Rays GM unfazed after dropping below .500: 'We're in good shape'

Tampa Bay Rays general manager Matt Silverman maintained a level head Wednesday after watching his team drop a third straight game to sink below .500 for the first time since late May.

"We're in good shape," Silverman told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I'm happy with all the work that's being done by the coaching staff and by the players, and the results will come."

On Wednesday, even the club's de facto ace, Chris Archer, couldn't reverse the club's lousy fortune of late. The 26-year-old allowed a season-high nine runs over six innings against the Kansas City Royals, yielding a pair of home runs in an eventual 9-7 loss at Kauffman Stadium.

Still, Silverman expressed optimism about the second half of the season, when some of his injured soldiers - namely Desmond Jennings, Steven Souza, and Drew Smyly - are expected to return.

"We're in the hunt, and given all the injuries that have taken place, it's a good spot to be in," Silverman said. "We're going to get healthier in the second half and have a club that resembles, or more closely resembles, the club we thought out of spring training.

Even after losing Wednesday for the ninth time in their last 10 games, the Rays remain only 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East.