “But I get to say it: We have a 1 o’clock game tomorrow, and we’re excited for that opportunity.”