Queasy end to streak

ROYALS 10, RAYS 8: After rallying to 8-7 lead, Tampa Bay gives up three runs for its first loss in five games.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Shovel down three corn dogs. Now, hurry, gulp a banana split. Toss back a handful of jelly beans, a few pieces of sushi, some gummy worms, a box of popcorn, some deviled eggs, a big stick of cotton candy, a piece of cake with extra icing and wash it all down with a root-beer float.

Now jump on Space Mountain.

Feeling queasy? Perhaps now you know how the Devil Rays felt after Saturday's 10-8 loss before a sellout crowd of 38,709 at Kauffman Stadium.

The Rays came back from a 7-2 deficit in the seventh inning to take the lead, but then gave it right back as their longest win streak in more than a year was snapped at four.

"We had won four in the row, and we take that lead after the top half of the seventh and you would like to see your team hold on to it," manager Lou Piniella said.

The game ranked high in entertainment value. With a spirited packed house looking on, the Rays took a 2-0 lead, fell behind 7-2, rallied to take an 8-7 lead and lost when the Royals scored two in the seventh to snap their four-game losing streak.

But it ranked low in amusement for the Rays, who wasted a stunning comeback.

The theme for Piniella was two-fold: ineffective starting pitching and green relief pitching.

Starter Rob Bell, spotted a 2-0 lead in the fourth, was knocked from the game in the bottom of the inning one night after Joe Kennedy couldn't get out of the second.

"The story of these last two ballgames as far as we're concerned is we've gotten one and three innings out of our starting pitchers," Piniella said. "It makes it tough."

With Bell out, Piniella was forced to turn to Jon Switzer, who was making his major-league debut, and Mark Malaska, who was appearing in his seventh game.

"We're pitching a lot of young kids out there, and inexperience shows," Piniella said. "(Like if you) get two strikes on a hitter and you make too (many) good pitches. Make the hitter chase something. You're not pitching in ... you're pitching in double-decked stadiums is what I'm trying to say."

Malaska took the loss, giving up two runs in the seventh after the Rays scored six in the top of the inning to take the lead.

On the bright side, the Rays rallied from a three-run-or-more deficit for the 20th game this season. (They are 9-11 in such games.) And they've scored 38 runs in the past five games.

"Teams just can't take us lightly, which I don't think they're doing now," catcher Toby Hall said. "Sometimes we make it look easy and sometimes we give it back to them. But that's part of the game."

In the end the comeback, the runs and the win streak were blown to bits because several players, mostly on the pitching staff, are learning on the job.

"I feel like I'm in spring training again," Piniella said. "But we're looking at the future, and it will give us a chance to evaluate and it will give us a chance to work with them."

With games such as Saturday, there's plenty of work to do.