St. Petersburg, FL (Best E Casino) - Scott Kazmir tossed seven shutout innings, as the Tampa Bay Rays bested the slumping Oakland Athletics, 4-0, in the opener of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Kazmir (8-5), the winning pitcher for the American League in last Tuesday's All-Star Game, surrendered two hits with nine strikeouts and four walks to pick up just his second win in his last eight outings.

"Feels great," Kazmir said. "It's long past due. I feel I can build off this for upcoming starts. It's huge that we set the tone for this series with the win."

Evan Longoria went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI for the Rays, who have won three of their last four contests after dropping a season-high seven straight heading into the All-Star break. B.J. Upton was 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored, while Akinori Iwamura finished 2-for-4 with a walk and a run batted in. Willy Aybar added a solo home run.

Dana Eveland (7-7) was saddled with the loss as he gave up four runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts in just five innings of work.

Ryan Sweeney and Jack Cust had the hits for Oakland, which has scored only nine runs during its season-high six-game losing streak.

"Got to keep your energy up, keep it positive," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "The guys are getting a little bit down, struggling."

The Rays got on the board in the third. After hitting a one-out single, Upton stole second and later scored on a Longoria single. Tampa Bay then extended its lead further in the fourth.

With one away in the frame, Aybar crushed an offering from Eveland off the left-field foul pole. Jonny Gomes followed with a single, swiped second and came home when Iwamura smacked a two-out single up the middle.

The Rays added another run in the fifth on Longoria's 19th home run of the season, a leadoff blast to the seats in left. The rookie all-star third baseman has now homered in three straight contests.

Grant Balfour retired the A's in order in the eighth and J.P. Howell duplicated the act in the ninth to close out the game.

Game Notes

The A's have also lost six straight on the road...Before the game, Oakland selected infielder Brooks Conrad from Triple-A Sacramento and designated infielder Donnie Murphy for assignment...The Rays left 13 men on base, while Oakland stranded five...Oakland's Dallas Braden (1-0) and Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine (10-4) are scheduled to start on Tuesday.