ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Just in case the four-day All-Star break isnt enough to jar the Tampa Bay Rays from the worst slump in their history, they will have a few lineup tweaks as the return Friday for a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.Im not going to lie. This All-Star break has been tough, said Rays manager Kevin Cash, eager from a distraction after losing 22 of 25 games entering the break.You look at the standings, you read how far back we are. Weve got a long road and were going to need to play better baseball. I think that starts by putting a goal of winning as many series up front coming out of the break as possible.As early as Fridays game, the Rays are expected to get back Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, a catalyst in the field and on the bases, where he had six steals and 15 extra-base hits before missing 45 games with a fractured hand.The Rays also optioned backup catcher Hank Conger, hitting just .194 with 10 RBI in 124 at-bats, to Triple-A Durham, with Luke Maile taking his place as Curt Casalis backup. Maile, 25, had 35 at-bats last season and hit just .171, but he should be an upgrade defensively.And in one more move, the Rays signed reliever Kevin Jepsen, who was released by the Minnesota Twins, the same team that acquired Jepsen from the Rays at the trade deadline last year.Jepsen was sharp last season with a 2.33 ERA but struggled in Minnesota this year with a 6.16 ERA. Still, hes seen as more dependable than the Rays current options. Theyll likely send down two relievers to make room for Jepsen and Kiermaier on Friday.The Orioles (51-36), leading the American League East, are looking for a different kind of upgrade. They could pursue a key addition in the next two weeks before the trade deadline, most likely to bolster their starting rotation with a replacement for struggling Ubaldo Jimenez.Help is right here in this group. We are not coveting other peoples players, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters about not needing a trade at the deadline. Every answer we need to have is in here.Baltimore won four of five going into the All-Star break, with two wins from Chris Tillman, who is 12-2 and will start Saturday against the Rays. Kevin Gausman is 1-6, however, and Yovani Gallardo (3-1), Fridays starter, hasnt been reliable, either.The Orioles are where they are in part because of a major-league-best 137 home runs -- a ridiculous 28 from Mark Trumbo, another 22 from Chris Davis and 19 from Manny Machado. 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Queensland winger Dane Gagai admits he will need to monitor a quad injury for the rest of the NRL season despite being cleared to play Wednesdays State of Origin III in Sydney.Gagai and veteran prop Nate Myles (knee) were on Sunday officially cleared for game three after completing Maroons training at their Gold Coast camp.Today was the test, the leg was good, I am right to go, Gagai said.I still have three days to game day.These physios know what they are doing.I will do my best to be 100 per cent on Wednesday night.But Gagai expected his quad complaint - which also restricted his game two preparation - would linger for the rest of the year.Hopefully after this game I can monitor it a bit better, the Newcastle flyer said.I feel confident running on it.Myles is a confirmed starter in Queenslands front row after missing game two due to the injury.Queensland coach Kevin Walters said he would not hesitate thrusting the 30-Origin veteran into the starting front row as the Maroons look to seal a fifth series whitewash.ddddddddddddQueensland have already clinched their 10th series win in 11 years.On Wednesday night we know it is going to be a forward dominated game and Nate is one of those players who enjoys playing in that arena, Walters said.He has had a couple of weeks out and he assures us he will be fine.Walters was confident Gagai would shine in game three just as he did in Origin II after a similar injury plagued lead-up.Despite missing a week of training, Gagai became just the fourth Maroon to bag an Origin hat-trick in their series clinching 26-16 game two win in Brisbane.Queensland will leave for Sydney on Monday afternoon. 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