01-21-2020, 02:27 AM
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. Colorado Avalanche Pro Shop . "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." Colorado Avalanche Store . Dane Dobbie had four goals and two assists, Karsen Leung had two goals and two assists, and Matthew Dinsdale scored two and helped on another for Calgary (6-3). Shawn Evans and Jeff Shattler had eight-point games with a goal and seven assists apiece, and Jon Harnett and Geoff Snider also scored. Colorado Avalanche Gear . The Mercedes duo of three-time Canadian Grand Prix champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has won all six races to start the season, finishing one-two in the last five. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . Pedroia reached the milestone with a little panache, hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning and propelling the Boston Red Sox to a 7-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.Claudio Ranieri has urged Leicester forward Jamie Vardy to stay calm following his recent dry spell in front of goal. This time last season Vardy was nine matches into his incredible record-breaking run of scoring in 11 successive Premier League games, but 12 months on, the England international has not found the net in 11 outings for the Foxes.Vardy rejected the chance to join Arsenal in a £20m deal in the summer, instead signing a new four-year contract with the Premier League champions. Ranieri has insisted he is not concerned about Vardys current form and gave his backing to the 29-year-old ahead of the Super Sunday clash with West Bromwich Albion, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 4.15pm. Vardys last goal came against Liverpool at Anfield in a 4-1 defeat Jamie is a goalscorer and all the goalscorers in the world have good periods and bad periods, the Leicester manager said.Its important for him to stay calm and, sooner or later, he will start to score again. He is still working hard for the team. Leicester vs W Brom November 6, 2016, 4:15pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Leicester endured a shaky start to their title defence, conceding 11 goals in their opening six matches, but have responded by keeping four clean sheets in their last seven matches in all competitions.Ranieris men have played their best football in the Champions League this season and are on the brink of securing qualification to the last 16, having not conceded a goal or lost a game in the competition. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract. Leicester, who currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League, have not lost at the King Power Stadium in the league since September 2015 and Ranieri has urged his side to build on their new-found momentum.We are getting bettter, the Italian said. Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys. But its not only the defenders; all the team now is better, with the fighting spirit of the squad. Highlights: Tottenham 1-1 Leicester We improve because it is not only the defenders, but everybody. It comes from the philosophy that when you lose the ball, you must get it back.Now we want to stop conceding goals. This is the base to improve your place in the table. Dont concede and sooner or later you score and can win.For us, it is important to keep going in this movement. We want to improve our table position, so this match against West Brom is a match that we must win or try to win. Claudio Ranieri has urged his side to maintain their recent defensive resolve The past three meetings between Leicester and West Brom have seen 14 goals scored, with last seasons corresponding fixture finishing 2-2 after the Foxes triumphed 3-2 at The Hawthorns.Ranieri is expecting another open encounter but would settle for a 1-0 win heading into the two-week international break.I expect the same match as last season - a very tough match, he said. They defend and counter-attack very well. For me, Tony Pulis is a very good manager and we expect this kind of match. But maybe just one goal this time - for us. Also See: Vardy, Mahrez on FIFA shortlist Sky Live: Leicester v West Brom Huth feeling hard done by Schmeichel undergoes surgery ' ' '