Streaking Tigers rally to nip Twins
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2008 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson singled in the go-ahead
run in the top of the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers rallied to down the
Minnesota Twins, 5-4, in the opener of a three-game set between a pair of
clubs playing exceptional baseball of late.
Granderson finished 3-for-4 and scored a run for the Tigers, who have reeled
off six straight wins. Placido Polanco and Gary Sheffield each had two hits,
with Polanco knocking in a run. Marcus Thames added a solo home run for
Detroit, which owns a record of 18-4 over its last 22 games.
Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera departed in the top of the third
inning due to a tight left hip flexor. He is listed as day-to-day.
Armando Galarraga gave up four runs -- three earned -- on nine hits over six
innings, but came away with a no-decision for Detroit. Casey Fossum (1-0) got
the win after tossing 1 1/3 scoreless frames. Joel Zumaya pitched the final 1
2/3 innings to notch his first save of the season.
Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored for Minnesota,
which lost for just the second time in its last 13 contests. Denard Span had
two hits and knocked in run, while Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla collected
two hits apiece and scored a run.
"We should have won that game, it's pretty frustrating," Mauer said. "It's a
tough loss, but we know what those guys have over there. They got a tough
lineup that can score some runs. It's a tough loss. We had the lead and let it
go."
Glen Perkins was brilliant for the Twins, allowing two runs on seven hits and
striking out a career-high seven batters in 6 1/3 innings. Matt Guerrier (4-3)
was saddled with the loss as he gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Trailing 4-1, the Tigers scored four unanswered runs against the Twins
bullpen.
In the seventh, Granderson reached on a one-out single. Perkins was then
lifted in favor of Jesse Crain, who walked Edgar Renteria and yielded an RBI
single to Polanco. Dennys Reyes then took over the mound and Carlos Guillen
stroked a run-scoring single to left, narrowing the deficit to 4-3.
Detroit pulled ahead in the eighth. Sheffield stroked a leadoff single and a
triple by pinch-hitter Matt Joyce produced the tying run. Granderson then
lined a single to center to give the visitors the lead.
Zumaya worked around a pair of singles by Gomez and Span in the ninth to nail
down the third save of his career.
"It was a real good ball game," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "Both
starters pitched well. We didn't play real well to start. I thought we hung in
there big and Joyce came up with a pinch hit."
The Twins jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Casilla
singled, took second on Polanco's throwing error and scored on a double by
Mauer.
Detroit quickly tied the score in the second on Thames 15th home run of
the season, a lead-off blast to right.
Mauer worked a walk to prolong the third and Justin Morneau followed with a
single that left fielder Clete Thomas misplayed, allowing Mauer to scamper
home.
The Twins tacked on another run in the fifth. Gomez hooked a one-out double
into the left-field corner, stole third and crossed the plate on Mauer's
infield single for a 3-1 lead.
Three straight two-out hits by Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris and Span in the
sixth plated a fourth run for Minnesota. Ryan Raburn nearly made an
outstanding diving catch on the ball hit by Span, but the umpires ruled that
the right fielder trapped the ball and Span was credited with an RBI double.
Game Notes
The Tigers have recorded at least 10 hits in six straight games...Minnesota
manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the bottom of the third inning by home
plate umpire James Hoye...Detroit committed three errors...Detroit starter
Jeremy Bonderman underwent successful surgery on Monday to correct thoracic
outlet compression syndrome, which is a pinching of the vein responsible for
returning blood from the arm to the heart and caused a clot...Detroit
infielder Ramon Santiago was scheduled to begin an injury rehab assignment
Monday at Triple-A Toledo. He has been sidelined since June 5 with a separated
left shoulder...The Tigers went 19-8 in the month of June. Minnesota was
17-11...Detroit's Nate Robertson (6-6) and Minnesota's Scott Baker (4-2) are
scheduled to start on Tuesday.
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The Oakland Tribun
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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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