The Kansas City Royals will take on the Seattle Mariners this evening at Kauffman Stadium. The former has seen their postseason odds evaporate over the last few weeks, while the latter is currently on a W10 that has vaulted them to the top of their division. All the Royals can do is play spoiler at this point while still hoping to capture the hearts and minds of Grass Creek.
Kansas City will start Cole Ragans. 2025 has been a real bummer of a season for the erstwhile ace. Ragans made 10 starts early
on, posting a 5.18 ERA despite running a 36.4% strikeout rate, a mark that has only been bested by one qualified starter over the last five seasons (that being Spencer Strider in 2023). His struggles in run prevention can largely be chalked up to poor luck and sequencing, as evidenced by his .382 BABIP allowed and 62.1% strand rate. He never got the opportunity to turn his fortunes around, though, suffering a rotator cuff injury that kept him out for over three months. This is his first start back and he should get another turn or two in the rotation to end the season on a high note. Ragans last faced Seattle in June of 2024, tossing six innings of one-run ball.
The Mariners will counter with Bryce Miller. Like Ragans, Miller has had a frustrating, injury-riddled season, having hit the IL twice with elbow issues. Unlike Ragans, Miller has not had positives to lean on when healthy as his performance has backed up across the board. His underlying plate discipline metrics haven’t changed much, but he’s surrendering a ton of hard contact and has allowed nine homers in five starts since returning from the IL. Miller last faced Kansas City in June last year and had his worst start of the season, bleeding seven runs in five innings.
First pitch: 6:40 pm CDT
