The Rays are sticking with J.P. Howell as their closer despite his recent struggles. "When you lose in walkoff fashion, people tend to reflect a lot more on that one game than on the entire body of work," executive vice president Andrew Friedman told the St. Petersburg Times. "J.P. has been an integral part of our success this season, and there is no doubt in my mind that we wouldn't be in the position we are without him. "We have a lot of confidence in him and are confident that he's going to continue to help us win big games down the stretch." Howell had converted 13 straight save opportunities before blowing his last two. "It's just unfortunate, because J.P. has been so great for us all year," manager Joe Maddon said.