ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Oakland Athletics won back-to-back games for the first time since April 14, but the best news about Sunday's 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field is that right-hander Sonny Gray's ankle injury doesn't appear to be serious.

"It feels OK. Not great, but I don't think it'll be something ... probably just a couple of days of treatment," said Gray, who left after five shutout innings after taking a comebacker to his leg in the fourth inning. "More than likely, should be ready to go (for his next start)."

The Rays (24-21) might not be as lucky, as three starting position players left the game with injuries -- outfielder Steven Souza with a sprained wrist, first baseman James Loney with a sprained finger and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera with a sprained left groin.

Gray improved his record to 5-2 and reduced his ERA to 1.77. The big swing for the Athletics (16-30) was a three-run home run in the sixth inning by first baseman Mark Canha off Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez, who pitched more than five innings in a game for the first time this season.

"We needed that, obviously," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Offensively, we're getting better at-bats, getting bigger hits. Certainly the pitching is coming around ... any time you have Sonny on the mound, you feel good about it."

Tampa Bay (24-21) remains in first place in the American League East but struggled at the plate for the second game in a row.

"We saw two pretty good pitchers. We know about Sonny Gray and how good he is," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He's as good as anybody in the American League, so you anticipate that. ... Hopefully, we'll get Oakland out of here and bring Seattle in and get heated back up."

Right fielder Josh Reddick added a solo home run in the seventh off reliever Ernesto Frieri for a 6-0 lead. Oakland took a shutout into the eighth inning, but the Rays avoided a second straight blanking when second baseman Logan Forsythe brought home two runs with a bases-loaded single.

Souza left the game with a sprained left wrist in the middle of his second at-bat, in the third inning. Souza was injured when he collided with A's catcher Stephen Vogt in the first inning, and is listed as day-to-day.

"We're just being cautious," said Souza, whose X-rays were negative; he'll get an MRI exam Monday. "We're just going to take it day by day. I don't think I can tell anything right now. It's too soon. We'll look at it tomorrow and go from there."

For the second day in a row, the Rays optioned down a reliever after one game, this time with Preston Guilmet sent back down to Triple-A Durham after making his Rays debut out of the bullpen. No corresponding move was announced, but it will likely be a bat in response to Sunday's injuries.

Oakland provided run support on the first pitch of the game, as center fielder Billy Burns led off the game with a solo home run off Ramirez, finishing with three hits.

The Rays kept the game close for five innings, with the only other A's run coming on a third-inning sacrifice fly by Vogt, scoring Burns, who had singled. Gray gave up four hits in the first five innings, but kept the Rays off the scoreboard.

This came after Oakland shut out the Rays in Saturday's 5-0 win.

Oakland took control of the game in the sixth inning, when Ramirez opened the inning by walking Vogt and hitting designated hitter Billy Butler. Canha followed with a three-run home run to left, his sixth of the season, for a 5-0 lead.

Oakland returns home for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers starting on Monday, while the Rays stay home for three games against the Seattle Mariners, starting Monday.

NOTES: The Rays have now rostered as many pitchers as they did in all of 2014, as RHP Preston Guilmet was called up from Triple-A Durham to help an overworked bullpen. LHP Enny