Advertisement

sportsRangers

Rangers rookie Cole Ragans pays price for missed pitches against Astros

Ragans only threw 49 strikes in 88 pitches, but can learn from Astros ace Framber Valdez.

HOUSTON — Rangers rookie starter Cole Ragans missed by a few inches with one of the fastballs, a bit more with the other. Two lousy pitches. Location, location, location. What a way to ruin an afternoon.

Not every team will make a kid pitcher pay for his sins. The Astros are different. They don’t miss many mistakes.

Ragans surely learned all kinds of real-life lessons in his second major league start as the Astros hammered two home runs off him in a 7-3 victory Thursday afternoon before 30,872 at Minute Maid Park.

Advertisement

The 24-year-old left-hander is one of the arms the Rangers are excited about. He didn’t allowed an earned run in five innings last week in his debut. On this day, only 49 of his 88 pitches were strikes.

Rangers

Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.

Or with:

“I didn’t execute very well,” he said. “Fell behind a lot. Obviously, it’s a really good-hitting team. Fall behind, they’re ready for the fastball. You can’t just sneak something by them. They’re ready for it.”

Catcher Martin Maldonado struck a three-run homer in the second inning when a 2-0 Ragans fastball ended up in the middle of the plate. Alex Bregman ended Ragans’ afternoon with a two-run shot in the fifth.

Advertisement

“He just didn’t have his good command,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “These guys will make you pay. [Maldonado] isn’t having the best statistical year, but if you throw a fastball down the middle, he’ll launch one on you. When you’re behind in the count, you’ve still got to be able to execute pitches.

Meanwhile, Astros All-Star left-hander Framber Valdez pitched seven shutout innings for his 19th consecutive quality start (six innings or more, three or fewer earned runs).

“Such a good sinker, such a good curveball,” Woodward said of Valdez. “It’s hard to get the ball in the air. We haven’t had a whole lot of success. I don’t think anybody has.”

Advertisement

Ragans can take some comfort from Valdez, who debuted at 24 in 2018, and in five starts that season, walked 18 hitters in 24 1/3 innings. Now, he’s one of the game’s best.

“I gotta learn it’s my game,” Ragans said. “If I I have a gut feeling, I need to probably lean towards my gut feeling and go from there. Just kind of read the batters more.”

Briefly: Woodward said Friday’s game against the Mariners at Globe Life Field will be a bullpen game. He did not reveal which of his relievers will start the contest.

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.