James Shields struck out 12 and the surging Tampa Bay Rays pounded out 14 hits on the way to a 10-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.

The Rays, off to their best start in club history, have won 13 of their past 15 games. Their 16 wins in April are a club record.

Shields (3-0) went seven innings, allowing six hits and one earned run.

The Rays scored six times in the fifth inning to break open a 2-2 tie. Tampa Bay sent 11 men to the plate in the frame and got five hits and three walks. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena had run-scoring hits in the inning.

Longoria and Pena hit back-to-back homers in the sixth.

Dallas Braden (3-1) took the loss and was tagged for six runs on eight hits in four-plus innings.

Daric Barton homered to give Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first. Adam Rosales added a solo shot in the ninth.

Willy Aybar had three hits and John Jaso had a pair of RBIs for the Rays.