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(Sports Network) - While the Tampa Bay Rays have been the biggest surprise this season, so has starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine. Sonnanstine will get another chance to shine when the Rays open a four-game series tonight against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

Tampa Bay has taken MLB and the AL East by storm this season and has won each of Sonnanstine's last seven starts. Sonnanstine is 4-0 over that stretch for the division-leading Rays and has ripped off back-to-back wins, including last Saturday's seven-inning stint versus Kansas City. He allowed no runs and five hits in a 3-0 victory over the Royals in his second straight game with at least seven innings of work.

The right-hander, who is 5-1 in eight away starts this season, faced Cleveland for the first and only time on July 2 of last season. Sonnanstine was reached for three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 10-2 loss at the Tribe.

The Rays have lost three straight after a seven-game winning streak, but still lead the AL East by two games over the Boston Red Sox. They were just swept in a brief two-game set by the New York Yankees, suffering a 2-1 loss in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon from Yankee Stadium. Reliever Grant Balfour yielded an RBI double to Bobby Abreu in the 10th to absorb the loss, while Carlos Pena provided the offense with a solo homer in the sixth inning.

Starter Edwin Jackson allowed one run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work for the no-decision, as the Rays lost their third road game in four tries.

Cleveland is on the verge of losing 11 straight games for the first time since the club dropped a team-record 12 in a row in May of the 1931 season. It sustained its 10th consecutive setback on Wednesday in an 8-6 defeat to the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a two-game series at Comerica Park.

Indians reliever Jensen Lewis surrendered a game-winning two-run homer to Miguel Cabrera in the bottom of the ninth to keep Cleveland's slide going. Starter Paul Byrd threw six innings and gave up three runs on nine hits, while striking out five in the no-decision.

Grady Sizemore went 3-for-5 with two RBI for the Indians, while Jhonny Peralta doubled twice and drove in a run. Cleveland is last in the AL Central and just lost every game of an eight-game road trip.

The Indians will hand the ball to Aaron Laffey on Thursday, and he is 4-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts this season.

Laffey is winless in his last four starts (0-2) and did not record a decision in a 9-6 loss at Minnesota on Saturday. He was reached for four runs and five hits through five innings of work.

The southpaw, who is 0-2 in five road starts this season, has never faced the Rays.

Tampa Bay and Cleveland are meeting for the first time since the Indians won eight of 10 meetings last year, with a 4-0 mark as the host. Cleveland is 14-3 in the last 17 matchups with the Rays, going 8-0 at home over that span.