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  Sunday, Jul. 30 2:05pm ET
Royals flushed in four straight
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gerald Williams helped the Tampa Bay Devil Rays win a game they seemingly tried to lose.

Williams homered and hit an RBI single in the 10th inning as Tampa Bay survived a bizarre eighth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 for a four-game sweep.

Gerald Williams
Gerald Williams capped a great four-game series against the Royals Sunday with this 10th-inning double, which lifted Tampa Bay to victory.

"It's just a situation where you're dealing with things as they are, not as they were," Williams said after the Devil Rays blew a 6-2 lead in an eighth inning that included two passed balls, two wild pitches and two walks and a hit batter.

Russ Johnson led off the 10th with an infield single off Jerry Spradlin (4-3). Two outs later, Johnson stole second, setting up Williams' game-winning hit to left field. Williams has driven in 27 runs this month, setting a Tampa Bay record.

"You just have to concentrate on each at-bat and find a way to win. It's up to us to show that we're consistent," said Williams, who drove in eight runs during the series.

Tanyon Sturtze (2-2) pitched the ninth and Roberto Hernandez worked the 10th for his 20th save.

"We made about as many mistakes to (Williams) as we have ever made to any hitter," Kansas City manager Tony Muser said. "He just wore us out this series and we just kept making mistakes to him."

The Royals lost for the 13th time in their last 16 home games despite the eighth-inning rally.

"We just played bad baseball," outfielder Johnny Damon said.

Damon drew a leadoff walk to start the eighth off Doug Creek. Estaban Yan came in and gave up a single to Rey Sanchez and the runners advanced to second and third on a passed ball by John Flaherty.

Yan then hit Mike Sweeney on the right hand. Sweeney left the game for pinch-runner Jeff Reboulet with a bruised hand and was to have X-rays Monday.

Damon scored on Flaherty's second passed ball of the inning, and one out later, Joe Randa hit a two-run double. Mark Guthrie relieved and struck out Mark Quinn before throwing a wild pitch that sent Randa to third.

After Dave McCarty was intentionally walked, Hector Ortiz tied the game with an RBI single.

The Devil Rays took a 6-2 lead with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Jason Tyner, acquired Friday in a trade from the New York Mets, had an RBI single in the eighth.

Williams hit a solo homer, his 16th, off Jeff Suppan in the fifth to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. Williams has 62 RBIs in 78 games as a leadoff hitter.

Suppan had gone into the game tied with James Baldwin of the Chicago White Sox for the league lead in homers allowed with 28.

Devil Rays starter Steve Trachsel went seven innings, giving up nine hits and striking out three without walking a batter.

Tampa Bay scored twice with two outs in the first on an RBI double by Jose Canseco and an RBI single by Jose Guillen.

Kansas City scored twice in the fourth on a run-scoring double by Quinn and an RBI single by McCarty.

Game notes
Damon's third-inning single was his 50th hit in July. He became the fourth player in Royals history to get 50 hits in a month, joining George Brett, Willie Wilson and Randa. He singled again in the fifth. ... Dye returned to right field for the Royals after sitting out Friday's game and playing DH Saturday following the mild concussion he suffered when he crashed into the wall Thursday chasing a fly ball.
 


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