TORONTO – The Blue Jays made a roster move of some significance prior to the start of an important four-game series with their division rival Red Sox, designating for assignment struggling reliever Sergio Santos. cheap jerseys from china . It was a move of some time in the making. “He hasnt thrown well, clearly some guys are being used more than him right now and the only way to get out of this funk is to pitch,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “But its hard to find a spot for him right now, certainly not a long guy, and hes not going to be used late in the game.” That much is true. Santos had fallen out of favour with manager John Gibbons and had lost the confidence of other members of the coaching staff. In his last four outings, the most recent of which was July 12, Santos allowed five earned runs on seven hits and four walks in just 2 1/3 innings. He hadnt been used by Gibbons since the club returned from the All-Star break. Long man Todd Redmond had taken the role once reserved for Santos. After his July 12 outing in Tampa Bay, in which he allowed two runs in one inning, Santos alluded to difficulty harnessing his slider due to a lack of work. It became clear, then, that the two sides were at a crossroads. The manager had no faith in the pitcher and, therefore, wasnt using him in critical situations. The pitcher knew he was on the outs and his performance reflected that doubt. Theres also the business of the game. First, the Blue Jays: Santos makes $3.75-million. Thats a team-friendly number. The contract, as a whole, is club-friendly because the guaranteed portion expires at the end of the season. Santos has club options for three years, through 2017, at these escalating numbers: $6-million, $8-million, $8.75-million. If in any year Santoss option is declined, hed be due a paltry $750,000 buyout. If Santos is claimed on waivers, the deadline for a team to do so is Wednesday and the remainder of his salary would be off the Jays books. Its not a lot of money, but its something, if the club is working on a strict dollar in-dollar out policy as the trade deadline approaches. Anthopoulos reacted to the contrary. The plan, he said, is to keep Santos in the organization. “Like we told him, hes certainly not the first talented, good player to go through this before whether its the Linds or the Encarnacions,” said Anthopoulos. “The way to get things worked out is to go throw some innings. He was put on waivers today, Wednesday, well find out if he gets claimed or clears. Then, he would be active down there to pitch. We told him, hopefully, this is an Encarnacion scenario, go down there, throw a lot, hell be a priority guy, get back on track and be that dominant reliever we know he can be that we saw at the end of last year, that we saw at the beginning of the year before the rough trip with the Twins.” Its interesting that Anthopoulos references the “rough trip with the Twins.” Santos was part of that eighth-inning implosion the night of April 17. It was the back end of a doubleheader. The bullpen coughed up a late lead, allowing six runs on just one hit, eight walks and three wild pitches. Santos was responsible for three of the runs, three of the walks and all three wild pitches. Some believe he never recovered from the experience on that frigid night. Second, Santoss perspective: He surely knows the Jays are unlikely to pick up that $6-million option for 2015. It would be best for him to move to another organization, get a fresh start and, in the best-case scenario, find command of his wicked slider and finish the year strong. If that option isnt going to be picked up, at least a good final two months could result in a bump in next years salary. Santos wasnt happy. A source close to the pitcher told TSN.ca, hed recently made his feelings known to the organization. Anthopoulos said Santos did not request a trade. “No, no, not at all,” said Anthopoulos. “Hes a very accountable guy. He knows he hasnt pitched to his ability. He knows he can be a dominant closer, set-up guy, whatever is needed. Like anybody, he has all the belief in the world in himself, hell be fine. Hell get it back. He has way too much talent.” Chances are Santos gets it back somewhere else. wholesale jerseys . There is also the Genoa derby on Sunday, while second-place Roma hosts Parma looking to take advantage of any more slip-ups from Juventus. Here are five things to know about the Italian league ahead of this weekends matches: LLORENTE ON SONGThe last time Juventus hosted Inter Milan the visitors ended the Bianconeris impressive streak of 49 games unbeaten with a 3-1 victory. cheap nfl jerseys . Louis Cardinals. J.J. Hardy hit two of the Orioles season-high six home runs, and Baltimore cruised to a 12-2 victory Friday night to move a season-high 17 games over .500. It was a rare blowout for the Orioles, who scored three runs or fewer in 11 of their 20 previous games and have played 63 games decided by one or two runs.MIAMI -- For Philadelphia, the season finale was about whats coming next year. For Miami, its about whats coming next week. And really, nothing else mattered. Thaddeus Young scored 20 points, Michael Carter-Williams had 12 in the final game of his impressive rookie campaign, and the 76ers wrapped up a dismal season by topping the Heat 100-87 on Wednesday night for their second win of the season over the two-time defending NBA champions. Brandon Davies had 11 points, while Henry Sims, James Anderson and Casper Ware each scored 10 for the 76ers (19-63). "We stuck together," Young said. "We did a very good job of staying together, playing as a cohesive unit. Sometimes the odds were stacked against us but we didnt let that get us down." Dwyane Wade scored 16 points in 23 minutes for Miami (54-28), which got 13 from Toney Douglas and 11 from Ray Allen. Shane Battier -- in his final season barring a seismic change of heart -- scored nine points and eclipsed the 30,000-minute mark in his regular-season career. "Couldnt be more proud of my guy," Battiers wife, Heidi Battier, wrote on Twitter. Her husband half-seriously talked about the milestone with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra earlier in the day. "If you had told me when I was a little boy that one day youre going to play 30,000 regular-season NBA minutes, Id have said Get out of here," Battier said. "Even at 35, 13 years in, the novelty of playing in the NBA and living my dream is still there." The Heat -- who came into the night locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs -- rested LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Rashard Lewis and Chris Andersen, and found out before the game that their quest for a third straight NBA title opens Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Their first-round opponent: Charlotte. "That team competes very hard," Wade said. Miami went 4-0 against the Bobcats this season, though one was a one-point game and another went to overtime. And since Miami landed James and Bosh, the Heat are 15-0 against the club now owned by Michael Jordan, a guy who knows a thing or two about three-peats and whose jersey was retired long ago in MMiami as a show of respect.jerseys from china. "Theyre a worthy, worthy opponent," Spoelstra said of the Bobcats. "So weve got to get to work." The last time Miami and Charlotte met was March 3, when James scored a career-high 61 points. Wednesdays game was decided in the third, when the 76ers outscored the Heat 29-15. By then, Wade had played 23 minutes in one last tuneup, and the Heat seemed content to get the second season started. "Our record doesnt show we had a good season but the main thing is we stayed together," Carter-Williams said. Philadelphia finished with the leagues second-worst record, but has the expected rookie of the year in Carter-Williams and could have as many as seven picks -- two of them out of the lottery -- in this years draft. This year was bleak. The future shouldnt be in Philly. "The relief that the season has ended truly does not creep into my mind because its trumped by the excitement that I see going forward," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "Im so excited to watch the direction of ping-pong balls. Im so excited to watch what we do with our summer leagues. ... I see the foundation." Brown said it was a season where he wanted to emphasize fitness and start building a culture when it comes to professionalism in terms of absorbing scouting reports, weight-room sessions and studying video. He thinks that was accomplished. "At times I get excited because I think I know something others may not," Brown said. "I feel like were heading in the right direction. I hope we can get some luck with the draft and move our program forward." NOTES: It was Fan Appreciation Night in Miami, and Battier addressed the sellout crowd in a brief pregame ceremony. "Lets go Heat and lets go get this ring," said Battier, who logged nearly 40 minutes, his most since the 2011-12 season. ... Brown, who was an assistant with San Antonio before taking the 76ers job last summer, plans to fly there Thursday night to visit with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs staff. ... Greg Oden returned to the Miami lineup, his first appearance since March 26 because of back issues and more recently, a stomach virus. He had two points and five rebounds in 13 minutes. wholesale jerseys ' ' '
