(Sports Network) - Scott Kazmir tries to halt a personal two-game losing streak this evening, when the Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field.

Kazmir, the winning pitcher for the American League in last Tuesday's All-Star Game, has lost his last two starts and is 7-5 with a 3.04 earned run average on the season. He fell for the fourth time in his last five decisions last Sunday in Cleveland, where he surrendered five runs and eight hits in six innings.

The 24-year-old left-hander defeated the A's earlier in the year and is 5-1 lifetime against them with a 2.96 ERA in nine starts.

Tampa was denied a sweep in its three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend, falling 9-4 in Sunday's finale. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena recorded back-to-back solo home runs for the Rays, who have dropped eight of their last 10.

Edwin Jackson (5-7) was belted for six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of work to take the loss.

Oakland, meanwhile, continued to sputter offensively this weekend in the Bronx. The Athletics were swept in a three-game series by the New York Yankees, culminating with a 2-1 setback in Sunday's finale at Yankee Stadium.

Ryan Sweeney had two of the A's five hits and knocked in the lone run in the club's season-high fifth straight loss. Oakland managed just five runs in the three-game series.

Justin Duchscherer (10-6) was the hard-luck loser, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks to go with four strikeouts through seven innings. The All-Star has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last 11 starts, the longest streak by an American League pitcher since Roger Clemens completed the feat in 1990.

Heading to the hill for the A's tonight will be lefty Dana Eveland, who is 7-6 with a 3.49 ERA on the year. Eveland was tagged with the loss in his final start before the break, as he surrendered two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings on July 12 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Eveland picked up a win over the Rays back on May 21, his first career appearance against them. He went the distance in that game and surrendered only one run and three hits.

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