Royals look to regroup after allowing franchise-high-tying 22 runs

CHICAGO -- For the second game in a row, the Royals had to turn to position player Tyler Tolbert for the final inning of a blowout loss.

On Friday, he recorded the first scoreless inning for Royals pitchers since the second inning in their ugly 22-1 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“That was one of the worst games you could have right there on both sides of the ball,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It was terrible.”

After being no-hit for 8 1/3 innings on Thursday against the Rays, Friday night on the South Side was a debacle on the mound.

The Royals allowed 22 runs, tying a franchise record for most runs allowed in a game (April 12, 1994 vs. Boston). Their bulk pitcher, Mitch Spence, recorded four outs and allowed 10 of those runs. The White Sox scored against four of the five relievers after Spence until Tolbert’s eighth, including four of the typical high-leverage arms the Royals had to deploy because the pitchers needed work and the club needed to cover innings.

“It’s a tough stretch,” reliever Lucas Erceg said. “Nothing more we can say.”

The Royals had won five of their past six games entering Wednesday at Tampa Bay and had seen a revival in their offense since June began. Better baseball was being played.

In the three games since? They’ve been outscored 40-6.

“This is a room of competitors in here,” second baseman Michael Massey said. “You don’t get to this level if you’re not an ultra competitor. To step out on the field and lose by 21 runs -- it should hurt. If it doesn’t, then I don’t know. This is a group of competitors, and we got embarrassed tonight.”

The plan was to have Steven Cruz open Friday’s game and have Spence pitch bulk innings, which the Royals really needed after their starters went five innings apiece each of the last three days in St. Petersburg. Spence was called up Friday in place of Stephen Kolek, who went on the paternity list.

It started off well enough with Cruz throwing 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. He walked Colson Montgomery on a pitch timer violation with one out in the second inning, bringing his pitch count to 28 and prompting Quatraro to bring in Spence, who recorded the final two outs of the inning.

The plan fell apart in the bottom of the third. The White Sox sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs. They were on everything. Spence threw 44 pitches and could not get out of the inning, with the Royals having to turn to Beck Way and the rest of their bullpen far earlier than they intended to Friday.

“I totally prepared going into it,” Spence said. “It was just one of those days, unfortunately. I wish I could have eaten some innings. I know this bullpen has been taxed recently. The last thing I wanted to do is go out there and get bounced after the first inning. It just didn’t go at all how I wanted to.”

Nor did the rest of it. Way gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings. Erceg allowed two in the fifth. John Schreiber, who had a 1.42 ERA in his previous 26 appearances since April 19, gave up a grand slam to Tristan Peters (three of the four runs were earned after an error by first baseman Salvador Perez) in the sixth. Alex Lange, the Royals’ recent closer, was tagged with five runs in the seventh; Daniel Lynch IV allowed two of his inherited runners to score that inning.

The only relievers who didn’t pitch Friday were Matt Strahm, who had pitched two of the past three games, and Connor Seabold, who threw 61 pitches in two of the past three games.

Using the high-leverage arms, though, potentially puts the Royals in a precarious spot for Saturday’s availability.

“That’s why we tried to limit the pitches, but the pitch counts got a little high,” Quatraro said. “Those guys have had a couple days off each. ... It’s not a good spot to be in.”

Add in the fact that the Royals mustered four hits offensively, including three in six innings against their former prospect and current White Sox starter David Sandlin, and Friday night’s game became one they’d like to wash away. Quickly.

“We all got to analyze what happened and come at it tomorrow with a fresh head,” Massey said. “We’ve got a game in less than 24 hours. They’re not going to hold off. They’re coming at you again. You got to be a competitor and be ready for it.”