Twins aim to continue offensive onslaught in Kansas City
Baseball Betting Lines
07/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have been scoring runs in bunches during a current three-game winning streak. With the way Carl Pavano has pitched of late, the American League Central contenders may not need such an offensive outburst when they take on the Kansas City Royals tonight at Kauffman Stadium.
The Twins have racked up 36 runs over their three-game surge and reached double digits for the second straight day in last night's 19-1 shellacking of the Royals. The rout came on the heels of a 10-4 victory at Baltimore on Sunday.
Minnesota jumped on Kansas City ace Zack Greinke for six runs in the first inning, capped by a grand slam off the bat of Danny Valencia. Joe Mauer had a three-run homer later in the game as part of a 5-for-5, seven-RBI performance for the reigning AL MVP.
Valencia had a huge night as well, going 4-for-4 with four runs scored in addition to his first career home run.
"What better way to start it off," said Valencia of his slam. "It's nice obviously. Not only to hit a home run, but a grand slam off a guy who's an accomplished big-leaguer and who has won a Cy Young. It was great."
Delmon Young also had four hits, including an RBI double, while Alexi Casilla knocked in three runs to help Minnesota improve to 8-3 since the All-Star break. The surge has moved the Twins within one game of Chicago's lead atop the AL Central.
Minnesota also received excellent pitching from Francisco Liriano (9-7) in Monday's opener of this three-game set, with the talented lefty yielding just three hits and striking out six without a walk over seven shutout innings.
The Twins' pitching staff as a group has lacked consistency this season, but Pavano has emerged as both an ace and a needed workhorse for the rotation. The veteran right-hander, best known for a propensity for injury during the earlier stages of his career, enters tonight's tilt having won seven consecutive decisions and is unbeaten over a nine-start stretch that began on June 9. The Twins have gone 8-1 in those games.
The 34-year-old continued his stellar pitching by firing a five-hit shutout to best Baltimore this past Thursday at Camden Yards. It was Pavano's second straight complete game and the fourth time in his last seven starts he's gone the distance, and the 12-game winner has pitched into the seventh inning in each of his last 12 trips to the mound.
Pavano has registered an outstanding 2.40 earned run average over the course of his nine-start undefeated streak and has won four straight decisions on the road, where he's compiled a 6-3 record and a 3.04 ERA in 10 starts thus far in 2010. One of those victories came at Kauffman Stadium, with the rejuvenated hurler holding the Royals to two runs and four hits through seven sharp innings back on April 23.
This will be Pavano's fourth overall matchup with Kansas City this season, and he's 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA over his first three 2010 outings in the series. He's 6-5 in 12 lifetime games (11 starts) against the Royals, but has a 6.62 ERA over that stretch.
He'll be facing a Kansas City club that's lost four of its past five tests and got a miserable showing out of the usually-reliable Greinke (6-10) in the opener. The 2009 AL Cy Young Award recipient was battered for eight runs on eight hits before exiting after only four innings.
"It was bad. Bad everything," Greinke stated afterward.
The Royals will be hoping for an improved effort from the struggling Bruce Chen this evening. The well-traveled left-hander has surrendered 12 runs in a 15-inning span over his last three starts, taking a loss on two of those occasions and a no-decision in the other.
Chen was last in action Thursday at Yankee Stadium, where he was reached for five runs and nine hits over six frames in a loss to AL East-leading New York. He had a similar pitching line in his first start following the All-Star break, permitting four runs on nine hits through 5 2/3 innings in a July 17 no-decision against Oakland.
The 33-year-old went 4-3 with a solid 3.66 ERA over his first seven starts since joining the Royals' rotation in late May, but has pitched to a 7.20 figure during his three-game winless run.
Chen did notch a victory over the Twins on June 10, despite allowing five runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings. The win was the Panama native's first in three career decisions against Minnesota, and he's recorded an unimpressive 6.08 ERA in 12 appearances (two starts) versus tonight's foe.
The Twins have won seven of 10 versus the Royals this year, as well as 15 of the last 19 overall meetings between the teams. Minnesota is also 17-5 at Kauffman Stadium since the start of the 2008 season.
Missoula, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Montana football team will open its 2011 season with a game at the University of Tennessee. The matchup, scheduled for Sept. 3, is the first between the visitors from the Big Sky Conference a
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<< Ivanovic wins, Safina loses in first round in Stanford
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1s Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and
Dinara Safina of Russia had different results in their respective first-round
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event.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee only has one victory since joining the Rangers by way of a trade, but the club is expecting many more down the road. Lee will try to build off that win this evening when Texas begins a three-game series versus th
Shields and Verlander square off at the Trop >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After being on the receiving end of several no-hitters over
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Fresh off Matt Garza's pitching gem, the Rays will attempt to pin an eighth
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Plenty of teams have given the Baltimore Orioles trouble
over the course of this season, but none has proven to be a tougher opponent
than the Toronto Blue Jays.
Having won all 10 meetings between the American League East
Dodgers hope to gain some ground in San Diego >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After stumbling out of the gate to begin the second half,
the Dodgers have finally started to turn things around. It's a good thing,
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since the All-Star
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a disastrous road trip, the New York Mets return home
in the hopes of finding their offense. Too bad they have St. Louis ace Adam
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Wainwright will look to extend his scoreless innings stre
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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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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