"For all the things that went right for the Rays in Wednesday's 9-1 win, from the successful bunts to big homers, manager Joe Maddon made sure one key aspect wasn't overlooked.

"It all happens because you get a great performance by your starting pitcher," he said.

RHP James Shields delivered another strong outing, allowing one run and three hits over 71/3 innings and bouncing back nicely from the worst start of his season one week earlier (10 runs, 12 hits in Oakland).

Shields said he made some adjustments during his between-starts bullpen session, making his delivery more compact so that he could keep the ball down more effectively.

"I think in the first inning, I was just a little amped up," Shields said. "But after that, I settled in nice."

LOADING UP: Maddon has called his team's struggles with the bases loaded — specifically, with nobody out — "crazy" and puzzling.

The Rays entered Wednesday's game having four hits in their past 27 plate appearances with the bases loaded, and they went scoreless in six of their past seven opportunities with the bases full and nobody out.

Simply put, Maddon feels hitters should try to simplify things, focus on scoring "just one" run at a time and putting the ball in play.

That's exactly what DH Johnny Damon did with one out in the second, hitting a sacrifice fly to center. In the seventh, LF Desmond Jennings struck out with the bases loaded and two out.

"We've had some situations where we may have hit the ball relatively well, but for the most part, it's a lot of strikeouts," Maddon said. "It's just a mind-set, an approach, it's, again, not trying to do too much.""