(Sports Network) - An untimely 11-game losing streak has virtually ended the Tampa Bay Rays' chances of repeating as American League champions. The badly- struggling club now turns its attention solely to trying to end the longest skid in the major leagues this season when it heads to Baltimore's Camden Yards tonight for the first of four straight meetings with the Orioles (web | news) .

The Rays stood a manageable five games behind Boston for the lead in the AL Wild Card race following an 8-5 victory over the Red Sox on September 2. Tampa Bay hasn't won since, however, and now trails its AL East rivals by 12 1/2 games in the standings after losing both ends of a doubleheader to the Red Sox Sunday in Fenway Park.

Tampa's offense was silenced by Boston pitching in both contests, falling by a 3-1 count in the opener and then being limited to four hits in a 4-0 setback in the nightcap.

"You can't expect to win when you score no runs and then one run," said Rays manager Joe Maddon afterward. "This whole week has been pretty much negative offense."

The Rays, who have not lost 12 games in a row since August 27-September 10, 2004, have mustered two runs or less in each of their last seven defeats.

Tampa Bay did receive strong pitching from Matt Garza in game one, with the talented right-hander holding Boston to one run over the first seven innings before surrendering a go-ahead two-run homer to Dustin Pedroia in the eighth.

David Price was also victimized by the Rays's sputtering offense in his last start. The highly-touted rookie, who takes the mound for the visitors tonight, received a no-decision despite a solid showing at Yankee Stadium this past Tuesday. He allowed two runs and just three hits while striking out six New York hitters over six innings in a game Tampa Bay eventually lost by a 3-2 score.

Outings like that one on the road have been few and far between for Price this season, however. The 2007 No. 1 overall draft choice is 1-4 with a subpar 6.31 earned run average in nine away starts. He did pitch effectively in an appearance at Camden Yards last September, though, yielding two runs -- one earned -- in a 5 1/3-inning no-decision.

Price did defeat the Orioles in St. Petersburg back on August 18, with the 24- year-old giving up two runs and fanning five through five innings in that matchup.

Baltimore returns home after a good showing in New York over the weekend. The last-place Orioles won their first two clashes with the AL East-leading Yankees before being dealt a 13-3 loss in Sunday's finale.

O's starter Jeremy Guthrie was reached for five runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss, while relievers Chris Waters and Bob McCrory each permitted four runs during an eighth-inning outburst that enabled the Yankees to pull away.

Nolan Reimold went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored for Baltimore, which was bidding for its first three-game sweep in the Bronx since June 6-8, 1986.

The Orioles will kick off a seven-game homestand with David Hernandez on the hill tonight. The rookie will be attempting to halt a five-start winless stretch in which he's gone 0-3 with a poor 8.22 ERA and served up a whopping 12 homers in a 23-inning span. Baltimore has lost all five of those tilts.

Hernandez was done in once again by the long ball again in Tuesday's visit to Fenway Park, where he allowed four homers and six runs total to the Red Sox before being yanked after 2 2/3 innings of a 10-0 defeat. He gave up three homers and walked six in just five frames during his previous start, a no- decision against the Yankees on September 1.

The 24-year-old is 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA in seven home starts this year and will be opposing Tampa Bay for the first time this evening.

These two divisional foes have split 10 meetings so far this season, but the Rays are 12-5 in their last 17 visits to Camden Yards.









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