the psyche when the team bounces back and wins, as the Jays di

(SportsNetwork.com) - Fans wearing bags on their heads isnt a good sign for the struggling New York Knicks, as they try to stop a franchise-record 14-game losing streak Saturday versus the Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks reached 14 consecutive losses with Thursdays 120-96 beatdown by the Houston Rockets. The Rockets were led by James Hardens 25 points and made 53.2 percent for the game, including 16-of-36 3-pointers. New York shot well, making 46.3 percent, and was led by Travis Wears 21 points. Langston Galloway and Cleanthony Early scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, and no starters scored in double figures. Galloway played in his first home game since being signed to a 10-day contract from New Yorks D-League affiliate. It was a lot of fun, said Galloway. Just pretty much cherishing the moment and doing what Ive been doing my whole career. Knicks high-priced superstar Carmelo Anthony continued to rest a sore knee and the team is 0-9 without him this season. Andrea Bargnani (calf) and Amare Stoudemire (knee) are questionable Saturday. The Knicks, who havent won since Dec. 12 at Boston, are winless in 11 straight at Madison Square Garden and have a 3-16 record as the host. They will play Milwaukee next on Thursday at The O2 in London. New York is 4-19 against Eastern conference opponents (2-11 at home). Charlotte will try to push its winning streak to a season-high five games tonight and recorded a 103-95 victory over the tough Toronto Raptors Thursday. Gerald Henderson netted 20 of his 31 points in the second half, Kemba Walker added 29 and Marvin Williams posted 13 points and nine rebounds. Walker had scored 30 or more points in his previous three games and is averaging 30.8 ppg during the winning streak. Im just taking the opportunities that the defense gives me, Walker said. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist provided 10 points and 12 boards for the Hornets, who have won four in a row after losing five straight and shot 47.7 percent from the floor. The Hornets, who posted four straight wins from Dec. 19-23, have won three in a row on the road and pushed their road record to 6-12. After visiting the Big Apple, Charlotte will return home for four straight games versus San Antonio, Indiana, Minnesota and Miami. The Hornets edged the Knicks, 103-102, at home in early December on Walkers game-winning layup with 0.3 seconds on the clock. It was revenge for a 96-93 road setback on Nov. 2. Anthony, who reached 20,000 career points in the first meeting with the Hornets, scored a game-high 32 points in the second matchup for New York, which has won four of the last five home meetings with Charlotte. The two teams will close out the season series in Charlotte on Jan. 24. 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Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy.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 cllub options ($6-million in 2014; $8-million in 2015; $8.dddddddddddd75-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. Anthony Gose was recalled to take Reimolds place. ' ' '