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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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The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. Match factsJuly 28-August 1, BulawayoStart time 09:30 local (07:30 GMT)Big pictureFor all the feelings of excitement at Test crickets return to Bulawayo, there is the reality that the home side will find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer gulf between their visitors and themselves in every way.In personnel terms, New Zealand, albeit without recently retired Brendon McCullum, bring 379 Test caps between them to Bulawayo. Zimbabwe have just 86 and, of those, a third belong to one man - Hamilton Masakadza - who was relieved of the captaincy in May. Masakadza will no doubt operate as senior counsel to new captain Graeme Cremer, who will lead the Test side for the first time. His counterpart, Kane Williamson, is also on his maiden outing as Test captain, but has experienced heads like Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor to turn to.One of the first things they would remind Williamson of was how hard Zimbabwe pushed them the last time the sides met at Queens. In November 2011, the match went down to the last session of the last day before New Zealand eventually claimed the honours. Since then, Zimbabwe visited New Zealand, were soundly beaten, and have played just 10 other Test matches.New Zealand went only to play four times that number and are a much more assured side than they were five years ago. Although they have lost two of their last three Test series, both against Australia, they had been on a solid run before that. They drew in England and the UAE, and beat Sri Lanka away, West Indies away and India at home. Their climb up the Test rankings has not been as dramatic as their headline-grabbing showings in limited-overs cricket but it has been steady, and they now find themselves at No.5. If the idea of two Test divisions ever becomes a reality, New Zealand would play in the top division, as things stand.At the moment, Zimbabwe can only dream of getting there. Their dearth of fixtures has left them without a ranking at all, but after this series it is likely they will be on the table, joining at the bottom. They will want this to be a fresh start, so they can gradually set their sights on greater things.Form guide Zimbabwe LLLLWNew Zealand LLWWLIn the spotlightInjuries to Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara have left Zimbabwes pace pack with just two Test caps among four of them, and the lack of experience could be a cause for concern. Njabulo Ncube and Donald Tiripano have played a Test each while Michael Chinouya and Taurai Muzarabani are uncapped. The quartet have had the experience of Makhaya Ntini, South Africas third-highest wicket-taker of all time, to draw on but may need to find the right balance between attacking and containing on what could be a stubborn surface.Leg spin has been known to be a nemesis for Zimbabwean batsmen so Ish Sodhis role could be the most important in the New Zealand attack. Sodhi caused problems for Zimbabwe A during last weeks warm-up match at Harare Sports Club, when he took six wickets in total, including that of Test keeper Regis Chakabva twice. He will also be heartened by what he may see from the most recent match played at Queens, between Zimbabwe A and South Africa A. Despite a largely batsman-friendly surface, Keshav Maharaj and Dane Piedt took seven wickets between them to win the match for the tourists.Team newsThe hosts wiill cap at least one new player either at the top of the order or in the spin department.dddddddddddd Prince Masvaure, who scored a century in the match between Zimbabwe A and South Africa A, could open in Vusi Sibandas absence. Masvaure will have to be joined by one of Brian Chari or Chamu Chibhabha after Tino Mawoyo was ruled out with a hand injury. The No.4 spot left vacant by Brendan Taylor is likely to be filled by one of Sikandar Raza or Peter Moor, with the other slotting in at No. 5. With plenty of slower bowling options in the middle order, Zimbabwe could field just two quicks, of which one may be a debutant.Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Prince Masvaure, 2 Chamu Chibhabha/Brian Chari, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Peter Moor, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Craig Ervine, 7 Regis Chakabva (wk), 8 Sean Williams, 9 Graeme Cremer (capt), 10 Donald Tiripano/Michael Chinouya, 11 Njabulo NcubePlaying their first Test since McCullums retirement, New Zealand will be led by Kane Williamson for the first time. Henry Nicholls will fill in at No.4, and is surrounded by a strong line-up. With several spin options in their squad, New Zealand could opt for two spinners and two quicks with Doug Bracewell as their all-round option.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Doug Bracewell 8 Ish Sodhi, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mark Craig/Michael Santner 11 Trent Boult/Matt Henry/Neil WagnerPitch and conditionsThe scarcity of Test cricket at Queens means theres not much historical data to go on, but conventional wisdom suggests that the surface will be slow and low, favouring an old-fashioned style of play. The match between Zimbabwe A and South Africa A which took place earlier this month may be the best indicator of what to expect. Brian Vitori, who played in that match, described the surface as flat and scores of 570 and 356 are evidence of that. However, turn came into play on the final day which suggests there may be some deterioration as the sun beats down. The late winter conditions are expected to be pleasant, with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-20s over the five days.Stats and triviaIn 15 matches, Zimbabwe have never won a Test against New Zealand and have lost nine. Their record is poorer only against Sri Lanka, against whom they have lost 10 and won none.Since Zimbabwe and New Zealand last played each other in a Test in January 2012, New Zealand have played 40 Test matches and Zimbabwe just 10.QuotesA few guys will remember that feeling and will know its not impossible to put them under pressure and to do well.Although Graeme Cremer was not part of the team that narrowly lost to New Zealand five years ago, he hopes those who were will remember how well they competed.We are going to play in a way that tries to give us the best chance of winning. It is tough to win here. We know well have to adapt quickly and be at our best. You dont tend to get pace and bounce like in other part so the world. Its about adapting, thinking on your feet.Kane Williamson expects conditions to stand in New Zealands way of victory, as much as the opposition, and hopes to be able to conquer both. ' ' '