(Best E Casino) - The "Battle of Florida" enters its second chapter tonight when a pair of 2008 surprises -- the visiting Tampa Bay Rays and host Florida Marlins -- take the field for the opener of a three-game interleague set at Miami's Dolphin Stadium.

A winner in two of three games in an earlier series between the teams in St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay enters the rematch still in the thick of the race in the difficult American league East, where it trails first-place Boston by one game and stands 3 1/2 games up on the third-place New York Yankees.

The Marlins, meanwhile, have cooled a bit since a torrid start, but are still just a game off the pace of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, with a three-game edge on the third-place New York Mets.

The Rays will start right-hander Andy Sonnanstine, who downed the Marlins, 7-3, in the opener of the previous three-game series on June 13, allowing six hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

He's won both career starts against Florida and, overall, has allowed 13 hits and five runs against the Marlins in 12 1/3 innings.

Sonnanstine is unbeaten over four starts in June, allowing 29 hits and 11 runs in 21 innings.

Florida lefty Scott Olsen will try again to snap a winless skid that's removed most of the luster from his 4-1 start to 2008.

Since defeating Milwaukee, 3-0, to score his fourth win on May 6, Olsen has gone eight starts without a victory, including a 5-4 defeat at Seattle on June 17 in which he gave up 11 hits and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

He is 1-1 in two lifetime starts against the Rays, allowing one earned run in 11 1/2 innings, while walking six and striking out 11.

On Sunday in St. Petersburg, Carlos Lee's two-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference as Houston edged Tampa Bay, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set.

Evan Longoria had a two-run home run for the Rays, who managed just six hits in the game.

Scott Kazmir (6-3) surrendered three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings en route to the loss. The left-hander walked two and fanned seven.

In Oakland, Emil Brown collected two hits and drove in a pair as the Athletics rolled past Florida, 7-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set.

Jeremy Hermida finished 2-for-4 with a homer for the Marlins, who have dropped three of five. Andrew Miller (5-6) suffered the loss, charged with seven hits and five runs -- four earned -- in just four innings.