major league debut. Recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier

BALTIMORE - Staked to an early lead by an unlikely source, James Shields had more trouble battling the elements than the Baltimore Orioles. Chad Ochocinco Jersey . Shields pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning, Brandon Guyer homered in his first big league at-bat, and the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 6-2 victory Friday night. Shields (3-1) gave up one run, struck out five and walked three in 7 1-3 innings, improving to 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA in his last five starts. Even more impressive, the right-hander coped brilliantly with a steady rain that lasted for much of the game. Even with lightning crackling overhead, the only break in the action occurred when the grounds crew applied drying agent to the mound and a sloppy infield. "It was raining pretty hard out there," Shields said. "Having to deal with the delays out there, with that team and that lineup over there, to be able to hold them in check is pretty nice." So was working with a three-run cushion. Guyer became the first player in Tampa Bay history to homer during his first plate appearance in his major league debut. Recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day, Guyer drove a 3-1 pitch from rookie Zach Britton (5-2) into the left-field seats with a runner on to make it 3-0 in the second inning. That represented a weeks worth of runs for Shields, who had a run-support average of 1.75 per nine innings -- lowest in the AL. "These guys gave me a 3-0 lead after the second inning and my job was to keep them in check right there," Shields said. "I think that might have been one of the first times Ive had that this year. Its really nice. Youre able to be aggressive as a pitcher and attack the hitters more." Guyer was even more excited. "I couldnt have scripted it any better," he said. "Definitely exciting. Pretty surreal right now." When he got to the dugout, Guyer found his teammates sitting stoically on the bench. After an appropriate delay, the players got up and smothered the rookie with hugs and high-fives. "I was so ecstatic I just wanted to make sure I didnt trip," he said. "Its the last thing I thought would have happened. For me to get a home run, its pretty cool." Johnny Damon also connected for the Rays, who are 17-6 since a 1-8 start that included three straight losses to Baltimore to open the season. In his previous three games against the Orioles, Shields was 0-3 with a 6.48 ERA. This time, he was nearly flawless -- except for a sixth-inning homer by Derrek Lee. "Thats what hes been, hes really been sharp," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "Sharp on both sides of the plate, sharp with all his pitches. Hes been very frugal with his pitches, getting deep into the game." Unlike Britton, who went 5 1-3 innings before being pulled after throwing 95 pitches. It was the shortest of his six career starts. He gave up three runs and four hits -- all in the second. "I dont think its a good outing, any way you look at it," the left-hander said. "My job was to go deep in the game; I didnt do that at all." Tampa Bay used three successive extra-base hits to go up 3-0. Doubles by Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton produced a run before Guyer connected. In his previous six starts, Britton allowed a total of one run in the first two innings. Shields kept the Orioles hitless until Vladimir Guerrero doubled with two outs in the fourth. Shields then struck out Luke Scott for the second time. Lees third homer cut the gap to 3-1, but Casey Kotchman hit an RBI single off Jeremy Accardo in the eighth and Damon homered with a man on against Koji Uehara in the ninth. Baltimore used consecutive two-out doubles by Guerrero and Scott to get a run in the bottom half. The Orioles finished with five hits. "I am concerned that were not playing to our capabilities offensively," manager Buck Showalter said. "I have a lot of confidence that that will change (but) we didnt put up much resistance tonight." NOTES: The Rays put RHP Jeff Niemann (back strain) on the 15-day disabled list, which led to the recall of Guyer. ... Scott will have an MRI on his right shoulder Monday to determine the source of lingering pain. ... Tampa Bay is 6-1 this year in games started by Shields. ... Guyer went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts before leaving for a pinch hitter in the eighth. Vince Wilfork Super Bowl Jersey . He was smiling after the game, too, knowing the Nuggets nearly let a victory slip from their grasp. Afflalo shook off a sore ankle to score 19 points, including a three-pointer with 11. Joe Flacco Youth Jersey . The Magic evened the series on Tuesday when Dwight Howard, who played the entire 48 minutes in the game, posted 33 points and 19 rebounds and got some much-needed help from his teammates down the stretch as Orlando downed the Hawks, 88-82. Michael Oher Jersey . Lapprobation de la LNH pave donc la voie au milliardaire originaire de la Pennsylvanie afin quil puisse conclure lentente de 189 millions $ US avec Tom Golisano, la semaine prochaine. Le vote a été réalisé par fax au cours des derniers jours, étant donné que les gouverneurs navaient pas de réunion à lhoraire avant juin. Ed Reed Jersey . -- Quarterback Aaron Rodgers got a concussion late in Green Bays 16-13 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins, one of several injuries for the Packers on Sunday. Ray Lewis Jersey .   Burns, who had turned 58 in April, had already beaten colon and liver cancer, but when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 he originally refused treatment -- then decided to go with chemotherapy to try to extend his life. Results Tuesday: AHL Hamilton 4 Manitoba 1 Toronto 3 Abbotsford 1 Lake Erie 4 Texas 0 Lowell 4 Bridgeport 0 ECHL Gwinnett 5 South Carolina 4 (OT) Central Odessa 7 Rio Grande Valley 0 QMJHL Shawinigan 3 Rouyn-Noranda 2 OHL No Games Scheduled. WHL Calgary 6 Red Deer 3 Moose Jaw 2 Kamloops 1 Portland 5 Medicine Hat 3 Prince Albert 3 Regina 2 (OT) Maritime Jr. A Halifax 4 Dieppe 3 (SO) GOJHL Elmira 4 Kitchener 11 St. Joe Flacco Jersey. Catharines 8 Niagara Falls 2 St. Marys 4 Lambton Shores 1 MJHL Dauphin 5 Winkler 3 Selkikr 4 Winnipeg South 3 Steinbach 3 Neepawa 1 SJHL Flin Flon 1 Humboldt 0 La Ronge 6 Kindersley 2 Melville 2 Weyburn 1 (SO) Yorkton 4 Estevan 0 (JRMCC) Nipawin at Notre Dame (ppd., flu concerns) AJHL Brooks 6 Canmore 1 Camrose 5 St. Albert 4 Fort McMurray 4 Sherwood Park 2 Okotoks 7 Calgary Canucks 2 BCHL Salmon Arm 2 Powell River 1 (OT) ' ' '