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Toronto Blue Jays right hander Sergio Santos throws during a workout before a spring training baseball game with the Boston Red Sox in Dunedin, Florida, March 22, 2013.STEVE NESIUS/Reuters

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Sergio Santos struck out three batters in a shutout inning for the Buffalo Bisons on Thursday night in a 4-2 loss to the Toledo Mud Hens.

Santos, on the disabled list since April 15 with a right triceps strain, worked the seventh inning and allowed a one-out single in the first triple-A game of his rehab assignment. He threw 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes.

Prior to joining Buffalo, Santos appeared in five games with single-A Dunedin and allowed four hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.

Outfielder Melky Cabrera also joined the Bisons (49-48) to continue his rehab work, but did not play. He was placed on Toronto's disabled list on June 27 with left knee tendinitis and has played two games with Dunedin and three with double-A New Hampshire, batting .294 (5-of-17) in five games. Cabrera is expected to make his Buffalo debut on Friday.

Thad Weber (3-4), who made four appearances with Toronto in May and June, started for Buffalo and battled through five innings. He matched his season-high with four runs allowed on six hits and a season-high four walks.

Weber entered the game with five quality starts in his last six appearances and had last worked fewer than six innings on June 4.

Buffalo, in its first game since the all-star break, was held to seven hits, including a two-out triple by Kevin Pillar in the first inning.

Pillar has been a revelation at triple-A, batting .347 with hits in 20-of-25 games with the Bisons.

Munenori Kawasaki, optioned to Buffalo last Saturday when Brett Lawrie made his Toronto return, was 1-of-3 with an infield single and a walk.

Both of the Bisons representatives in the triple-A all-star game, held Wednesday in Reno, played against Toledo. Jim Negrych and Mauro Gomez each went 1-of-3 and scored runs.

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