ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- One day after Wil Myers returned to face the Rays, another former Tampa Bay player will oppose his former team Tuesday.San Diego Padres right-hander Edwin Jackson, who made headlines for and against the Rays, will oppose Tampa Bay left-hander Blake Snell in the middle game of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.Jackson pitched for Tampa Bay from 2006-08, then threw an unusual no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Rays on June 25, 2010. He somehow walked eight batters in a 149-pitch gem.The 32-year-old veteran opened this season as a reliever with the Marlins (0-1, 5.91 ERA in eight outings), but he has fared well since joining the Padres (3-1, 3.62 ERA in five starts). His last outing saw him scatter two hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out seven in a win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.For his career, Jackson is 3-2 with a 2.54 ERA in his career against the Tampa Bay.While Jackson has appeared with 11 major league teams, Snell has made just 11 major league starts. The rookie is 3-5 with a 3.18 ERA and coming off his worst outing of the season, when he lasted only 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs (two earned) in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.Snell has 58 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings, for the best rate in the American League among rookie pitchers with 50 or more innings. His only previous interleague outing was a strong one, when he struck out nine and held the Rockies to one hit in six scoreless innings at Colorado on July 19.Theres been a lot of impressive things about Blake Snell, Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com. His confidence, not to be confused with cockiness -- the confidence and the way he feels he can go out there and compete has been so impressive. The way he acted right after that game is pretty impressive. ... I know hes itching to get back out there.The Rays have had improved starting pitching since the All-Star break, with Mondays starter, Drew Smyly, improving to 3-0 in his past five starts with a 2.25 ERA. He has more wins in those five starts than in his first 18 this season. On Monday, he used a deceptive mix of pitches to leave the Padres hitters guessing.The Rays are 14-15 since the All-Star break, recovering from a terrible month entering the break, and improved starting pitching has been a big part of the turnaround.Snell is just coming into his rhythm as a young starting pitcher, but Smyly said the staff as a whole has built a positive momentum in the past month, one it hopes to continue through the final six weeks of the season.You have to go out there and believe, to execute pitches and expect good results to come, Smyly said. I dont know if its luck, but everything evens out over the course of the season.After giving up three runs in the first two innings Monday, the Padres are looking for a quicker start Tuesday.We just didnt play that well, didnt come out with the intensity we should have early in the game, said Myers, who went 1-for-4. I think we need to do a little better job, me especially -- the whole team needs to do a better job early in the games, because weve been fighting late. But those first few at-bats early in the game are just as important. Thats one thing we need to do going forward, making sure we have more intensity early in the games. Nike Shoes Black Friday Online . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Nike Shoes Black Friday Discount . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Nike Shoes Black Friday China . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. PHILADELPHIA -- Jim Schwartz wont let his defense fear Antonio Brown or the rest of Pittsburghs high-powered offense.After handling the Browns and the Bears, the Philadelphia Eagles have a tough test against the Steelers on Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger, Brown and NFL leading rusher DeAngelo Williams lead a group that has averaged 31 points in the first two games.Containing Brown is usually the key to beating the Steelers.Yeah, we know what number he wears, so we wont have a problem finding him, Schwartz said Thursday. But its not just him. If we concentrate too much on 84 (Brown) -- and hes going to get a lot of our attention, for sure -- theres a lot of other guys that can make us pay.Were going to have to play a good total team game; were going to have to play total team defense. Its not just going to be about stopping one guy. There are a lot of other matchups that we need to win in this game.Schwartz has helped the defense improve dramatically in his first season as coordinator. A unit that ranked in the bottom five each of the past three years has allowed just two touchdowns and one field goal.But Cleveland and Chicago dont compare to Pittsburghs offense.This will be the best offense we face this seasonn, safety Malcolm Jenkins said.ddddddddddddOn paper, rookie cornerback Jalen Mills covering Brown is a major mismatch. Mills said hes concentrating on playing technique football instead of focusing on Brown because he expects to line up against other Steelers receivers, too.We have a lot of great receivers in our division so its one week at a time, one player at a time, Mills said.Roethlisberger puts added pressure on the secondary because of his ability to avoid the rush and extend plays. Jenkins, Mills and the other defensive backs have to remain disciplinedHes one of best in the business at sliding and picking and just working his way around the pocket, Schwartz said. Hes a giant man, hes not afraid of contact in there. A lot of the plays get extended. ... So we need to keep our rush going. Its not just 2 seconds you are rushing for. Youve got to keep going. Hes not coming down on an arm tackle. You can grab the jersey and hes still going to throw it.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi ' ' '