A soggy letdown for the Rays

ROYALS 7, RAYS 5 (61/2): Scott Kazmir falters against baseball's worst in a rain-shortened game.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published May 13, 2005

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Devil Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir's critique of his performance might not have been technically sound, but it certainly fit.

"I just felt out of whack," he said.

The result: the left-hander's shortest outing of the season and another missed opportunity for his first victory in a rain-shortened 7-5 loss to the lowly Royals on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Kazmir did not get the loss. That went to Lance Carter, who allowed two runs in the sixth inning, the last before a torrential downpour stopped the game after a 35-minute delay, to break a tie at 5.

But Kazmir, in his eighth start, allowed five runs in four innings with five walks, three to left-handed batters who all scored.

Kazmir (0-4) said the 96-minute delay to the game's start because of a wicked thunderstorm was not a factor. But the outing added to the frustration of a starting staff that entered Thursday last in the American League with a 6.25 ERA and Wednesday saw opening-day starter Dewon Brazelton demoted to Triple-A Durham.

"It's just been bad pitching," manager Lou Piniella said. "And this is not the only game. We've had a slew of them. How can you possibly win? It's next to impossible."

The Royals, who started the game with a major-league-low eight wins, ended a three-game losing streak and soothed some jangled nerves after Tuesday's resignation of manager Tony Pena.

Kansas City stayed focused even after its 5-0 third-inning lead evaporated when the Rays scored four in the fourth inning and one in the fifth off starter Jose Lima.

Mark Teahen and Ruben Gotay did the damage in the sixth with a run-scoring double and single, respectively. The game was called with two outs in the top of the seventh.

Not exactly what the Rays wanted after a 5-5 homestand highlighted by two victories in a three-game series against the AL-best White Sox.

The Royals led 3-0 in the second as Kazmir struggled to find the strike zone and leftfielder Carl Crawford misplayed what should have been a single into a run-scoring triple.

Matt Stairs walked to start the inning. Emil Brown followed with a line drive to leftfield. Crawford said he "got caught in between" and the ball skipped past him, allowing Stairs to score. Terrence Long walked and John Buck doubled in both runners.

With two outs in the third, Stairs walked and scored on Brown's double. Long's single scored Brown to make it 5-0.

The Rays got a four-run, four-single fourth aided by two walks, one to Chris Singleton with the bases loaded. Alex Sanchez had a run-scoring single and Nick Green's two-run single was Tampa Bay's second hit this season with the bases loaded and broke an 0-for-20 slump.

Julio Lugo singled in the fifth and scored on Jorge Cantu's double.

[Last modified May 13, 2005, 01:37:03]