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DETROIT -- Coco Crisp is on such a roll that he was even a little better than Miguel Cabrera on Monday night. Crisp and Daric Barton each drove in two runs, leading the Oakland Athletics to an 8-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Cabrera hit his 43rd homer, bolstering his pursuit of another Triple Crown, but Barton had a tiebreaking RBI single in Oaklands two-run sixth inning. Crisp went 3 for 6 with a solo homer and is batting .500 (9 for 18) in his last four games. The As scored at least one run against each of Detroits three relievers after Anibal Sanchez was forced out after throwing 112 pitches in five innings. "We did a good job of being patient," Crisp said. "I think we got his pitch count pretty good." A.J. Griffin (11-9) earned his first win since July 29 despite allowing four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. The right-hander was 0-2 with a 3.47 ERA in his previous four starts. "I was just trying to battle and keep the ball down good," Griffin said. "Its good to win, a good battle. It felt like a playoff atmosphere." Grant Balfour allowed an unearned run in the ninth but held on for his 33rd save. Omar Infante and Victor Martinez also homered for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who had won three in a row. Martinez went 4 for 5 and Torii Hunter had two hits. "We just didnt pitch good. I dont know what else to tell you," manager Jim Leyland said. "They were swinging the bats good, and we didnt pitch good. Our pitchers have been terrific, but tonight they got beat. No big deal." Cabrera went deep in the fifth, sending a 3-1 slider from Griffin over the wall in right for a two-run shot that tied it at 4. He leads the AL with a .359 batting average and 130 RBIs, but he trails Baltimore slugger Chris Davis for the home run lead by three. "Trying to go off the plate, trying to make him chase something," Griffin said. "It was up. If it would have been down, it would have been a better pitch." Oakland responded in the sixth, jumping all over Jose Alvarez (1-4). Barton, who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, had the last of three consecutive singles to open the inning, driving in Nate Freiman. Crisp added an RBI single. Alberto Callaspo added a run-scoring single against Al Alburquerque in the seventh and Jed Lowries RBI double in the eighth made it 8-4. "They got some hits off tough pitches, but Anibal has been great for us, and this was just one of those days," Martinez said. "Obviously, no one wants to give up hits and no one wants to leave runners on base, but were playing against a big league team and they are playing just as hard as we are." Sanchez allowed four runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked three. NOTES: Crisp also made a diving catch in right-centre to rob pinch hitter Tuiasosopo of extra bases in the eighth. ... Oakland placed RF Josh Reddick on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right wrist. Reddick sprained the wrist on Sunday. Barton took Reddicks place on the roster. Oakland also designated RHP Pat Neshek for assignment. Right-hander Evan Scribner was recalled from Sacramento to take Nesheks roster spot. ... Detroit SS Jose Iglesias returned after missing two games because of soreness above his left elbow. ... The pitching matchup for the second game of the series on Tuesday night is Tigers ace Justin Verlander (12-9, 3.68 ERA) against LHP Tommy Milone (9-9, 4.30 ERA). Custom New York Islanders Jerseys .com) - Jenny Boucek is the new head coach of the Seattle Storm. Denis Potvin Jersey . Cabrera is hitting .218 with three homers and 16 RBI in 80 games this season. The Padres recalled second baseman Brooks Conrad from Triple-A El Paso to replace Cabrera on the roster. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-c...landers-jersey/. Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Pat LaFontaine Jersey . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Billy Smith Jersey . Following the Ford Womens World Curling Championship gold medal match that attracted record-breaking audiences to TSN, the networks exclusive live coverage of the tournament begins Saturday at 7am et/4am pt with Canadas opening draw against Denmark. The Tampa Bay Lightning have long been accused of being top-heavy in their talent, but now there are only a couple of top tier players, with a bunch of interesting pieces surrounding them. Top Picks: Its preposterous at how many more goals C Steven Stamkos scores than anyone else and his ability to score, and stay healthy (he hasnt missed a game in four seasons), makes him the safest first pick in most formats. Sidney Crosby might have a higher ceiling, but hes not nearly as reliable and Stamkos has obliterated the rest of the league when it comes to goals. In the last four years, Stamkos has scored 185 goals, 33 more than runner-up Alexander Ovechkin, who is another 23 ahead of third-place Corey Perry. Stamkos running mate, RW Martin St. Louis led the league in scoring last season and his 592 points since 2006-2007 ranks second, behind only Ovechkin. Hes 37-years-old, but still a top-tier option on right wing. Value Plays: RW Teddy Purcell has 152 points in the last three seasons, which ranks 48th, but his value is limited somewhat by his spot on the roster. If hes a second-line winger, playing with Valtteri Filppula, then its entirely different than if he were to find his way to playing with Stamkos and St. Louis. D Matt Carle gets overshadowed from time to time by higher-profile teammates, but hes productive. In the last four years, he has 135 points, which ranks 22nd. Thats not enough to make him fantasy gold, but easily reliable enough for a spot in many leagues. One year removed from a career-best 66-point season, C Valtteri Filppula still earned a big free agent contract from Tampa Bay after scoring 17 points in 41 games for the Red Wings last season, his 0.41 points per game his lowest since 2006-2007. He should have an opportunity to succeed in Tampa Bay, but his element of risk makes him a late-round pick for fantasy owners. Sleepers/Breakthrough: LW Alex Killorn had 19 points in 38 games for the Lightning as a rookie, following 38 points in 44 AHL games, so hes going to have a chance to play in Tampa Bays top six. Its too soon to suggest that hes going to be a big scorer, but hes worth monitoring. A six-time 20-goal scorer, LW Ryan Malone has been a useful fantasy player, particularly in leagues that count penalty minutes, but injuries have cost him 66 games over the last three seasons and it makes it difficult, if not, impossible to put stock in Malone on draft day.dddddddddddd If he ends up playing significant minutes when healthy, thats another matter. While D Victor Hedman hasnt been a big scorer in his first four seasons, his production has increased each year and last years point totals (20 points in 44 games) would project to 37 over a full season, which would have to put him into fantasy consideration. Goaltending is a question mark for the Lightning, so whomever of Ben Bishop or Anders Lindback takes the No. 1 job and runs with it, that guy could hold value. Bishop had a .920 save percentage last season, but hes a 26-year-old with 45 career NHL games on his resume. Lindback was supposed to be the answer to the Lightnings goaltending problems last year, and it didnt work out, as he posted a .902 save percentage, but hes going to compete for playing time with Bishop. With uncertainty and unproven goalies, its hard to give either one much value until there is a clear leader for playing time. Rookies: LW Jonathan Drouin, the third pick in the 2013 Draft, had 105 points in 49 QMJHL games (and 35 more in 17 playoff games) last season, raising expectations that he can not only step into the NHL, but produce right away. If he should play with Stamkos and St. Louis, then he could put up big numbers right away. As it is, slotting him in as a No. 3 fantasy left winger, with obvious potential for more, seems a fair spot to start. In leagues that count hits or penalty minutes, D Radko Gudas is far more valuable than his name recognition. In 22 games with the Lightning last season, Gudas had 87 hits and 38 penalty minutes, numbers that could make a significant difference projected over a full season. Prospects like C Tyler Johnson, RW Richard Panik and RW Nikita Kucherov are intriguing, but its hard to have expectations if they arent projected to start the season in the NHL. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '