ANDREW HEANEY pitched a good start, but the Angels couldn’t hold on and lost 9-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays Friday (Angels photo).

It almost fits a script, or perhaps a curse.

The Los Angeles Angels, again just one game away from the Promised Land of a .500 record, built an early 4-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg and then saw their bullpen yield eight runs Friday night. Final score: Rays 9, Angels 4.

Andrew Heaney pitched five-plus excellent innings to start, giving up just two hits and one earned run. He struck out three, walked two and turned the game over to the relief corps with a 4-1 lead.

In the sixth inning, Luis Garcia was lit up for three hits and three runs in two-third of an inning. His replacement, Ty Buttrey, yielded two hits and one run in one-third of an inning.  The rest of the bullpen didn’t do much better as the Rays scored five in the sixth inning and four in the seventh.

With the loss, the Angels are 34-36 and remain in fourth place in the American League West. They’ll try to forget Friday’s setback on Saturday when Jose Suarez (1-1) makes the start for the Orange County team against the Rays.