NEWS » .185 against him this season, lowest in MLB. T

TORONTO - Sergio Santos, whose availability to the Blue Jays has been a rarity since he was acquired from the White Sox in December, 2011, will undergo elbow surgery this week. The club is calling it a "minor" procedure to clean out "loose bodies" and shave down bone spurs. Santos is expected to miss another six weeks. "Its something that a lot of players have; they have loose bodies in their elbow; a lot of players have bone spurs in their elbow," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "You only really take them out of shave them down if theres any type of discomfort." Santos last pitched for the Blue Jays on April 13 in Kansas City. Days later he was placed on the disabled list with a triceps strain. An MRI taken at the time showed the fragments in his elbow. He made two appearances in extended spring training, one each on Thursday and Saturday. Santos reported discomfort after the Saturday outing, prompting the decision to have surgery. Provided the procedure goes according to plan, its expected Santos will be able to begin throwing within a week. "It was something we were going to have done in the offseason," said Anthopoulos. "Because hes a one inning reliever, six weeks, up in Toronto, he could be back at that time." In five appearances this season, Santos is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA. He has appeared in only 11 games in a Blue Jays uniform since the beginning of last year. BRANDON MORROW RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY Brandon Morrow, who last pitched on May 5 against Seattle, is ready to return from a back strain. It just wont be on Wednesday, as previously thought. "It was not my decision to do that," said Morrow. "Theyre being extra cautious, taking the extra couple of days. It also allows me to get a full bullpen in (Wednesday) at a higher intensity than I threw last time." Theres also the matter of Saturdays opponent: New York at Yankee Stadium. Manager John Gibbons has the best of his healthy pitchers prepared to start in that series. Mark Buehrle will pitch on Friday, Morrow on Saturday and on Sunday itll be knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Veteran Ramon Ortiz, who allowed one run in five innings of work last Friday in Boston, will make Wednesdays start against the Giants. CABRERA TO UNDERGO MRI Melky Cabrera, who went 4-5 in Tuesday nights 10-6 win over the Giants, will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. Cabrera, 28, has been playing with pain in both hamstrings since the end of spring training, noticeable when he runs the bases. His left hamstring is the worse of the two. "Hes going to play, he wanted to play," said third base coach Luis Rivera, translating for Cabrera. "He knows that his legs are a little tight but he wants to be on the field." The Blue Jays hope the imaging helps the club chart a better course of treatment for Cabrera, whos played in every game so far this seasCheap Jerseys 2020 . 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Cheap NFL Jerseys China . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J.Fans headed to Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon are in for a treat with Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta set to take the mound in a meeting of two of baseballs premier aces.Both outstanding competitors, both have won the top awards, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Saturdays matchup. It will be an interesting day theres no question -- its going to be a very low-scoring good game.Go inside the numbers that make both pitchers stand out, and then vote for which ace you would rather have at the bottom of the page:?Why Bumgarner-Arrieta is a true ace showdownSaturdays matchup will be a spectacle because of their pedigrees, obviously. Arrieta, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, is enjoying an impressive followup season with a 16-5 record, a 2.84 ERA, and a scant 111 hits allowed in 168 innings. Bumgarner, the 2014 World Series MVP, has been in optimal MadBum form this year. He ranks second in the NL in ERA to Kyle Hendricks and third in strikeouts behind Max Scherzer and Jose Fernandez, and hes instinctively the man that manager Bruce Bochy and the Giants look to when things arent going well and the team is in dire straits.Beyond the numbers, few matchups in baseball exude more intensity than this one. Bumgarner and Arrieta both wanted to take part in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby, and were legitimately ticked when they didnt get the call. They also have two of the best death stares in baseball. Whomever comes out on top in this one is going to have to earn it. -- Jerry CrasnickWhat makes Bumgarner special?Bumgarner doesnt have the Cy Young on his mantel that Arrieta does, nor the no-hitter (let alone more than one) under his belt, but for the Giants power pitcher, it feels like only a matter of time before he reaches those accolades and accomplishments. A few more thoughts on the lefty whose 2.49 ERA is second in the majors:Get him to the postseason and watch him go: Bumgarner won World Series MVP honors in 2014 for a Fall Classic performance that just begs on the superlatives. His five-inning save in Game 7 was the longest in postseason history. He became just the second pitcher with 5 or more scoreless innings in relief in a winner-take-all World Series game, and the first since 1947 (Elias). And it wasnt just that game -- he threw 21 innings in that World Series, allowing just one earned run.And it wasnt just 2014 in the World Series, eithher.dddddddddddd Bumgarner has a 2.14 ERA in his career in the postseason, the best ERA among active pitchers with at least 9 postseason starts. Those pre-2014 starts include eight scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series at just 21 years old and seven scoreless in World Series Game 2 in 2012.Hes consistent: Bumgarner has made at least 30 starts in each full season of his career. Saturdays start will be his 29th this season. He has 106 starts of at least seven innings pitched since he was called up for good in 2010 -- only two NL pitchers have more such games in that span.Good luck hitting his curveball: Opponents are hitting just .118 against Bumgarners curveball this season, the third-lowest mark against any starter who has thrown at least 350 curves and the best among NL starters. Hes one of just two starters to throw at least 350 curveballs this season and not give up a home run on the pitch.?-- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & InfoWhat makes Arrieta specialWhile Arrieta hasnt been quite as dominant as he was during his Cy Young-winning year last season, hes still in the mix to repeat for the prestigious award. Heres what makes the Cubs ace stand out: ?He avoids hard contact: Since the start of 2014, Arrieta is one of three starting pitchers with a hard-hit rate under 10 percent (9.5 percent). The other two are Clayton Kershaw (8.6 percent) and Tyson Ross (9.2 percent).Its hard to get hits off of him: Opposing hitters are hitting .185 against him this season, lowest in MLB. The highest batting average against any of his pitches this season is .237 against his slider.His curveball has been great lately: In his last eight starts, Arrieta has thrown 102 curveballs. Opponents are 2-for-23 in plate appearances ending with the pitch with no walks and nine strikeouts.Its nearly impossible to get to him early: In the first three innings of his starts this season, Arrieta has allowed a 1.73 ERA, second in MLB to Kyle Hendricks (1.44). Opponents have a .454 OPS against him in the first three innings of games this season, which is nearly 100 points lower than the next-closest pitcher (Carlos Martínez, .550).The Cubs are 14-1 in Arrietas starts this season when they give him a lead after three innings. --?Ken Woolums, ESPN Stats & Info ' ' '