Ragans Strong in Texas Rangers Victory Over Reds

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Ragans looked solid in his start on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Kade Kistner | Mar 11, 2023

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The Texas Rangers added another notch in the win column for their Cactus League campaign on Saturday when they took down the Cincinnati Reds 8-7.

Saturday's lineup looked very much like Opening Day aside from Cole Ragans getting the start instead of ace Jacob deGrom.

Ragans pitched 3 2/3 innings as he begins to ramp up his pitch count in preparation for the 2023 MLB season. The lefty has been in discussions of potentially starting the season in the rotation as the sixth starter if the Rangers decide to go that route.

Saturday was a particularly promising performance even in the face of two earned runs and one home run allowed. Ragans stuff is so pure that his strikeout rates have always been high. That was the case on Saturday when he compiled five strikeouts against the Reds.

The command was also encouraging as he issued just one free pass on the afternoon.

Offensively, Texas once again came out swinging as another hit parade ensued. The Rangers accumulated 13 total hits on the afternoon with most of their damage coming against Reds starter Chase Anderson.

All of Texas' big names got in on the action as Corey Seager, Robbie Grossman and Adolis García all turned in multi-hit games. The latter two also each recorded a home run.

Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe also recorded a hit against Cincinnati.

It's a good sign to see such offense as the Rangers set a franchise record in 2022 with a 15-35 record in one-run games. Texas aims to avoid the same scenario in 2023 and the offense turning a corner would go a long way in ensuring that goal is met.

All of the Texas big names are seeing the ball well this spring, which bodes well for the regular season. Seager appears to be much more comfortable in a Rangers uniform this spring, Semien seems to have more confidence and Lowe is making the case that his performance in 2022 was not an anomaly.

The Rangers travel to face the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Andrew Heaney will take the mound in his third start of the spring.

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Published Mar 11, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, Cubs and Astros. He is also an editor for Inside the Rangers. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.