Rangers hope to pad AL West lead vs. A's
Baseball Betting Lines
08/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers continue to dominate the AL West and are set for the second of three weekend games with second-place Oakland at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Dallas Braden, who has been rather inconsistent on the mound this season despite throwing a perfect game, will take the hill tonight and is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA in seven appearances since the All-Star break.
Braden is 8-9 overall this season with a 3.49 ERA. He posted his third consecutive quality start on Sunday against the Rays, but still lost the game.
Braden is 1-4 lifetime versus Texas with a 4.15 ERA.
Texas will give the ball to Rich Harden tonight, and he hopes to build on the success he achieved Monday against the Twins.
In his return from the DL (right shoulder tendinitis), Harden tossed 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, but it is certainly understandable why manager Ron Washington removed to hard-throwing righty from the game. He had thrown 111 pitches by that point, struggling with his control at times. Still, he was able to push his record to 5-4 with a 5.00 ERA.
Harden has only logged 9 1/3 lifetime innings against the Athletics and is 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA.
Michael Young and David Murphy each knocked in two runs as Texas topped Oakland, 7-3, in the opener of this series yesterday.
Josh Hamilton added three hits and an RBI, while Elvis Andrus and Vladimir Guerrero knocked in a run each for the AL West-leading Rangers, who have won five of their last six and sit 9 1/2 games ahead of the A's in the division.
"If we hit, pitch and play defense consistently, we'll be in good shape," Hamilton said.
Tommy Hunter (11-2) worked 7 2/3 innings, yielding seven hits and three runs to win for the third time in four decisions.
The Rangers upped their streak to 72 straight games scoring at least one run at home.
Kevin Kouzmanoff launched a two-run shot for the Athletics, who have lost two in a row.
Brett Anderson (3-5) departed after two innings with a hyperextended right knee, but not before taking the loss by allowing six hits and four runs with a pair of walks.
"It's unfortunate. I was throwing well up to this point, but stuff happens that you can't control," Anderson said.
Texas has won seven of the 13 meetings between these rivals so far in 2010, with the Rangers taking five of the seven matchups held in Arlington.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays are tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL East standings, and will face the hard-charging Boston Red Sox again tonight in the second of three weekend games from Tropicana Field. Tonigh
<< Indians, Royals meet again at Progressive Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second portion of a three-game series from Progressive
Field resumes tonight, when Cleveland and Kansas City square off for the 10th
time this season.
Kansas City will send ace Zack Greinke to the mound today for h
<< AL Central-leading Twins resume set in Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins, leaders of the AL Central, continue a
three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
Nick Blackburn will make his 20th start of the season for Minnesota this
afternoon, and he
<< Orioles shoot for another win over Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles own the worst record in the American
League, but they will attempt to win a second straight game over the LA Angels
of Anaheim tonight.
Baltimore is expected to give the ball to Kevin Millwood tonigh
<< Yanks send Sabathia to mound in Chicago
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox will do battle with the New York
Yankees today in the second of three straight meetings at U.S. Cellular Field.
Once again, Yankees ace CC Sabathia is in the thick of the race for the Cy
Youn
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's not a good sign when a club's ace is mired in a five- start slump and has already suffered a career high in losses. While San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum tries to work out of his current funk, veteran hurler
Phils, Padres set for matinee affair >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The confidence level didn't seem high for the Philadelphia
Phillies after they were swept in four games at home by the lowly Houston
Astros. But after Friday's win at San Diego in the opener of a three-game
series
Dodgers aim to stay on track against Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers still have their sights set on a
postseason berth and will try to continue the charge tonight against the NL
West-rival Colorado Rockies in the second installment of a three-game series
at Coor
Capuano leads Brewers into second test with Pirates >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former staff ace Chris Capuano makes his third start of the
season tonight, when the Milwaukee Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates in the
middle game of three over the weekend at Miller Park.
Alcides Escobar's two-run tri
Struggling Braves try to snap skid vs. Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of 14-game winners square off this evening at Turner
Field, where the suddenly-slumping Atlanta Braves will host the NL East-rival
Florida Marlins in the second portion of a three-game series.
Atlanta has lost fo
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.