Smyly will remain in the starting rotation despite his ongoing struggles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 27-year-old southpaw is now sporting an unsightly 2-11 record and 5.64 ERA that ranks as the highest among all pitchers who've thrown at least 90 frames this season. However, despite those numbers and the fact that he's given up at least four earned runs in five consecutive starts, Smyly is not a candidate for demotion at this time according to manager Kevin Cash. "Actually we talked to Drew (Tuesday), checked in, we had a good conversation," Cash said. "Drew is trying to work through this. He knows he's in a funk. At different parts of the season, I think different things have kind of left him, different pitches that he hasn't been able to find. ... We're excited to get his work in and to see him back out there Saturday in Oakland."