his first half. My teammates have always been telling me to

PITTSBURGH – Sergio Santos arrived at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon and met with manager John Gibbons, who delivered the news everyone was expecting he would. "Were moving Sergio out of that role," said Gibbons of the closers spot, less than 24 hours after Santos blew his second save of the road trip and third of the season. Until Casey Janssen returns, Gibbons will go with closer-by-committee. "It could be Loup," said Gibbons. "It could be Cecil. Over the next few days it could be any of those guys." The change is necessary and while fans arent about to take pity on a multi-million dollar athlete, Santos struggles are a reminder of the human element of sports. There he was on Friday night, having blown a two-run, ninth inning lead, hunched over at his locker, his head in his hands for what seemed like an eternity. Santos then stood up and addressed the media. Later, once the ballpark lights had dimmed and he was back in his hotel room, Santos sifted through the litany of text messages he gets after each appearance, good or bad. His wife had written him and so had his parents. One of Santos brothers, Gabe, chimed in. He got messages of support from aunts and uncles, too. Like the goal crease in hockey, the pitching mound can be a lonely island when things arent going well. Out on the road, its easy to get lost in your thoughts. "You go to the hotel and that night, the night of the game, its usually the hardest, you know what I mean, that whole night," said Santos. "I mean, you close your eyes and you cant help but think about it. You think about a million different scenarios, what you could have done different." The sun, as they say, always comes up the next day. "The second you wake up the very next day youre presented with, basically, a choice," said Santos. "You could either feel sorry for yourself and say poor me or you could use the next day as an opportunity to know that what happened last night is not who I am." Santos turned to an old teammate and friend for advice. He often plays the online game Words with Friends with Darren Oliver and on Friday night, Santos sent Oliver a message. He wanted to talk. Oliver invited Santos to call on Saturday morning. "He said, Ive been through this a million times. I was in the game for so long. You go through stretches where theyre rough and theyre ugly," said Santos. "He says, its up to you to put a stop to it. They can go on for the whole season or you can nip it in the bud, get that confidence back and go out and pitch." Santos need only look at his numbers for a stark reminder of how bad things have been. Hes taken two losses, has blown three saves and has posted an ERA of 10.61 with a WHIP of 2.250. He insists he wont dwell. "For me, my edge has always been my confidence," said Santos. "Even in the midst of the biggest adversity, confidence, I think, is the one thing thats such a useful tool. So to even lose that, and dont get me wrong doubt creeps into your mind all the time, you get there, youre going, "Crap, is it going to happen all over again today? Whats going to happen? But its so important to just push those thoughts out of your mind." Santos is powerless over his role in the bullpen. He cant disagree with Gibbons decision and he wont. All he can do is wait until Gibbons calls his name again. "My whole thing is to help this team win in any way I can," said Santos. "Whether right now thats me throwing in the seventh, eighth, okay so be it because I know when Im going good I can help this team win. More importantly, for this team to win, Ive got to get right." Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . -- The Minnesota Vikings have signed Jerome Simpson, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver recently convicted on a felony drug charge. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China Replica Soccer Jerseys .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night.Austin, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Myles Turner scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the first half to lead No. 9 Texas to a 106-61 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday. Turner also grabbed nine rebounds with six blocks in the lopsided win. Jonathan Holmes and Jordan Barnett added 17 and 11 points, respectively, for the Longhorns (9-1). I was just playing within myself, Turner said of his first half. My teammates have always been telling me to do that. Dont worry about what anybody is saying, just get in the flow of the offense. I feel like I did that tonight. Malcolm Smith tallied 17 points and Josh Williams deposited 13 for the Bisons (4-6). Texas shot 59 percent from the floor in the first half, including 53 percent from beyond the arc, to take a 58-32 lead at the breeak.dddddddddddd Seven players made a 3-pointer for the Longhorns in the opening 20 minutes. Turner knocked down a trey with 13 minutes remaining in the half to give the hosts a 22-12 edge. That basket ignited an 18-6 burst that Turner capped minutes later with a pair of free throws. Kendal Yancys jumper five minutes into the second half pushed the margin to 30, then Demarcus Hollands basket less than 10 minutes later made it a 40- point game as Texas cruised. Game Notes The Longhorns improved to 6-0 at home this season ... Lipscomb had its two- game winning streak snapped ... Holland handed out a game-high eight assists for Texas ... The Bisons were limited to 31 percent shooting ... The Longhorns owned a 38-14 edge in the paint. ' ' '