Blue Jays edge Rangers in 11 innings

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Millar doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the 11th after Toronto blew a three-run lead in the ninth, as the Blue Jays got past Texas, 8-7, in the middle contest of three-game set from the Rogers Centre.

Rod Barajas slugged a pair of two-run homers and Alex Rios had four hits with two RBI for Toronto, which has wins in three of its last four. Jose Bautista also collected four hits and scored twice while Millar scored twice and banged out three hits in the win.

B.J. Ryan was tasked with holding the lead in the ninth, but started by hitting Chris Davis with a pitch and walking Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Ian Kinsler plated the first run with a fielder's choice grounder to second, that looked to be a sure double-play ball, but Aaron Hill's throw from second was wide of the bag and Kinsler took second on the throw. Kinsler then stole third to set up pinch-hitter Josh Hamilton's RBI ground out.

Michael Young then took Ryan deep to left-center, tying the game at seven.

Young also doubled twice, knocked in two and scored twice for Texas, which handed Toronto ace Roy Halladay his first loss of the season on Tuesday in the series opener. Saltalamacchia also ended with two RBI in defeat.

After Millar ended the bottom of the ninth with a double-play ball, Jason Frasor (3-0) was called upon to hold off the Rangers, and he did with two perfect frames of work.

Vernon Wells worked a walk off C.J. Wilson (0-2) to start the home 11th and moved up on Travis Snider's sacrifice bunt. Scott Rolen was issued an intentional free pass and Darren O'Day, acquired off waivers from the Mets earlier in the day, was summoned from the pen. Millar worked the count to 2-2 before taking a slider into the gap in left-center to end the game.

David Purcey limited the Rangers to three runs on seven hits and two walks over 5 1/3 frames while striking out six, but was denied his first victory of the 2009 season thanks to Ryan's antics in the ninth.

Matt Harrison was touched for five runs on nine hits and two walks over four innings in his start for Texas.

The Blue Jays jumped on top 2-0 in the second inning. Millar lined a two-out single into center and Harrison left a 1-1 changeup up in the zone as Barajas took it out to left field for the early lead.

Texas tied it just as quickly, though, as Nelson Cruz led off the third with a single and advanced to third on Davis' double to the left-field gap. Saltalamacchia roped a two-run single to left to even the score.

Barajas' second two-run shot of the game highlighted a three-run fourth as the Jays took a 5-2 lead. Millar doubled to left with one down and Barajas launched a slider deep to left. Bautista followed with a base-hit, moved to third on Hill's two-out single and crossed home on an RBI single by Rios.

Omar Vizquel singled and scored on a Young double in the fifth, cutting the Rangers' deficit to 5-3, but the Jays tacked on two more in the sixth off Scott Feldman on RBI singles by Rios and Adam Lind.

Texas got a run off Scott Downs in the eighth as Young doubled to right leading off, advanced to third on an Andruw Jones single and scored on a fielder's choice grounder from Marlon Byrd.

Game Notes

Texas split its eight games with the Blue Jays last season, but won both matchups held at the Rogers Centre...Kevin Millwood (1-1) gets the start in Thursday's series finale for Texas opposite Toronto's Scott Richmond (1-0)... The Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Kris Benson on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to April 16, with right elbow tendinitis. The club also acquired O'Day and transferred pitcher Dustin Nippert from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

Online-wagering-casino Baseball Betting News

<< Berkman helps Astros squeak by Dodgers
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman hit a game-tying homer and Ivan Rodriguez singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hunter Pence hit a two-ru

<< Pineiro solid as Cardinals down Mets
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joel Pineiro tossed eight-plus strong innings, as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Mets, 5-2, in the middle test of a three-game series from Busch Stadium. Pineiro (3-0) gave up six hits, two ru

<< Cueto, Reds shut down Cubs
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto was stellar on the hill and went 2-for-2 at the plate to help the Cincinnati Reds edge the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the middle tilt of a three-game set from Wrigley Field. Cueto (1-1) went seven

<< Wade, Heat even series in Atlanta
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade finished with 33 points, seven assists and five rebounds, as the Miami Heat evened their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 108-93 Game 2 win over the Atlanta Hawks. In Game 1 of

<< Red Sox top Twins in nightcap for seventh straight win
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Bailey's first home run of the season, a three-run shot, led the way as Boston upended Minnesota, 7-3, in the back half of a day-night doubleheader which completed a two-game set at Fenway Park.

Andruw Jones exits Texas-Toronto tilt with knee injury >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder Andruw Jones left Wednesday's 8-7 loss in 11 innings to Toronto with an injured right knee. Jones reached first for his only hit in four at-bats by jumping over first base

Tennessee's Smith becomes eligible for NBA Draft >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee junior forward Tyler Smith announced Wednesday he has submitted paperwork to become eligible for this year's NBA Draft, but has not hired an agent, keeping the door open if he wants t

Flames squander three-goal lead, recover to even series >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarome Iginla tallied twice and Eric Nystrom notched the game-winner late in the third period as Calgary wasted a three- goal lead but recovered to post a 6-4 victory over Chicago in Game 4 of their Western

Tigers OF Thames to miss more than a month >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers outfielder Marcus Thames is expected to miss more than a month because of a severe rib cage strain. Thames strained a rib cage muscle in batting practice Tuesday, and an MRI exam showed the

Longoria, Rays slam Mariners >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria had three hits and three runs batted in, as the Tampa Bay Rays posted a 9-3 win against Seattle in the middle contest of a three-game series at Safeco Field. Carl Crawford went 4-for-5

What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read Point Spreads

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.

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

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.