ALDS Game 2 Preview: What Royals Need To Do To Even Series vs. Yankees
The Kansas City Royals lost a back-and-forth affair in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees. The bats busted out for five runs against the powerful Yankees pitching staff, but their own pitching didn't hold up.
Michael Wacha struggled in the ALDS opener, allowing three runs over four innings while also walking three batters and allowing a home run. The Royals head into Game 2 desperately needing a win in order to stay afloat in the series.
Fortunately, they'll have their ace, left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound as they try to even the series. He'll go up against Carlos Rodon.
How the Royals can win Game 2
Ragans pitched admirably in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Baltimore Orioles, tossing six scoreless innings. By all accounts, the pitching matchup favors the Royals for Game 2 of this series, so they do have a good chance of winning and evening things up at a game apiece.
During the regular season, Ragans started 32 games and went 11-9, posting a 3.14 ERA over 186 1/3 innings of work. He also recorded 223 strikeouts and posted a 1.14 WHIP.
In order for Kansas City to win Game 2, they are going to need a repeat performance from Ragans. They'll need him to eat innings and keep the powerful Yankees offense at bay.
The offense came through in Game 1, especially MJ Melendez, who hit a two-run homer. But the key to victory will be Ragans. We'll see if he can go deep and keep the Royals in the game.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.