WASHINGTON – The Royals had an idea that they were going to need Mitch Spence in the big leagues at some point over the past week, whether it was for length in an overused bullpen or as a starter like he was on Monday. They altered his schedule in Triple-A, instead having him skip his scheduled start last week and throw one inning on Friday to get him ready to go for whatever came his way.
The need arose after the Royals placed Seth Lugo on the 7-day concussion injured list, meaning a rotation spot was open Monday for the series opener against the Nationals.
It didn’t go the way Spence wanted, tagged with six runs in four-plus innings in the Royals’ 7-3 loss at Nationals Park, their fifth loss in the last six games.
“It’s an extremely frustrating day,” Spence said. “... Today’s just one of those days where it leaves you shaking your head a little bit, but just wish I could have gotten deeper and helped save the bullpen a little bit.”
The Royals’ depth is stretched thin with three starters sidelined right now. Despite Lugo’s placement on the 7-day concussion IL due to the line drive that hit him last week, the hope is that he’ll be able to slot back in by this weekend as long as his health stays on track over the next few days. But Cole Ragans (left elbow impingement) and Kris Bubic (left elbow soreness) have both suffered setbacks in their recoveries, extending their time on the IL.
Ragans was awaiting MRI results Monday to see what is going on with the latest soreness that crept in over the weekend, so his timeline has yet to be determined. Bubic pressed pause on his rehab assignment with shoulder discomfort, although an MRI showed that nothing was structurally wrong, so his throwing progression has continued. It’s unclear when he’ll get back on the mound.
That’s all to say that the Royals need their depth to step up when called upon, because the injuries aren’t going away. They’ve seen Stephen Kolek do just that as he has slid into the rotation, posting a 2.68 ERA in eight starts so far, quickly rising as one of their best pitchers on this staff.
But Spence on Monday was an example of when it goes awry.
“We know we’re trying to win every game,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Anybody that takes the ball, any player that’s in the lineup, that’s their expectation is that they’re going to do what they can to help us win. We had some guys down in the ’pen still from the last few days, but for [Spence] to go out there and give us a chance – would have been nice to get through five. It didn’t work out the way we wanted.”
Spence got through the first time through the order without any damage but allowed two runs in the third inning on Curtis Mead’s two-run single. Spence pitched a scoreless fourth and watched the Royals take a one-run lead in the fifth on Maikel Garcia’s two-run single.
And then he wasn’t able to record an out in the bottom of the frame. He loaded the bases with two singles at the bottom of the Nationals’ order and then walked James Wood on four pitches.
“He’s a guy that can do damage, but I was just trying to attack the zone,” Spence said. “I was missing a little bit. Unfortunately, ended up putting him on. Walks never help.”
Luis García Jr. dumped a two-strike single into left field, where Isaac Collins looked like he wanted to play it off the hop but instead saw it bounce off his glove and two runs score.
From the dugout, Spence watched reliever Mason Black record two outs but then give up a three-run home run to Dylan Crews. A one-run Royals lead had turned into a four-run deficit.
“It’s always a tough spot to bring somebody in with the bases loaded, nobody out,” Quatraro said about letting Spence face the top of the Nationals’ lineup a third time. “And in that particular case, we liked his stuff against García. Got him to two strikes, just has to get that two-strike fastball up a little bit more.”
The Royals couldn’t come back from the pivotal fifth inning. After three early runs, they only put two runners on base in the last four innings.
“It’s hard when you come back and then they come back,” Garcia said. “But you have to keep going. We’ve been hitting the ball good. We have the confidence that we can come back from any score.”