ST. PETERSBURG (AP) – The Tampa Bay Rays are determined to not let one bad month undermine their chances of getting back to the playoffs.

Despite an erratic stretch entering the All-Star break, the AL champions have rebounded from a slow start to quietly compile one of baseball’s best records since the end of April.

They not only have crept up in the standings behind division rivals Boston and New York in the AL East, but their confidence is buoyed by manager Joe Maddon’s belief that the club has yet to truly hit its stride.

“We did at times, but we were a little bit too streaky,” Maddon said, looking back on a first-half marked by injuries, inconsistency and what the manager now concedes was a hangover from the club’s first World Series trip.

“It’s that first month that really has kind of bit us to this particular juncture. I think a lot of things have gotten better, but it’s somewhat skewed by that first month,” he added. “I really see guys being healthy right now. I see guys as not being tired. With that in mind, I can visualize a lot of good second-half performances.”

Since opening the season 8-14 and sitting at the bottom of the AL East on April 29, the Rays have gone 40-27 – tied with the Yankees for the third-best mark in the majors – to advance from fifth to third place in the division.

The offense has overachieved, setting first-half club records for runs scored (476), doubles (188) and stolen bases (133) while batting .271 with 111 home runs. The club’s starting pitching and defense have not been as reliable as a year ago.

“They are the two most inconsistent parts of our game,” Maddon said. “I thought they would be the lockdown parts.”

Scott Kazmir (4-5, 7.11 ERA), an All-Star a year ago, spent time on the disabled list and hasn’t won in more than two months. James Shields (6-6, 3.42) has suffered from a lack of run support, and Matt Garza (6-7, 3.73) and young prospect David Price (3-3, 4.70) have struggled at times, too.

One of the main reasons the Rays have been able to hang in the race despite having just one member of the rotation – No. 5 starter Jeff Niemann (8-4, 3.73) – with a winning record, is an overworked bullpen that’s held up fairly well.

It’s helped, too, that All-Stars Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist, who’s started games at six different positions, are all putting up big numbers offensively.

At 48-41, the Rays have their second-best record ever at the All-Star break. While that’s down from the 55-39 mark they held on the way to a franchise-best 97 wins and the AL East title in 2008, they’re in relatively good shape at 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox.

“If I’m taking a snapshot, I couldn’t be more pleased, and I see a lot of positives ahead for us,” principal owner Stuart Sternberg said during a conference call last week.

“Clearly April has dragged us down a little bit. We got off to a slow start. We did a lot that we thought would mitigate it, but clearly there was a hangover effect from last year,” Sternberg added.

Patience is once again serving Maddon well.

The manager hasn’t panicked with B.J Upton still adjusting to a new role as a leadoff hitter. He isn’t alarmed that offseason acquisition Pat Burrell has been slow to produce results, and he’s not concerned about the overall inconsistency that continued right up until the break.

After winning a season-best seven straight from June 24-30, the Rays had a four-game skid on the road, followed by a four-game winning streak and consecutive losses at home heading into the All-Star break.

Maddon, who says the team’s road record (18-26) has to improve if the Rays want to play in October again, remains upbeat.

“I’m not going to permit myself, and I don’t want the guys to feel like, two losses is devastating in any way,” Maddon said after last weekend’s series against Oakland left the Rays facing the same deficit in the standings as they did when they were in last place in late April.

“You could use the words slightly frustrating, but to me, it’s more about us winning and us playing well because you can’t control what Boston does or New York does,” Madden said. “We’ve just got to take care of ourselves. If we continue to do that, at some point I believe it’s going to flip in our favor. I really do.”