(Photo credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images)

Kansas City's Cole Ragans has pitched well after opening the season with a sub-par outing against Cleveland.

Looking to continue his recent success, the Royals' prized left-hander aims for a better outing against the Guardians, who look to sweep this three-game home set with a sixth consecutive victory Sunday.

Ragans (0-0, 2.81 ERA), an All-Star and Cy Young vote-getter in 2024, allowed three runs, five hits and two walks over five innings of Kansas City's 7-4 home loss to the Guardians on March 27. The Royals are 1-3 versus Cleveland in starts made by Ragans, who is 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA against the Guardians in those contests.

However, since that 2025 opener, Ragans allowed a combined two runs, nine hits and struck out 21 with two walks in 11 innings against Milwaukee and Minnesota. The Royals' bats, though, provided Ragans a run apiece in those two games, which the club split, while he was on the mound.

'It's unbelievable and it's Cy Young stuff,' fellow Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. told The Kansas City Star about Ragans.

'Any time he goes on the mound, you know we've just got to get some runs on the board for him and he is going to do the rest.'

Kansas City starters have a 2.92 ERA through the first 15 games of 2025. However, the Royals are batting .216 while a game under .500 on the young campaign. They've totaled just eight runs while losing three of five and struck out 15 times -- 10 coming against Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz -- during Saturday's 6-3 loss.

Vinnie Pasquantino homered and had three of Kansas City's six hits Saturday. He clubbed a three-run homer against Sunday's scheduled Cleveland starter Ben Lively (0-1, 4.40) in the season opener.

The Guardians right-hander allowed only that home run, three other hits and did not walk a batter in five innings to open the season at Kansas City.

Lively was roughed up for seven hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings at San Diego in his next start. But he gave up two hits and three walks in five innings of a 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

'He did his job. Just excellent, excellent. We love Ben. We love what he means to us,' Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.

Cleveland is 4-1 against the Royals this season, outscoring them 29-13.

The Guardians' Gabriel Arias homered in each of the first two games of this set. All of his three home runs and seven RBIs in 2025 have come while going 8-for-15 versus Kansas City. Meanwhile, teammate Angel Martinez is 5-for-7 with three RBIs in this series after making his season debut during Friday's 7-0 win.

'We are a team. Go out there and compete,' Martinez told CLEGuardians.TV. 'That makes a good team.'

Batting .327 on the season, Cleveland star Steven Kwan is also 4-for-10 versus Ragans.

Cleveland's current winning streak has come entirely at home, where its 5-0 to open a season for the first time since going 7-0 in 2002.

It's uncertain if Kansas City's Jonathan India will be available after for the series finale he exited in the sixth inning Saturday with right quad tightness.

--Field Level Media