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Gamethread CXLIV - Royals at Blue Jays

The Royals have 99 problems, but Cole Ragans ain’t one.

Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on September 04, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Cole Ragans #55 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium on September 04, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Today is a gross day to go for 100 losses.

The Royals, with 99 losses, currently lead the pack as the absolute worst team in baseball over the Oakland Athletics (who, even this late in the season, I must remind you are trying to lose baseball games.) Today is their one-hundred-and-forty-fourth game. In the business, 144 is also known as a gross. Come back for the recap and I might even tell you why it is that way.

Cole Ragans stands as perhaps the sole bastion who might delay the inevitable one-hundredth loss for Kansas City and prevent them from suffering yet another sweep, this time by the resident Canadian team. He has been sensational since coming to KC in the trade with the Rangers, but you all know that, so I won’t belabor the point.

Starting for Toronto will be José Berríos. The former Twin ace has been decried as a bust since the Blue Jays acquired him during the 2021 season. He was astonishingly good in July but has fallen off quite a bit since then. His first outing of September wasn’t terrible, two runs in six innings, but it was also against those aforementioned A’s. So who knows what today will hold?

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