(Best E Casino) - Right-hander James Shields will try again to stop a personal win drought tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays travel to Dolphin Stadium in Miami for the second installment of the three-game "Battle of Florida" with the host Florida Marlins.

The Rays took game one of the series, 6-4, on Tuesday, giving them three wins in four games this season with their intrastate rivals from the National League.

Tampa Bay enters tonight one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East Division and 4 1/2 games up on the third-place New York Yankees.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are second in the National League East, one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies and three games up on the third-place New York Mets.

Shields, who won 12 games in 31 starts last season, was 4-2 in 2008 after tossing a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on May 9.

However, he's 0-3 with four no-decisions since, though the Rays have gone 4-3 in those seven games.

The former 16th-round draft choice (2000) last appeared on June 19 against the Chicago Cubs, allowing seven hits and three runs in 6 1/3 innings of the Rays' 8-3 victory.

He is 1-1 in three starts against Florida with a 4.74 earned run average in 19 innings.

The Marlins will go with right-hander Ryan Tucker, who'll be making the fourth start of this, his rookie season in the major leagues. A 6-foot-2, 190- pounder, Tucker made his debut on June 8 and defeated Cincinnati, 9-2, after giving up two hits and a run in five innings.

He suffered his initial major-league loss in his next start five days later, dropping a 7-3 verdict to the Rays in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.

His last start got him back above .500, when he downed Seattle, 8-3, on June 18.

Overall, in 16 innings, he's given up 16 hits and eight runs while walking 10 batters and striking out 12.

On Tuesday, Dioner Navarro and Eric Hinske each worked RBI walks in a wild eighth inning as Tampa Bay rallied to down Florida.

J.P. Howell (6-0) picked up the win behind Andy Sonnanstine, who gave up two runs on six hits, five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

Scott Olsen saw another strong start crumble in the bullpen after he gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts over seven strong innings.

Renyel Pinto (2-3) was hit with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits and failing to record an out.