Rusty Ragans returns, Royals rally rescues relievers in 7

The Kansas City Royals traded punches with the Seattle Mariners before an eighth inning rally put them ahead for good in a 7-4 win tonight at Kauffman Stadium. With the Royals out of the playoff race, in lieu of a beat-by-beat recap, let’s hit the highlights: • In his first outing in three months, Cole Ragans came out with a purpose. His first five pitches were four-seam fastballs up in the zone. Each one resulted in a swing and miss. He threw the pitch ten times in the inning, sitting 97 and garnering nine swinging strikes, a foul ball, and a ball. The only other pitch he threw in the inning was a slider that struck out Cal Raleigh on a check swing. It had to be the most dominant inning from a Royals pitcher all season. • That form did not last forever. Ragans was much more wild to st