Spencer Arrighetti’s first start as a Toronto Blue Jay got off on the wrong foot and never got fully back on track.

Royals’ leadoff hitter Carter Jensen demolished the second pitch of the ballgame into the second deck in right field, and before the end of the second inning, Kansas City had scored four runs, and Arrighetti had thrown 50 pitches. The early deficit proved insurmountable as the Blue Jays ultimately fell 13-2 to the Royals in the series rubber match on Thursday at Rogers Centre. Toronto fell to 65-70 and is now 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot.

Arrighetti’s location wasn’t horrendous, but the Royals were disciplined, and the new Blue Jays right-hander fell behind half the batters he faced. He allowed only four hard-hit balls, and aside from the home run, they were all just barely over the 95-m.p.h. threshold. Still, the Royals got runners on base via dinks, dunks and walks, and Arrighetti compounded the issue by flubbing a Salvador Perez tapper, causing a run to score. He threw 61 pitches out of the bullpen in his Blue Jays debut against the Yankees last Friday and was said to have a limit of 75 to 80 on Thursday. Arrighetti was ultimately removed after throwing 79 pitches (49 strikes) over four innings, striking out four and walking two.

With traffic on the base paths again in the second frame, Jac Caglianone got the bat to a high-and-inside fastball to flare a two-RBI single to right. Then the Royals made it a laugher with a six-run sixth. Simeon Woods Richardson entered the game and was promptly pounded, either walking or allowing a hard-hit ball to the first eight batters he faced. The 25-year-old former top prospect had a 1.04 ERA in seven appearances since joining the Blue Jays, but had struck out only 13 while walking 10 over 17.1 innings. His results caught up to his underwhelming peripheral numbers quickly on Thursday as Bobby Witt Jr. ripped an RBI double, Caglianone hit a 112-m.p.h. RBI single, and Vinnie Pasquantino yanked a two-run shot into the seats. The home crowd booed the Blue Jays throughout the inning.

Toronto got a pair back in the bottom half when Alejandro Kirk lined a long single and George Springer followed with his first home run since July 28. But the Blue Jays mustered only two other extra-base hits — doubles by Myles Straw and Kazuma Okamoto — and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. A lot has to go right for the Blue Jays to make the post-season. Losing a series to the AL Central worst Royals is a drastic wrong turn.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays announced ahead of the game on Thursday afternoon that they signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 17. The Blue Jays’ relief corps was ailing after their 16th bullpen day of the season on Wednesday, necessitating the addition. Chad Dallas was the casualty and was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo as the corresponding move one day after striking out four over 2.2 perfect innings in relief. Lorenzen allowed four baserunners and an earned run over two innings of mop-up work. Myles Straw’s three-inning shutout streak while pitching as a position player this season ended in the top of the ninth. Another former Blue Jays outfielder converted pitcher, Anthony Gose, handled the bottom half.