KANSAS CITY -- Garrett Crochet has positioned himself atop the White Sox rotation in just three trips to the mound as a starter.

And after a 5-3 loss to the Royals on Sunday afternoon, completing four straight setbacks to Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, Crochet also showed the makings of a team leader. The White Sox begin a three-game series in Cleveland on Monday with a 1-8 record, and the southpaw pointed out a difference in this team between three one-run losses to the Tigers on Opening Weekend and the five losses since.

“Going up into the Braves series, we had some tough one-run losses. That was disheartening, but we knew we were playing good ball,” said Crochet, who allowed two runs over five innings and left with a 3-2 lead. “Now, I think the guys are starting to realize we are not playing good enough ball and I think that guys are starting to get pissed.

“We need to turn the corner soon. Everybody has some evaluating to do, myself included.”

Crochet had a no-hitter through four innings against the Royals (6-4). He also had just 54 pitches through four frames.

Nelson Velázquez’s leadoff single in the fifth was followed two batters later by a Hunter Renfroe home run to left on a 1-2 slider, cutting Chicago's lead to one. Crochet put the blame upon himself for not producing a shutdown inning for a second straight time after the White Sox scored two in the fourth and one in the fifth.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol pulled him at 77 pitches after five innings, adding context postgame regarding how that pitch total was his target for Crochet's third start after the lefty worked six and seven innings, respectively, in his first two starts. This is the first foray into starting territory for Crochet, who has never thrown more than 54 1/3 innings in a season and had 73 innings total in his first three seasons.

“He’s got the makings of a big-time starter. Obviously, he was our Opening Day guy,” Grifol said. “Every time he goes out there and starts, we’re in uncharted territory. We have to be cognizant of that and careful in how much we push.”

Five strikeouts on Sunday give Crochet 21 K’s this season against one walk. He leads the Majors with those 21 punchouts and the 18 innings pitched.

“Really tough. Lefty, funky movement. Up to 98-99 mph at times,” said Royals designated hitter MJ Melendez, who delivered the game-winning home run off Deivi García in the seventh. “Really happy that Renfroe was able to get him out of there and put some runs on the board at the same time. That was a huge momentum swing for us there, and I feel like that’s when the game changed -- when Renfroe hit the homer.”

Crochet added: "Good until the fifth. All in all it was really one mistake to Renfroe, but I felt like I was battling myself all game. Fastball command wasn't there so relied on the slider a lot. It was doing a lot for me and I felt it was the right pitch to Renfroe. Threw it with conviction, just missed."

That slider accounted for seven of his 15 swings and misses, including six by Salvador Perez, who saw nothing but sliders among the seven pitches from Crochet, according to Statcast. He relied on the four-seamer (38 pitches), slider (25) and cutter (14), missing bats up until the fifth despite battling “some mechanical things,” according to the left-hander.

“Today I didn't have my best stuff, but up until the fifth inning, I was competing in the zone and I was winning,” Crochet said. “That's kind of been the name of the game for my spring. Compete in the zone and let the hitters dictate the outcome."

Sunday’s setback dropped the White Sox to 0-7 within an American League Central they deemed winnable at the season’s outset. Crochet believes a turnaround exists for the White Sox, but the team can’t wait for a change.

“If everybody kind of pulls together and can look introspectively, we’ll be able to get out of this. But we need to turn it on soon,” Crochet said. “Getting pissed shows passion, and this is a game you have to play with passion.

“It’s a long season so you have to have fun with your teammates. You have to play the game hard. Getting pissed is normally the turning point for me as a pitcher. Kind of felt that way at different points throughout my career and normally helps me turn the corner. I think it can be useful for us.”