"There was a time not too long ago when this road trip to Kansas City and the West Coast was seen as a bit of a breather for the Rays, a chance to recharge their batteries against three of the weaker teams in the American League.

Ha. Was that wishful thinking.

Instead, this trip has erased all hope of the 2010 American League East champions returning the postseason.

James Shields, the best pitcher on the staff, was hammered Wednesday night by the A's.

The offense was a no-show against Trevor Cahill.

Final score: A's 13, Rays 4.

Ouch.

"We're in one of those unlucky moments and we have to keep pushing until we turn it around," manager Joe Maddon said after the Rays lost their third straight and fell to 1-5 on this 10-game road trip.

Correction: The Tampa Tribune called Tuesday's 6-1 loss by the Rays as a "stinker." The Tribune regrets the error, because Wednesday's performance made Tuesday's game look like a nail-bitter.

Shields was cuffed around for nine runs in the fourth inning and allowed 10 runs in a start for the third time during his career.

"It was an all-around terrible job, that's pretty much what it was," Shields said. "I was leaving the ball up, I was making mistakes and they were hitting it."

He was the fourth pitcher in team history to allow at least nine runs in one inning.

Rob Bell allowed a team-record 10 runs in one inning against the Yankees in 2005. Travis Harper (2005) and Tanyon Sturtze (2002) also allowed nine."