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(Sports Network) - Right-hander Jason Hammel hopes to continue his early season magic tonight when the Tampa Bay Rays visit Camden Yards for a battle of unlikely American League East powerhouses against the Baltimore Orioles.

Hammel, a 25-year-old former 10th-round draft pick, has won two straight starts after a loss and a no-decision to open the season for the Rays, who've won six straight games and are mathematically tied for the top spot in the AL East with the Orioles and percentage points ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa Bay has never began a season with a winning April.

Hammel pitched six innings in each of his two victories, combining to allow 10 hits and six runs in 12 innings against Minnesota and Toronto.

He last faced the Orioles on April 12 in Florida and pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs in a 3-2 Baltimore triumph. Hammel is 0-3 in five career starts against Baltimore with a 7.18 earned run average in 26 1/3 innings.

Lefty Garrett Olson makes his first start of the season for the Orioles, replacing Adam Loewen, who underwent an MRI and CT scan on his left elbow on Monday. He has never faced the Rays.

Olson, a supplemental draft choice in 2005, reached the majors and made seven starts last season, going 1-3 with a 7.79 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. He struck out 28 and walked 28 while allowing an opposition batting average of .326.

On Monday in Chicago, the contest between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox from U.S. Cellular Field was suspended due to rain following the bottom of the 11th inning.

Aubrey Huff and Ramon Hernandez homered for the Orioles. Starter Daniel Cabrera allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and seven walks over 6 1/3 innings for Baltimore.

Hernandez led off the 11th with a home run to left-center off Scott Linebrink to give the Orioles a 3-2 edge, but Uribe countered with a leadoff homer in the home half against Baltimore closer George Sherrill.

Sherrill worked out of a first-and-second, two-out situation by inducing a fly out by A.J. Pierzynski to end the frame.

The rains, which had been steadily increasing since the start of extra innings, came down hard enough to halt play prior to the top of the 12th. After several minutes, the game was officially halted, and a make-up for the conclusion of the contest wasn't immediately announced.

On Sunday in St. Petersburg, James Shields hurled a two-hit shutout, and the Rays scraped together just enough offense against Josh Beckett to complete a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, 3-0, at Tropicana Field.

Shields (3-1) struck out seven and walked just one to notch the first complete game shutout of his major league career.

Evan Longoria hit a solo homer for the Rays, while Carl Crawford added a run- scoring double and Jason Bartlett scored a pair of runs.

Tampa Bay has won three of five already this season from the O's and split a pair at Camden to open the season.