TORONTO -- Sergio Santos is leaving Toronto, but the Blue Jays hope his absence is temporary.
Dontari Poe Jersey . The Blue Jays designated the right-handed former closer for assignment Monday, which meant putting him on waivers because he was out of minor league options. General manager Alex Anthopoulos hopes the 31-year-old can get back into major-league form while pitching for triple-A Buffalo, provided he clears waivers Wednesday. "The way to get things worked out is to go throw some innings," Anthopoulos said. "We hope this is a quick move, get some innings, get hot and come back because we certainly could use the help." Santos hadnt been helping the Blue Jays much lately, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings over his past four appearances. He issued four walks in that time, and Anthopoulos singled out a lack of command as the biggest issue. Because of that, and because Toronto is chasing down the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles, there havent been many opportunities for manager John Gibbons to help Santos out by putting him into games. "Its tough to find spots to find that groove a little bit," Gibbons said. "Hes a little out of whack right now, but its tough to find him work." Santos is making US$3.75 million, which could deter other teams, even those searching for bullpen help, from claiming him off waivers. Anthopoulos didnt want to discuss the odds of Santos making it through. What the Blue Jays GM made clear was that Santos was still very much wanted, adding that he wouldnt explore trade options. Anthopoulos also said Santos, who has a 7.78 earned-run average in 24 appearances this season and briefly filled in for injured closer Casey Janssen, had not asked to be traded. "Hes a very accountable guy, he knows he hasnt pitched to his ability," Anthopoulos said. "He knows he can be a dominant closer, setup guy, whatever is needed. I think like anybody hes got all the belief in the world in himself and hell be fine. Hell get it back." In his place, the Blue Jays recalled left-handed reliever Rob Rasmussen from Buffalo. In two previous call-ups this season, the 25-year-old allowed four earned runs in six innings while striking out seven. With Rasmussen on the 25-man roster in place of Santos, the Jays have just two right-handed relievers ahead of Janssen in Dustin McGowan and Todd Redmond. They have four lefties in Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup, Brad Mills and now Rasmussen, but Anthopoulos said he was not concerned about the lack of balance there. "We dont look at it that way," Anthopoulos said. "Were looking at just guys that can get outs for us. Right, left, submarine, whatever it is: If you can get three outs, its fine." Santos hadnt been able to do that effectively, which led to Mondays move. After a strong September that saw him post a 0.90 ERA in 10 appearances, Santos couldnt locate his fastball well enough to get ahead of hitters. "Theres no doubt it starts there. His sliders his out pitch, but you cant get to the slider if you dont get the fastball over," Anthopoulos said. "Theres very few guys ... that can just go slider, slider, slider the entire time." Anthopoulos said Santos would be a "priority guy" with the Bisons if he clears waivers so that he can throw a lot of innings and get his command back. Anthopoulos added there was no doubt Santos was healthy enough and that command problems were not a result of injury, even though Santos has some history of arm troubles. If its a matter of confidence, Gibbons isnt worried about Santos. "Everybody battles (a lack of confidence) when things get tough," he said. "But I think its more just putting it together again." Notes -- Workouts continued Monday for injured players Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie. Encarnacion and Lind are in Dunedin, Fla., and Gibbons said each player took batting practice on the field while Encarnacion also fielded some ground balls. Lawrie, who is in Toronto, did throwing and agility drills.
Custom Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . - Maynor Figueroa headed in a late goal to give Honduras a 1-1 draw with the United States in an international friendly Tuesday.
Tani Tupou Jersey . The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court.AUSTIN, Texas -- A Texas appeals court has temporarily blocked an arbitration panel from reviewing $12 million in bonuses paid to Lance Armstrong by a company that wants its money back, stopping efforts to force him to give new sworn testimony about his doping past. SCA Promotions has sought to reopen a 2006 settlement paid to Armstrong since his 2013 admission to using performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career to win the Tour de France. The arbitration panel that first approved the settlement agreed to reconsider the case, and a Dallas judge last week rejected Armstrongs attempts to stop it. The panel set a March 17 hearing and SCAs attorneys wanted to question Armstrong under oath on Thursday. Armstrongs attorneys appealed to the Dallas-based Fifth Court of Appeals. Judge Kerry Fitzgerald ordered all proceedings stopped on Tuesday pending further review by the court later this month. SCA and Armstrong have been battling since 2005, when the company tried to withhold the bonus money and tried to prove he used performance-enhancing drugs. Despite producing some of the most serious doping allegations at the time, SCA ultimately agreed to pay Armstrong. Armstrongs attorneys insist state law wont allow SCA to reopen the original settlement, which included language that said "no party may challenge, appeal or attempt to set aside" the payment and that it was "fully and forever binding." "We are pleased the court will consider the issue of whether a final settlement, to which all parties agreed would end all ddisputes, can be reopened when one side has buyers remorse," Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said.
Courtney Upshaw Jersey. SCA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has said Armstrong deceived the arbitration panel when he lied under oath that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which produced a 1,000-page report detailing doping programs on Armstrongs teams, has banned Armstrong from Olympic sport for life and he has been stripped of his victories. Armstrong has faced several lawsuits since admitting last year that he used steroids and other performance-enhancers to win the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005. He has settled cases with the London-based Sunday Times and Nebraska-based Acceptance Insurance. Armstrong settled with Acceptance hours before he was scheduled to be questioned under oath. He also is facing a federal whistleblower lawsuit, in the government wants to recover more than $30 million the U.S. Postal Service paid to Armstrongs teams. Potential penalties in that case could be as high as $100 million. The SCA case is notable because the companys initial efforts dug further than anyone else into Armstrongs doping, including testimony from Betsy Andreu, the wife of Armstrongs former teammate Frankie Andreu. Betsy Andreu testified that Armstrong admitted to doctors treating him for cancer in 1996 that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. She later became a key witness against Armstrong in the USADA report and one of his fiercest public critics.
Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys From ChinaJerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys ' ' '