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MINNEAPOLIS -- Down six runs in the eighth inning, the few remaining fans at Target Field wanted a curtain call from Brian Dozier. And after hitting his third homer of the game, he was encouraged to take it by Twins manager Paul Molitor.It was kind of awkward. I really didnt know what to do, Dozier said. But at the same time, it sinks in that, Hey, even if youre on the losing side of it, weve got loyal fans that pay good money to come watch us play. To show them the respect with the curtain call. Mollie said to get out there.Dozier became the sixth Minnesota player to hit three home runs in a game, and the first to do it at home, in an 11-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals.Dozier homered into the bleachers on the first pitch from Ian Kennedy (10-9), then hit a two-run shot to the second deck in the third and a solo drive into the upper deck in the eighth.Its amazing to watch, said Eric Hosmer, who homered for Kansas City. I think we can all appreciate the third one a little more because we were up by a little bit and it wasnt as close of a game. Youre talking about a guy who plays the game the right way every single day. . You saw the talent in him, you saw the tools and hes certainly figured out how to put them together the past couple of years.Dozier has eight home runs in seven games and 38 this season, the most by a Twins player since Harmon Killebrew hit 41 in 1970. Doziers 10 home runs against Kansas City this year are the most ever by a Royals opponent.Yet its been hard to enjoy personal success on a team that has the worst record in the majors.I hate losing more than anything, said. It tastes a lot better at the end of the day when you go home and have a cold one and you knew you won.Dozier has hit a majors-most 24 home runs since the All-Star break. Hes connected 36 times as a second baseman and twice as a designated hitter. The AL record for homers in a season by a second baseman is 39 by Alfonso Soriano in 2002 for the Yankees.Dozier became the second Twins player with a three-homer game this year. Rookie Max Kepler did it at Cleveland.Kendrys Morales hit a three-run drive off Jose Berrios (2-5) in the fifth for a 5-4 lead. Hosmer, who had four RBI, hit a three-run homer in the eighth.Berrios was called up from Triple-A to start. The Royals tagged him for five earned runs on nine hits in five innings.Considered the Twins top pitching prospect, Berrios allowed 21 earned runs in 22 innings over five August starts before being sent down.Too many ball ones, pitching from behind. He had to pay the price for that along the way, Molitor said. You got a chance there with two outs in the fifth to hold on, and got a changeup he left up to Morales. That kind of changed the direction of the game.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: OF Lorenzo Cain missed his fifth straight game because of left wrist inflammation. He was allowed to swing a bat Monday and remains day to day.Twins: Kepler got the day off. Kepler, who leads AL rookies in home runs (16), RBI (59) and walks (37), has played in all but one game since July 28. He struck out five times Sunday. We talk about young players and the challenge of playing September baseball for the first time, Molitor said. Well try to keep them fresh as we can.UP NEXTDillon Gee (6-7, 4.33) is scheduled to start for Kansas City on Tuesday against Ervin Santana (7-10, 3.54). Gee was 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA in five August starts and pitched an inning of relief Friday. Santana is 3-1 in his last five starts with a 3.09 ERA.Air Max 97 New Zealand . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Nike Air Max 270 Mens Nz . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. http://www.airmaxnzwholeale.com/cheap-air-max-off-white-nz.html . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Nike Air Max Zero Nz . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Nike Air Max Deluxe Nz . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records.ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Matthew Stafford vows to stay focused on football while his agent and the Detroit Lions negotiate a deal that would keep him under contract deep into the decade. Even if talks break down and Stafford goes into the season with one year left on his contract, he insisted there wont be distractions. "I dont play this game to get contracts," he said Tuesday. "I play this game to win games." He didnt do much of that last year. The Stafford-led Lions lost their last eight games, plummeting to a 4-12 record. Stafford threw more interceptions and had less than half as many touchdown passes last year as he did in 2011, when he led the Lions to the playoffs. Those facts were pointed out by people trying to figure out what went wrong in what was expected to be a promising season for him and the franchise. "Its impossible not to hear it just because I watch SportsCenter like everybody else. Im a person, too," he said. "Its not the main fuel. The main fuel for me is, I want to keep progressing in the right direction. I want to be a great quarterback. I want to be able to help this team win. "The only way I am going to be able to do that is if I let nothing get in my way and concentrate on what Im supposed to concentrate on and get better at what I need to get better at." Stafford struggled to stay healthy in his first two years after Detroit drafted him No. 1 overall in 2009 and gave him $41.7 million in guarantees as part of a six-year contract worth as $78 million. After playing in just 13 games over two seasons, he flourished in his first full year with 41 TD passes while completing 64 per cent of his attempts and throwing 16 touchdowns. He stayed on the field last season, but his passing percentage dipped as did his TD passes (20) while he threw one more interception. "Matts not happy with last year," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "None of us were happy with last year, but you also cant overreact." Detroit didnt make drastic moves to invest a lot in a wide receiver to play alongside superstar Calvin Johnson because the team hoped Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles could bounce back from season-ending injuries. Although the regular seaason is a few months away, both Burleson and Broyles look like theyll be ready to contribute when the games count.dddddddddddd They ran routes, made hard cuts and caught passes in traffic during non-hitting team drills Tuesday. Burleson was limited to six games last season because he broke his right leg, but shows no signs of being hurt. "Hes ready to go," Stafford said. "He looks great. Thats been a big plus, having him healthy going into this off-season helps us keep our stride and going into the right direction." During last seasons slide, Broyles made the most of more opportunities to play -- catching six passes for 126 yards against Houston -- until he tore a ligament in his right knee to end his rookie season that started with him recovering from torn ligament in his left knee. Stafford acknowledged being surprised to see Broyles lining up and running routes as often as he did during the first of a three-day minicamp. "I think it was kind of a last-minute decision," Stafford said. "I think he felt pretty good and he made some plays, which is a positive sign for us." "We saw some of that late in the year before he got hurt. Hes a guy who can be a chain-mover and be explosive." Stafford has spent much of this off-season splitting time between his home in suburban Detroit and team headquarters, after working out and rehabilitating injuries elsewhere in previous years. He has looked back to analyze the previous season, seeing when it was good to take chances with passes and when it wasnt while the losses piled up after climbing to .500 midway through the season. "It was a total, learning experience just because it was a tough year," Stafford said. "You have to find a way to battle through it." NOTES: Lions S Louis Delmas (left knee) was among the players relegated to watching teammates go through drills because of a "longer-term" injury, according to Schwartz. ... Schwartz declined to say much about RB Jahvid Best (concussions) who hasnt played since Oct. 16, 2011. "Hes still on our roster," Schwartz said. "Hes not here for minicamp." Emails seeking comment were sent to Best and his agent, Tony Fleming. ' ' '