(Sports Network) - Even without Scott Kazmir, the Tampa Bay Rays enjoyed a stellar start to their season. Things have only gotten better since the return of the left-hander, who will try to pitch the Rays to victory tonight in the opener of a three-game set with the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field.

Kazmir began the season on the disabled list due to a strained elbow, but returned on May 4 and is 3-1 with a 1.57 earned run average since being activated. Kazmir lost his season debut, but responded with two straight outings that saw him pitch six shutout innings versus both the Angels and Yankees, respectively.

He then faced Oakland on Tuesday and got the win, holding the A's to a run on four hits over seven frames with a season-high eight strikeouts.

The left-hander has faced Texas four times in his career and is 1-0 against them with a 2.05 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 22 innings.

Tampa began the season by going 15-12 and are 15-8 so far in May. That has them even with Arizona for the best record in baseball at 30-20, and the Rays lead the American League East by a half-game over Boston.

The Rays began their 10-game homestand by sweeping the Baltimore Orioles, winning Sunday's finale by a 5-4 score thanks to Evan Longoria. The rookie third baseman plated Carlos Pena with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, lofting a line drive to the gap in right center.

Longoria made a winner out of Troy Percival (1-0), who got the final two outs in the top of the ninth after Trever Miller got the first. Starter James Shields went eight innings and allowed four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits for the Rays, who have won five of six overall.

Longoria finished with two doubles, while Pena hit a two-run homer.

Texas continues a 10-game road trip, and tonight will mark Josh Hamilton's first game in Tampa since his ex-club left him unprotected in the 2006 Rule 5 draft.

The Rays had drafted Hamilton with the No. 1 overall pick in 1999, but injuries and drug abuse hindered his career in Tampa. He will face the Rays for the first time in his career tonight.

Hamilton was grabbed by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft and quickly traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where the outfielder enjoyed a solid 2007 campaign before getting dealt to Texas in the offseason. The move has paid off for the Rangers, as Hamilton leads the majors with 53 RBI and is second in the AL with 12 homers to compliment a .333 average.

Texas is 4-3 on their road trip and won two of three over the weekend against Cleveland. In Sunday's rubber match, a fielding error by the Indians' Ben Francisco allowed Jarrod Saltalamacchia to score the winning run in the 10th inning for the Rangers.

Cleveland's Masahide Kobayashi retired the first two Rangers in the 10th, but issued a free pass to Saltalamacchia. Ramon Vazquez then lined a single to right, and Francisco went to one knee to snare the ball on the bounce but failed to do so, allowing the ball to skip between his legs.

Jamey Wright (3-1) picked up the win after two scoreless frames in relief of starter Doug Mathis, who scattered seven hits and allowed one run over six frames.

Ian Kinsler hit a solo homer for the Rangers, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Kinsler is batting .271 (13-for-48) over his run with 11 runs scored, three homers and nine RBI.

Sidney Ponson enters tonight's start for the Rangers off his first complete game in over three years. On Wednesday, Ponson held Minnesota to a run on six hits with five strikeouts in going the distance for the first time since April 24, 2005. The righty is now 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA in six starts this year.

Ponson is 8-8 with three complete games in 24 outings (23 starts) over his career versus Tampa Bay, while posting a 4.14 ERA against the Rays.

Texas and Tampa meet for the first time this year after the Rangers won five of nine clashes last year. The clubs did not meet in St. Petersburg in 2007, instead playing a three-game set in Orlando to try and increase the Rays' fan base.