BALTIMORE — A whirlwind offseason of change carried over into opening day for Tampa Bay, when the Rays reversed an annoying trend at the expense of the Baltimore Orioles.

James Shields pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, Eric Hinske homered and the Rays coasted to a 6-2 victory today.

Since its inception in 1998, Tampa Bay was 1-9 in road openers, including a seven-game skid that was the longest active run in the big leagues. But things are different this year, beginning with the team's nickname — no longer are they the Devil Rays.

There are changes on the field, too. Manager Joe Maddon's 25-man roster included 16 players in their first opening day with Tampa Bay, including six who weren't in the lineup for the 2007 opener.

Hinske, the only non-roster invitee to make the team, hit a solo shot to right off Jeremy Guthrie to put the Rays up 4-2 in the fourth inning. He also drew a walk and scored twice.

Making his first opening day start, Shields (1-0) did a fine job in place of an injured Scott Kazmir. Shields walked three, struck out two and did not allow a runner to reach second base after the first inning.

Kevin Millar drove in two runs and Brian Roberts went 2-for-2 with two walks for the Orioles, who appear destined to displace Tampa Bay in the cellar of the AL East. In 10 seasons, the Rays have finished in last place nine times.

The announced attendance at Camden Yards was 46,807, a sellout, but the stadium was far from full. The multitude of empty seats might have been the result of the cool, damp weather.

More likely, it was a reflection of the lack of excitement for a season in which the Orioles have made a commitment to rebuild, a project that almost certainly will result in an 11th straight year with a losing record.

At least Baltimore got off to a good start. Roberts led off the first inning with a walk, Nick Markakis hit a one-out single and they pulled a double steal. Millar followed with a two-run double off the glove of left fielder Carl Crawford.

The lead vanished in the third. Crawford drove in a run with a slow roller that third baseman Melvin Mora misplayed for an error and a two-run single by B.J. Upton made it 3-2. Hinske led off the fourth with his home run.

Run-scoring singles by Dioner Navarro and Jason Bartlett made it 6-2 in the sixth. Navarro had three hits.

Making his first opening day start, Guthrie (0-1) allowed six runs, five earned, and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Notes: The Orioles signed INF Alex Cintron to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Cintron batted .243 in 68 games with the White Sox last year. ... Tampa Bay was 0-2 in openers at Camden Yards, losing 10-7 in 1999 and 9-6 in 2006.