Royals let early lead slip in 9-7 loss to White Sox

The Royals surged to an early lead but weren’t able to hold off the White Sox in the 9-7 loss on Thursday.

In their third consecutive loss, the Royals’ pitching staff couldn’t keep the White Sox off the board at Camelback Ranch.

Right out of the gate, the Royals jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first. Carlos Santana drew a walk with the bases loaded and Hunter Dozier later unloaded the bases with a two-out three-run double.

Kris Bubic made his first start of the spring for Kansas City. The young lefty allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings pitched. In 7.2 innings, Bubic has allowed seven runs and 14 hits.

In the second inning, Salvador Perez drove in his eighth RBI this spring, scoring Bobby Witt Jr. with two outs to give the Royals a 5-1 lead.

Richard Lovelady struggled as he came on in relief of Bubic. The White Sox tagged him for three runs, two unearned, and rallied to a 6-5 lead in the fourth.

Jarrod Dyson tied the game up in the fifth on a sac fly, his first RBI of the spring. An inning later, Ryan McBroom singled in Adalberto Mondesi to put the Royals back on top 7-6.

The White Sox came right back to tie the game in the sixth and take the lead in the seventh.

The Royals’ offense was held hitless over the final three innings and struggled to cash on scoring opportunities throughout the ballgame. As a team, they went just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Kansas City dropped their sixth game this spring, yet they still sit atop the Cactus League standings with 12 victories.

Up next, the Royals return home to Suprise Stadium to take on the Angels Friday. Catch the first pitch at 3 pm on Fox Sports Kansas City.