ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Justin Masterson struggled from the start and things never really got better.

Jeremy Hellickson pitched seven impressive innings, John Jaso homered and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 7-0 on Sunday.

Masterson (5-3) allowed seven runs, eight hits and five walks in five innings. He entered winless in his five previous starts – including two losses – despite a 2.80 ERA over the stretch.

“He’s only got one shaky outing and it’s today,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Obviously didn’t have a good outing, but he’s been money for us so far.”

Masterson is 1-6 in 11 career games against Tampa Bay, and the only two times the right-hander has given up more three runs in a start this season has come against the Rays.

“We just may work well against him,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “Maybe we’ve played well against him in the past and he thinks about it. I have no specific reasons.”

Masterson did not record a strikeout for the second time this season, and it was the first time he failed to pitch into the sixth.

“Just had a tough time controlling the strike zone and it got me in bad counts,” Masterson said. “They took advantage of it, which is good by them.”

Hellickson (6-3) scattered three hits, walked two and had six strikeouts. The right-hander has won five of his last six starts.

Jaso hit a two-run homer off Masterson as Tampa Bay went ahead 4-0 in the fourth. Ben Zobrist had an RBI grounder and Sam Fuld hit a run-scoring infield single in a three-run fifth that extended the Rays’ lead to 7-0.

The AL Central-leading Indians are 11-11 since May 4. Cleveland was also blanked 5-0 in the series’ opener Friday.

“Certainly not the way you want to start a road trip, especially being shut out two of three games here,” Acta said.

Johnny Damon had an RBI single during a two-run third that put the Rays up 2-0. The other run scored when catcher Lou Marson was charged with a passed ball that allowed Evan Longoria to score from third.

Hellickson worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first by getting a double-play grounder from Travis Buck.

“Just getting out of the first inning was huge,” Maddon said. “I think that might have been the tipping point.”

Hellickson struck out Grady Sizemore with two runners on to end the fourth.

“We just couldn’t make the adjustments offensively against Hellickson,” Acta said. “He had a very good changeup as usual. Mixed his pitches very well.”

Sizemore was the designated hitter for the third straight game and struck out in all four plate appearances. He is hitless in 12 at-bats, including seven strikeouts, since returning from a bruised right kneecap on Friday.

The Indians are still planning to have Sizemore possibly play the field once during a three-game series that starts Monday night at Toronto.

TONIGHT

• WHO: Cleveland at Toronto
• TIME: 7:07
• WHERE: Rogers Centre
• PITCHERS: Carmona (3-5, 4.73 ERA) vs. Reyes (0-4, 4.70)
• TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Carlos Carrasco put together a quality start and the Cleveland Indians’ offense did its part, too.

Shelley Duncan and Orlando Cabrera each had two RBIs, Carrasco pitched six solid innings and the Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Saturday.

“Carrasco gave us a chance,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said. “He threw the ball well, and was aggressive with his fastball.”

Duncan, who was pinch-hitting, and Cabrera both had two-run singles during the eighth to put Cleveland ahead 7-2. Duncan had a bases-loaded drive off J.P. Howell that hit high off the left-field wall, but he was held to a single because it looked like outfielder Sam Fuld might be able to catch the ball.

“Huge hit by Shelley Duncan. Huge hit by Orlando Cabrera, who always seems to be in the middle of those big rallies,” Acta said.

Carrasco (4-2) gave up two runs and seven hits, helping the AL Central-leading Indians end a three-game losing streak. Cleveland had been outscored 23-4 during the short skid.

“I put in my mind I have to win this game and that’s what I did,” Carrasco said.

Slumping Rays All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria, moved from the middle of the lineup to leadoff, had two hits in four at-bats, including a homer. Manager Joe Maddon has taken that approach with struggling power hitters in the past and told Longoria to start having fun again.

Maddon said Longoria “analyzed the pitches better today” and did not rule out keeping him in the same leadoff role today.

Longoria drew a two-out walk off Rafael Perez to load the bases in the ninth. The Rays scored a run when first baseman Matt LaPorta was charged with an error after misplaying Johnny Damon’s grounder, but closer Chris Perez got his 14th save when Sean Rodriguez was tagged out during a rundown between third and home on the play.

Perez said he was mad at himself for being slow covering first base and was heading toward the mound when he heard his teammates start yelling.

“I look up and there’s guys running everywhere,” Perez said. “I ran right at Rodriguez and he had to make a decision.”

Longoria took most of the blame for the final out because he rounded second and was running toward third, where Rodriguez had stopped.

The Indians went up 2-0 during a strange first inning that sawjust five hitters bat even though the first four all got hits.

Michael Brantley had a leadoff single and scored on a triple by Asdrubal Cabrera, who then was picked off third by James Shields (5-3). After Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Buck singled, Carlos Santana hit what turned out to be an inning-ending sacrifice fly. Choo crossed the plate on Santana’s liner to right before Buck, who was running on the pitch, was doubled off first base.

LaPorta extended the Indians’ advantage to 3-0 on a second-inning homer. He had struck out in all four at-bats in Friday night’s 5-0 loss to the Rays.

Shields allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings. The right-hander has gone seven or more innings – including a 4-0 complete-game win over Florida last Sunday – in nine consecutive starts.

Longoria cut the deficit to 3-1 on his third-inning solo shot. It was his first homer and RBI this season at home, coming in his 12th game.

Longoria, who had just six hits in 45 at-bats over his previous 12 games, also had a first-inning single.

“Joe’s usually right,” Longoria said of his manager.

Rodriguez’s RBI bunt single in the fourth made it 3-2.

Tampa Bay’s Matt Joyce, who entered hitting a major league-best .377, went 1-for-4. His average dropped three points.

Notable

Longoria is the first Rays player to homer in first at-bat leading off a game.
• Cleveland DH Grady Sizemore went 0-for-4 and is hitless in eight at-bats since returning from a bruised right kneecap.
• Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton struck out in his first six plate appearances of the series, including twice Saturday, before grounding out in in the sixth.