07/25/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Runs have been quite hard to come by for the Minnesota Twins during the club's current losing streak. A matchup with Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee likely won't help matters.
The struggling Twins take their swings against Lee, who is seeking to become the first 14-game winner in the majors this season, when these American League Central foes play the first of three straight meetings tonight at Progressive Field.
Minnesota stood just a half-game out of first place in the AL Central on Sunday, but four consecutive defeats have pushed Ron Gardenhire's squad 2 1/2 back of front-running Chicago entering tonight's play. The Twins were shut out at home by Texas on Sunday, then mustered just seven total runs during a trio of losses to the New York Yankees to start off this current road trip.
Winning away from the Metrodome has been a problem at times for Minnesota, which is just 21-27 as the visitor this season. In addition, the Twins are just 3-9 at Progressive Field since the start of the 2007 campaign and lost two of three clashes to the Tribe in Cleveland back in June.
Lee is currently tied with Mike Mussina for the AL lead in wins after the Yankees veteran mowed down the Twins on Wednesday. Mussina fired eight shutout innings to lead New York to a 5-1 victory that completed the series sweep.
Mike Lamb went 3-for-4 and knocked in Minnesota's lone run with a ninth-inning single. The hit plated Alexi Casilla, who finished 2-for-4 in a losing cause.
Glen Perkins (7-3) had a string of five straight winning decisions snapped when the Twins starter was touched for five runs and eight hits in six innings of work.
Lee earned victory No. 13 with a complete-game performance at Seattle on Sunday. The All-Star southpaw scattered 11 hits and walked none in Cleveland's 6-2 triumph and lowered his season earned run average to 2.29, the second-best mark among AL hurlers.
The University of Arkansas product has lost only twice in 19 starts this year, but one of those came at the hands of the Twins on July 6. Lee was reached for four runs in seven innings as Minnesota came through with a 4-3 decision at the Metrodome.
Lee is still 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA over 14 lifetime starts against the Twins and yielded just two hits over eight shutout frames in a win at the Metrodome on April 18.
Cleveland returns home after enduring back-to-back losses to the AL West- leading Angels on Tuesday and Wednesday. Anaheim came through in a slugfest during the finale, as the Halos pounded Indians pitching for 19 hits en route to a 14-11 win.
Ryan Garko ended 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI in the setback, only the Indians' third in their last 10 games. Johnny Peralta also collected three hits and scored three times for Cleveland, while Grady Sizemore belted his 25th home run of the season.
Aaron Laffey (5-7) failed to take advantage of the Tribe's offensive outburst, as the left-hander was torched for eight runs and 12 hits before being removed after four innings.
Cleveland steps to the plate tonight against Livan Hernandez, Minnesota's leader with 10 victories so far this season. The veteran righty reached double digits by holding Texas' potent offense to two runs and five hits through seven innings at the Metrodome on Saturday.
Hernandez is 4-2 over his last six decisions but has been roughed up on the road in 2008. Over nine starts in foreign parks, the Cuban defector has amassed an ugly 7.48 ERA and a .377 batting average against.
The 33-year-old is 1-1 with a 10.00 ERA in two career regular-season starts against Cleveland, both of which came this season, and was rocked for seven runs and 12 hits in just three frames in a loss at Progressive Field on June 12.
Minnesota is 6-3 against the Indians this year and swept a three-game series against the Tribe at the Metrodome from July 4-6.
<< NL East-leading Mets welcome Cardinals to Shea
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets open their first series as sole leaders
of the National League's East Division tonight, when they host the St. Louis
Cardinals in the first of three weekend games at Shea Stadium.
New York, which foug
<< Rangers, A's get series started in Oakland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle for second place in the American League West
begins tonight at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum, where the Athletics take on the
hard-hitting Texas Rangers in the first of three consecutive clashes.
The A's and Rangers
<< Dempster hopes to keep Wrigley dominance intact against Fish
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field has been quite
the challenge for enemy teams this season. The task has been even tougher when
Ryan Dempster is on the mound.
Dempster and the Cubs will both be attempting to build
<< Ichiro, Mariners open series at Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ichiro Suzuki closes in on a significant milestone this
evening when the Seattle Mariners open a three-game series with the Toronto
Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Suzuki enters tonight's opener just five hits s
Stumbling Phils return home to battle Braves >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies will try to regroup against
another familiar foe this evening, as they kick off a three-game series
versus the NL East-rival Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia just dr
Aces on display in Reds-Rockies opener >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - National League All-Star teammates and fellow 12-game
winners Aaron Cook and Edinson Volquez will meet on the mound when the
Colorado Rockies visit Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park tonight for the
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Tigers open crucial AL Central set vs. Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have a chance to really get back in the
AL Central race this weekend, as they begin a three-game set with the Chicago
White Sox at Comerica Park.
Detroit, picked by just about everyone to win the divis
Brewers host Astros, aim for ninth straight win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers are the hottest team in baseball
right now and will shoot for their ninth straight win tonight in the opener
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Milwaukee has rip
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.
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