Oakland Athletics (51-47) at Tampa Bay Rays (57-40), 7:10 p.m.

The Sports Network Scott Kazmir tries to halt a personal two-game losing streak this evening, when the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. Kazmir, the winning pitcher for the American League in last Tuesday's All-Star Game, has lost his last two starts and is 7-5 with a 3.04 earned run average on the season. He fell for the fourth time in his last five decisions last Sunday in Cleveland, where he surrendered five runs and eight hits in six innings. The 24-year-old left-hander defeated the A's earlier in the year and is 5-1 lifetime against them with a 2.96 ERA in nine starts. Tampa was denied a sweep in its three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend, falling 9-4 in Sunday's finale. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena recorded back-to-back solo home runs for the... [read full story]