to pay me no mind doesnt hurt you.Rivera he was very confident in the preparations Newton put in during the

DETROIT -- Justin Upton knows he is a talented major league hitter.Sunday, he might have started to prove it once again.Upton hit a pair of three-run homers and the struggling Detroit Tigers finished their homestand with a 10-5 win over the Boston Red Sox.This was a good day, he said. Its my brothers birthday, Mom and Dad are here and my wife and kid are here.Upton struggled in the final four months of 2015, but still impressed the Tigers enough to earn a nine-digit contract in free agency. Things hadnt gone any better in Detroit, though.From June 1, 2015 through Saturday -- a stretch of 213 games -- he was hitting .228, and was mired in another slump, going 3 for 35 with 11 strikeouts in his last 10.Uptons only recent extra-base hit was Saturday nights double off the top of the center-field fence that narrowly missed tying the game.Upton went into his home-run trot too early that time -- he was nearly thrown out at second -- but it wasnt a problem in the series finale. Both homers cleared the bullpens before landing deep in the left-field seats.I wasnt putting pressure on myself, but I wanted to perform, he said. At the end of the day, no one wants to struggle, and I was kind of buried in it. But my teammates have always picked me up, which is why this was great.Uptons big game was a welcome sight for Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who has been trying to solve a lengthy offensive funk.You never know by one swing of the bat, but I feel a lot better about him right now than I did previously, he said.The Tigers won for just the fourth time in 14 games, and went 2-5 on their stay at Comerica Park. Boston has lost just two of its last 10.J.D. Martinez had a pair of doubles for the Tigers.Justin Verlander (13-7) allowed one run on three hits in six innings before being pulled with a nine-run lead. He is 6-1 in his last 10 starts.This was a big game, especially against a team were trying to catch, Verlander said. Were a really good ballclub that is a little hobbled right now, so to come out of here with a split was big.Henry Owens (0-1) didnt find out he was pitching until late Saturday night and didnt arrive in Detroit from Triple-A until the early morning hours. He gave up eight runs on six hits and five walks in five innings.Eduardo Rodriguez was expected to return from a hamstring injury to pitch, but felt discomfort during Saturdays game, so Owens was summoned from Pawtucket.In the third, the Tigers put runners on second and third with no outs. With two outs, Boston manager John Farrell decided to walk Miguel Cabrera to load the bases for Martinez.Martinez came into the game hitting .438 since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 3, and he poked a 1-2 pitch down the right-field line for a two-run double.Thats definitely a case of picking your poison, and I dont normally like to load the bases on my pitcher, Farrell said. I just thought Owens had a better chance of attacking Martinez, and he got him to chase a 1-2 pitch outside.But he gets it inside the bag, and after that, it is the Justin Upton show, he said.Upton followed with a homer to make it 5-0.Martinez doubled again in his next at-bat, putting runners on second and third with two out in the fifth, and Upton hit his 15th homer.The Red Sox scored four times off Shane Greene in the seventh, including a two-run homer by Andrew Benintendi, the first of his career.That was pretty cool, especially because my family was here to see it, said Benintendi, who had hit his first career triple off Verlander earlier.I wasnt sure it was going to get out until I saw J.D. give up on it. After that, I just wanted to run fast enough to avoid any trouble. You cant jog on your first one, he said.In his last scheduled game in Detroit, David Ortiz hit a 111-mph drive down the right-field line in the first. Instead of settling for his usual single, he took second on Martinez, leading to a joking exchange between the Red Sox star and Verlander after the inning.Weve had a lot of battles, Verlander said. That was just one of them.Ortiz batted for the final time in the eighth and received long standing ovations both before and after he grounded out. He tipped his cap to the crowd as he walked off.TRAINERS ROOMRed Sox: INF Devin Marrero was optioned back to Pawtucket to clear room for Owens.Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin (thumb) was activated from the disabled list after feeling comfortable in a simulated game against Jordan Zimmermann on Sunday morning. Zimmermann (neck) is expected to make a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo next weekend.UP NEXTRed Sox: Boston travels to Tampa Bay on Monday, with former Ray David Price (11-8, 4.19) facing his old team in the opener. Blake Snell (4-5, 3.06) is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay.Tigers: Off on Monday before starting a three-game series in Minnesota on Tuesday. Anibal Sanchez (6-12, 5.94) will face Kyle Gibson (5-7, 4.90). Sanchez is coming off seven shutout innings in his last start. Clay Matthews Super Bowl Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Dave Robinson Super Bowl Jersey . 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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said that while this season has been demoralizing, his struggles on the field arent from a lack of preparation off of it.Newtons numbers are down -- way down -- from his MVP season a year ago when he threw 35 touchdowns passes and led the Panthers to a 17-2 record and an appearance in the Super Bowl. He has only 14 TD passes through 11 games and the Panthers (4-8) are all but out of playoff contention entering Sundays game against the San Diego Chargers.It doesnt matter how much I prepare, if it doesnt translate on the field people will say `Oh hes garbage, Newton said. So for me, its trying to get it to carry over from practice to games. It just hasnt (translated) this season, and I dont have nobody to blame but myself.But teammates and coaches are quick to rally to Newtons defense.Backup quarterback Derek Anderson said Newton is putting in just as many hours, if not more, in the film room this season. Anderson also suggested the mounting injuries to the offensive line have played a huge role in the teams decline.If anything at times, its over, he does more work, Anderson said. When we were out in Oakland he was in (the film room) at 11 oclock at night. So I know its not from a lack of preparation. And it never has been. ... He does countless hours of stuff on his own and sometimes Im like, `Go home. Get some sleep.Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who sat Newton for the opening series against Seattle on Sunday night for violating a team rule for not wearing a tie on the team flight, said hes never doubted his quarterbacks dedication to getting better.Rivera said its also unfortunate that people dont see that Newton is a regular at the stadium on Tuesdays, normally the players day off. The sixth-year head coach said his QB is routinely involved in developing strategy, drawing up potential plays on the grease board with coaches.The young man is dedicated and when he comes here it is phenomenal, Rivera said.Still, Newton has been a lightning rod for criticism since he came into the league in 20011 as the No.dddddddddddd 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.Hes been chastised for how he handled himself during a Super Bowl news conference and for his touchdown dances on the field.He also received some flak this past offseason for spending several weeks in California filming the childrens show All in with Cam Newton for Nickelodeon instead of spending that time working on his football skills.Newton defended his decisions, saying he has a life outside of football and no matter what he does he cant please everyone.He wouldnt rule out doing the show again next offseason if the opportunity presents itself. Nor does he believe he had too many distractions in the offseason following the Super Bowl.Im not living for people like that, Newton said. I am trying to inspire people as much as possible while I do have this (pedestal). If I do, then good. If I dont, then to pay me no mind doesnt hurt you.Rivera he was very confident in the preparations Newton put in during the offseason and thats all that matters.I understand we arent having the season we need to have, but there is no reason for people to just maliciously go out and say, `He was worried about this or that, Newton said.Newton has taken full accountability for his dress code violation on Sunday night, saying hes human and he made a mistake.He also publicly dismissed some internet reports that the discipline was something other than a forgotten tie that resulted in him getting benched.I violated the wardrobe (rule) and that was it, Newton said. You dont have to dig into certain stories that I violated curfew or was out a club, or somebody was caught in a room. I still stand by coach Riveras decision.Newton said he doesnt feel like hes above the law, saying Im not that type of player.He also said he hopes the punishment serves as a warning for other players on the team to follow the team rules.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '