Hunde in Not » out of the inning. This was opening day for Chaci

ST. PETERSBURG – To say Sergio Santos is struggling would be an understatement. To suggest a mutual parting of the ways between the Blue Jays and their former closer after two and a half injury-interrupted seasons would be right on the mark. After the 31-year-old laboured through the seventh of Saturdays 10-3 loss to the Rays, an inning in which he gave up two runs on three hits and two walks to spike his season ERA to 7.78, Santos suggested hes having difficulty getting into a groove due a lack of consistent game action. "Its just kind of, to get that slider was a little tough today," said Santos. "I dont know if it has to do with not getting as much work in the last couple of weeks as I would have liked but thats part of the game as well." Santos time in Toronto has been a grind. Acquired from the White Sox for pitcher Nestor Molina before the 2012 season, he was supposed to be the Blue Jays closer for years to come. There was reason to believe. Santos had authored a 30-save campaign for Chicago in 2011, his second season in the big leagues after converting to pitcher from shortstop, the position he played when the Jays had him in their system in the mid-2000s. However, a shoulder injury in April, 2012, turned out to be season ending when it required surgery. Two weeks into the 2013 season, Santos went down with a triceps strain and a month later underwent a procedure to clean bone spurs out of his elbow. Santos was terrific upon his return in the final two months of the year, making 24 of his 29 appearances and allowing earned runs in only three of them. This year, Santos went to the disabled list after a May 9 appearance with a forearm strain. He returned on June 17 and after six-straight scoreless appearances (5 1/3 innings), hes been hit hard in his last four outings, allowing five earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings. He insisted its not a matter of confidence. "Not so much that," said Santos. "Once you get in the flow of the game and you get there consistently its a lot easier to kind of have those pitches. When you dont its just tough because you can throw as many flat grounds and bullpens as you want but theres nothing like a game situation." Santos wants the ball more and feels thats the only way hell harness a slider that, when Santos is commanding the pitch, is as nasty as any in the game. On the other hand, manager John Gibbons cant be blamed for using Santos in mop up duty. Until a relief pitcher proves he can perform in relatively non-pressure situations, hes unlikely to be handed the ball with the game on the line. Santos did rack up five saves to start the year when Casey Janssen was down with an oblique strain but he blew his next three, including on that frigid night in Minneapolis when the bullpen allowed six runs on just one hit, an otherworldly eight walks and three wild pitches in the eighth inning of a loss to the Twins. Santos hasnt been the same since. Its believed general manager Alex Anthopoulos is facing the same budgetary pressures he did during the quiet offseason. There is a need to upgrade the bullpen. There is a need to acquire an infielder. While the club has been pleasantly surprised by the performance of its starting corps, there isnt a team in baseball that wouldnt upgrade its rotation if presented with the right deal. Santos makes $3.75-million, the final guaranteed year of a deal that includes three consecutive club options ($6-million in 2014; $8-million in 2015; $8.75-million in 2016). Given the strange nature of relievers, how they can go from underachievers to consistent performers and vice versa in the blink of an eye, Santos could be of use to another team with playoff aspirations. He has the stuff. He also has a salary that, if moved, would help to facilitate a dollar in-dollar out deal. Anthopoulos talks often about getting "creative" in trade talks. This one seems rather obvious. McGowan explains Friday meltdown Dustin McGowan has generally been very good since returning to the Blue Jays bullpen on May 18. In 22 relief appearances, the 32-year-old has posted an ERA of 2.86 and an opponents OPS of .605. Hes allowed earned runs in only three appearances. Yet the perception of McGowan is changing, somewhat, because his two biggest meltdowns have happened recently and theyve both been ugly. On June 28 against the White Sox, it took McGowan one pitch to erase what had been 6 2/3 innings of scoreless work by Marcus Stroman. He hung a slider to Dayan Viciedo, who hit a three-run home run to turn a 2-0 Jays lead into a 3-2 deficit, from which Toronto wouldnt recover. Fast forward to Friday night, with four scoreless appearances (four innings) in between, McGowan entered the game in the seventh inning with a 5-2 lead. He walked Evan Longoria on a full count. He walked James Loney on five pitches. That brought up right-handed hitting Sean Rodriguez, who on the third pitch in a 1-1 count slammed a game-tying home run. Just like the pitch to Viciedo, it was a cement-mixer slider. "It seems to be my nemesis right now, the hanging slider," said McGowan. "Ive got to fix that." In advance of the home run, McGowan was up with his fastball and at other times wide. He was bouncing his slider but the Rays wouldnt offer. He knew in the bullpen he was in for a battle. "Getting loose I was a little erratic, too" said McGowan. "For me, sometimes, its different coming from the pen to the mound, usually you can lock in on a hitter. Its just one of those games where I couldnt find anything." While McGowan admitted the sting of failure more than once in a brief period can affect confidence, he vowed the next time a crucial situation called for a slider, hell throw it. It doesnt hurt the psyche when the team bounces back and wins, as the Jays did with three runs in the ninth for an 8-5 final score. "That made it a lot better," said McGowan. "If we had lost the game it would have been really hard on me but we came back and won the game, the guys battled back and that made it a lot easier." Kawasaki okay Munenori Kawasaki wasnt in Saturdays starting lineup after feeling hamstring tightness the night before. Approached by TSN.ca, Kawasaki announced his availability. "No problem," said Kawasaki. "I play today." Kawasakis hit .289 in 23 games since rejoining the club on June 17. Hes proven an adequate defender at second base. "Just cramps," said Kawasaki. "Just cramps. I play today, no problem." Reimold not okay Nolan Reimold also was injured in Friday nights game and the news on the recently acquired outfielder isnt as good. An MRI revealed a left calf strain. Reimold was placed on the 15-day disabled list. 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Moore will be the first Rays pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery since Jason Isringhausen in June 2009.DENVER -- Dillon Gee threw six scoreless innings and David Wright had one of New Yorks four RBI doubles as the Mets salvaged the final game of their series against Colorado, beating the Rockies 5-1 on Sunday. Gee (3-1) kept the Rockies off balance to run his scoreless string to a career-best 16 innings. The righty, 13-6 with a 2.66 since last May 30, surrendered six hits and struck out five, helping the Mets avoid being swept for the first time in a four-game series at Coors Field. Jhoulys Chacin (0-1) was rather rusty his first start this season, lasting five innings and giving up four runs. Chacin spent the first month on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. Nolan Arenado ran his hitting streak to 24 games with a double in the fourth, the second-longest hitting streak in Rockies history. Justin Morneau accounted for Colorados only run with a ninth-inning homer off Jeurys Familia. After wasting a a 6-0 lead in Saturdays 11-10 loss, the Mets jumped to a 4-0 lead after four innings. Wright, Chris Young and Daniel Murphy had run-scoring doubles, while Curtis Granderson chipped in an RBI single. Lucas Duda added an RBI double in the seventh that increased the lead to 5-0. He also walked three times, including one intentional. Juan Lagares extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games with a single to start the game. Lagares originally had the day off, but was inserted into the starting lineup after Eric Young Jr. was scratchhed.dddddddddddd Young was hit just below the right eye by a baseball in batting practice before the game. Hes day to day with a bruised cheek. Gee was pinpoint with his command, keeping the Rockies guessing among his curve, cutter and slider. He found himself in a sticky situation in the seventh, but the bullpen bailed him out. With two on and no outs, Carlos Torres got two outs and Scott Rice recorded the third to wiggle out of the inning. This was opening day for Chacin, who was shut down early in spring training after experiencing inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He was teams top right-handed starter in 2013, going 14-10 with a 3.47 ERA. Chacin struggled with his control throughout the game as he gave up eight hits and walked five. He threw 86 pitches before handing things over to the bullpen. NOTES: After Gee went hitless in three at-bats, pitchers for the Mets are now 0 for 51 starting the season. Its the longest hitless streak to begin a season since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Gee is 7-1 in his last 10 road starts. ... Mets manager Terry Collins said Kyle Farnsworth remains his closer despite allowing Charlie Culbersons two-run, game-ending homer Saturday. ... Wright has a .384 average, 10 homers and 40 RBIs in 138 at-bats at Coors Field. ... To make room for Chacin on the roster, the Rockies placed C Wilin Rosario (viral infection) on the 15-day DL. ... OF Michael Cuddyer (strained left hamstring) began exercises in a pool. ' ' '