Longoria setting early tone for Rays

With another home run and a two-RBI double in Wednesday's 4-3 victory against the Orioles, Rays 3B Evan Longoria has now driven in half of the Rays eight runs this season.

"I felt great coming into the season," Longoria said. "That's all you can really ask for. You never know how things are going to turn out."

Case in point: Longoria mentioned his first at-bat Wednesday, when Oriole 3B Miguel Tejada turned a hot smash into a 5-3 putout.

"Thankfully they're falling in right now," he said. "I just like to have the opportunity to have those big hits. Whether that happens or not, I like to be put in situations to drive guys in."

The first month of the season has been kind to Longoria since he reached the big leagues in April 2008. Including Wednesday's 2-for-4, three-RBI night, Longoria is batting .333 in April with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, 15 doubles and a .673 slugging percentage.

He's a big reason the Rays won their first two games of the season for only the second time in team history. The 2002 team started 3-0.

"Obviously it's very, very early, but a 2-0 start is where we want to be," Longoria said. "Hopefully we can make it 3-0 (with a win tonight against the Orioles)."

Crawford's interesting night

LF Carl Crawford was involved in three plays worth another look.

In the fourth inning, Crawford tagged up from second on Longoria's fly ball to not-so-deep right field and beat the throw to third base by RF Nick Markakis.

"Very few people can do that against Markakis, and he did," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

In the fifth, Crawford was retired on a ground ball to first, but not until he ran out of the base line and past the bag to avoid a collision with Oriole RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who was trying to avoid Oriole 1B Garrett Atkins, who fielded the ball.

Oriole 2B Brian Roberts alertly got Atkins to flip the ball to him and stepped on first before Crawford could touch the bag.

But the strangest play occurred in the seventh inning when Crawford thought he checked his swing with the count full, and headed toward first base.

Home plate umpire Kerwin Danley ruled Crawford out on strikes, but not before 2B Reid Brignac, who was on first, headed for second. Baltimore C Matt Wieters threw to Roberts, who tagged Brignac. The play went as a strikeout, caught-stealing.

Maddon came out of the dugout, but didn't argue with Danley because he could be tossed for arguing balls and strikes and Maddon didn't want to get tossed in the seventh inning of a one-run game. Also, Maddon noted Danley had recently taken a foul ball off his helmet.

Crawford said that could have played a role in Danley's call.

"Maybe the hit across the head probably messed him up a little bit," Crawford said. "Who knows?"

The closer?

Closer Rafael Soriano recorded his first save as a Ray and his first in the American League since June 20, 2006, when he was with the Mariners, but not without placing the tying run at third.

In Tuesday's game, Soriano loaded the bases before getting out of the jam.

The hard-throwing right-hander has worked the ninth inning in each of the Rays first two games. He's allowed four hits, a walk and a run. He has yet to record a strikeout.

"He's gotten the job done both times," Maddon said. "He's not as sharp as he can be, I know that. But you can see it."

Maddon felt Soriano had Markakis struck out Wednesday before he lifted a single to left field.

"But he has the confidence and the calm to work through stuff like that," Maddon said. "That's the difference between closers and those who are not. Those that do are pretty much able to file that quickly and move on to the next pitch with calm and confidence, and that's what I see with him."

Hugo Maddon

The first 10,000 fans who entered Tropicana Field on Wednesday night received a replica of the Hugo Boss glasses worn by Maddon.

It was the second time the Rays held such a promotion. The first time was April 11, 2006 - Maddon's second home game as the Rays skipper.

"The first time, honestly, was a certain amount of concern to me, consternation," Maddon said before the game. "I had just gotten here, all right, and now they want to pop my glasses out in the stands."

The Rays had returned from a 3-3 season-opening road trip then dropped the home opener to the Orioles the day before. They lost to the Orioles, 8-4, that night as well.

Maddon said he had asked team president Matt Silverman to push the promotion to later in the season.

"Don't do this to me out of the chute," Maddon said he told Silverman.

The request was denied.

Maddon said he is on his third pair of Hugo Boss glasses since he took over as Rays manager. Neither of the first two was requested by the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Hall only wanted the Elmer Fudd cap with the ear flaps he wore during the 2008 World Series.

"That's going to be my contribution to Cooperstown," Maddon said. "That will be it right there, and I'll be very proud."

More Garza

RHP Matt Garza, who struck out nine in eight innings to record his first win of the season, is 7-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 career starts against the Orioles. He raised his record against AL East teams to 19-9 and lowered his ERA to 2.72. Against everyone else, Garza is 9-25 with a 5.09 ERA.

Garza's .679 winning percentage against the AL East is fifth best among active pitchers with at least 200 innings pitch within the division.

Speed off the bat

According to hittrackeronline.com, the ball Longoria blasted 473 feet into the party deck Tuesday night left his bat at 110 mph. The one Orioles DH Luke Scott hit off RHP James Shields earlier in the game traveled 452 feet and left the bat at 111.5 mph.

Odds and ends

RF Matt Joyce (strained right elbow) begins a rehab assignment tonight with the Durham Bulls ... Brignac was 2 for 3 in his season debut ... With the Orioles throwing LHP Brian Matusz tonight, Maddon will move Ben Zobrist to second base and start Gabe Kapler in right field ... The Rays, who won Tuesday while trailing after eight innings, lost their first 36 games last season when in that situation. The first ninth-inning comeback occurred July 21 against the White Sox in Chicago ... The first 10,000 fans at tonight's game receive a Super Cowbell. Think cowbell, with a longer handle ... Baltimore 2B Brian Roberts is 0 for 10 during the first two games ... The Yankees' rotation for this weekend's series is RHP Javier Vasquez on Friday, LHP CC Sabathia on Saturday and RHP A.J. Burnett on Sunday.