(Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics try to avoid their seventh straight loss this evening when they play the middle test of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Oakland's offensive struggles continued on Monday, as Scott Kazmir tossed seven shutout innings in Tampa Bay's 4-0 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.

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.

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 mustered just nine runs during its season-high slide. It has also been held to one run or less 28 times this season, four more than all of last season.

Hoping to continue that trend tonight for the Rays will be righty Andy Sonnanstine, who is 10-4 with a 4.58 earned run average. Sonnanstine lost for the first time since May 27 in his final start before the break on July 10, as the Cleveland Indians reached him for six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Sonnanstine lost to the A's back on May 21 and is 1-1 lifetime against them with a 7.36 ERA in two starts.

Oakland will counter with righty Dallas Braden, who takes the rotation spot of the recently traded Joe Blanton. Braden, who is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in two games (one start) against the Rays, has made nine appearances out of the bullpen for Oakland this season, going 1-0 with a 4.80 ERA.

Braden made 14 starts for the A's last season and was 1-8 with a 7.31 ERA in those outings.

Tampa Bay has won three of its four matchups with the A's this season after taking six of the 10 meetings in the series last year.