05/17/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Betemit's three-run homer with two outs in the fifth led the Los Angeles Dodgers to 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of a three-game set.
Betemit, pinch-hitting for Randy Wolf, hit a 1-0 pitch from Kip Wells (1-8) into the seats in center, giving Los Angeles a 5-3 lead.
Los Angeles starter Wolf (5-3) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven over five innings. Takashi Saito, the fifth Dodgers pitcher, threw the ninth for his 13th save in as many opportunities this season.
"My curve ball was better tonight and my slider was better," said Wolf. "I think my stuff is going in the right direction right now.
Juan Pierre and Nomar Garciaparra knocked in a run each for the Dodgers, who have won two in a row and five of their last six.
Juan Encarnacion went 3-for-5 with a run scored for the Cardinals, who have lost two in a row and four of six.
Wells lasted five innings, surrendering five runs on six hits and six walks, while striking out five. He has lost his last seven starts, allowing 37 earned runs in 39 innings for an 8.54 ERA during that stretch. He leads the NL in losses and earned runs allowed (39).
"Nobody likes to be in this situation," said Wells. "You make a handful of mistakes in a game and it will cost you. 125 pitches in five innings is a lot of pitches and it gives them a lot of opportunities to see pitches."
Los Angeles got on the board in the first on Garciaparra's one-out single to left, scoring Rafael Furcal, who led off the frame with a double.
The Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the third with some help from the Dodgers, scoring on a two-out RBI single by Aaron Miles, and having a pair of runners come home on a wild pitch, combined with a throwing error on catcher Russell Martin.
The Dodgers cut the margin to 3-2 in the fourth on a double by Andre Ethier, a two-out walk to Furcal and an RBI single by Pierre.
After Betemit's homer in the fifth, St. Louis got within a run in the seventh on a double by Scott Rolen and an RBI pinch-single by Scott Spiezio.
Game Notes
The Dodgers improved to a season-high nine games over .500 and have won two straight over St. Louis following a 10-game losing streak to the Cardinals...Furcal's bid for his fourth consecutive three-hit game fell short as the speedy shortstop finished 1-for-4. The major league record for consecutive four-hit games is four, set by Brooklyn's Milt Stock in 1925...St. Louis' Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games...Attendance was 38,252.
<< Lackey, Angels blank Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lackey tossed four-hit ball over six
innings and combined with a pair of relievers to lead the LA Angels of Anaheim
to a shutout of the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, in the middle game of a three-game
series
<< Royals rally past A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Shealy drove in the deciding run in the
ninth, as the Kansas City Royals rallied for two runs in their final at-bat to
edge the Oakland Athletics, 4-3, in the third matchup of a four-game series at
McAfee
<< Sosa, Easley lead Mets past Cubs
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jorge Sosa allowed one hit over seven-plus
innings and Damion Easley belted a two-run homer to power the New York Mets to
an 8-1 win over the Cubs in the third contest of a four-game series.
The start of
<< A true walk-off win for Padres
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kouzmanoff drew a bases-loaded walk
in the bottom of the ninth inning to send San Diego to a 3-2 win over
Cincinnati in the final contest of three at Petco Park.
With Bronson Arroyo still
Phillies' Howard set for rehab >>
Lakewood, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Ryan Howard, who has been sidelined with a left quadriceps strain, will begin
a rehab assignment in the minors next week.
Howard will begin a two-day rehab sti
Bulls, Pistons clash in Game 6 at the United Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls try to force a Games 7 against the
Detroit Pistons in their Eastern Conference semifinals series, as the teams
battle tonight at the United Center.
After dropping the first three games of the series, Chi
Twins turn to Santana in hopes of averting sweep by Tribe >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Converted reliever Fausto Carmona looks for a second
straight successful outing against Minnesota when the Cleveland Indians host
the Twins today in the final installment of a three-game series at Jacobs
Field.
Fenway Park the site for two between Red Sox, Tigers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With heavy rains having washed out Wednesday's scheduled
contest, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers will get together for a
day/night doubleheader at Fenway Park beginning this afternoon.
These current division leaders
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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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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