TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays wont have their usual closer available for the start of the regular season. Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back. Fellow right-hander Sergio Santos will take over the closers role while Janssen is out of the lineup. Janssen, 4-1 with 34 saves and a 2.56 earned-run average last year, was limited at spring training because of shoulder soreness. But on Friday, he felt some minor discomfort in his lower back while warming up during a pre-season game against the New York Mets in Montreal. An MRI exam revealed a mild strain, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Sunday on a conference call. "We dont expect him to be out too long," Anthopoulos said. "There was a scenario where we could have just waited maybe five or six days and try to get him back going. But we want to just have this thing resolved and not nag at him." The move was retroactive to Saturday. Janssen, 32, allowed one earned run and four hits in three innings over three pre-season appearances. Hes expected to throw on flat ground to keep his arm in shape before trying to pitch from a mound. The Blue Jays also recalled catcher Erik Kratz from triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, a day ahead of Torontos season opener at Tampa Bay. Kratz hit .400 in spring training and had been sent to minor-league camp earlier in the week after losing the backup job to Josh Thole. Santos, 30, made 29 appearances for the Blue Jays last season. He was 1-1 with one save and a 1.75 ERA. Also Sunday, former reliever Dustin McGowan pitched a simulated game and Anthopoulos said it appears hell be ready to start Friday against the New York Yankees. "Hes done so well," Anthopoulos said. "We dont expect any changes at all. So far, so good. He felt good, felt strong, and we expect him to be good to go for Opening Day in Toronto." McGowan, 32, was named to the starting rotation earlier in the week. The right-hander made his debut with the Blue Jays in 2005 but has battled injuries throughout his career. McGowan had a 2.45 ERA in 25 appearances last season and did not record a decision or a save. Nationals Jerseys China . Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. Austin Voth Jersey . As analysts we do the same thing, so here are some observations from week one. First there were two major upsets. I should say, major upsets in the eyes of the fans and prognosticators. https://www.cheapnationals.com/287r-aust...-nationals.html. Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Raudy Read Jersey . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net. Custom Washington Nationals Jerseys . Nikolaos Kounenakis has been hired as an assistant coach, the team announced on Monday.The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet in the Western Conference finals for the second time in three years, starting with Game 1 tonight at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. In 2012, the Thunder prevailed in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Miami Heat, but the Spurs can relate, falling to LeBron James and company last year. Despite the success two years ago, and sweep (4-0) of the series during this past regular season, the Thunder are 10-12 against the Spurs in 22 regular- season meetings since the team moved to Oklahoma City. The teams were Nos. 1 and 2 throughout most of the 2013-14 season. "Players step up and play well," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "There arent really surprises." "Were very familiar with what they do," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Theyre a very good basketball team. Theyre well coached. They have good players, good role players, good bench players and they have a style of play that demands that you play with great effort for the entire shot clock." The Spurs needed seven games to get past the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round, then took five games to best the Portland Trail Blazers. Oklahoma City survived a physical seven-game set with the Memphis Grizzlies, then knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers in six. Injuries will play a role in this series, starting with Tony Parker. The Spurs All-Star point guard suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strrain in Game 5 against Portland, but should be good to go by Monday.dddddddddddd The same cant be said for Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma Citys premier defensive big man. A calf injury will keep him out for the remainder of the postseason, which is a huge blow for the Thunder. Ibaka would probably be tasked with covering future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan. As for who replaces him in the starting lineup, Brooks has options. Nick Collison might make the most sense as a veteran and a strong defensive presence. Steven Adams could help combat the size of the Spurs. Duncan, at 38, is leading the Spurs in minutes during the postseason, while scoring 15.8 points with 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Parker is averaging 19.3 points and 4.9 assists. San Antonios biggest challenge will be stopping OKCs two-headed monster of league MVP Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Theyve been sensational in the postseason and will represent a huge task for Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Durant was named MVP for the first time and has continued his amazing play in the postseason. He is averaging 31.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists, but his shooting numbers are down from the regular season. Durant is playing almost 45 minutes a game and that may take its toll. Westbrook has been very strong in the postseason, averaging 26.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists. He has registered three triple-doubles during these playoffs and thats three more than the rest of the NBA combined. Game 2 will be Wednesday night in San Antonio. ' ' '