Despite the losing streak, despite fifth place, despite the empty seats, Matt Silverman believes.
Furthermore, he believes the Tampa Bay Rays believe, too.
Silverman, speaking before Monday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox, conceded that the team’s record hasn’t matched expectations, but he said there was still time to turn things around.
“It’s been a really rough stretch for us,” said Silverman, the president of baseball operations. “It dates back to when we lost (Kevin) Kiermaier. Since then, we’ve had a series of unfortunate events. We’ve had more losing baseball than we’re used to. We’re going to fight our way out of this. But so far, our performance isn’t what we’re used to.
“Our depth has been challenged. We’re pretty dissatisfid, but we stil thing there is time to turn this around.”
Silverman refused to place the blame on manager Kevin Cash (16 games under .500 in his year and a half).
“Up and down the organization, we’re all responsible,” Silverman said. “The players, the coaches, the front office. We’re all looking in the mirror to see what we can do to right the ship.
“There is a lot of fight in this ballclub. A lot of grit. We have the belief. The talent.”
Silverman acknowledged that the Rays made their brand based on starting pitching. That has not measured up so far.
