09/08/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to win their ninth straight game tonight, when they begin a three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks on Sunday to run its winning streak to eight games, matching a season-high set from April 25- May 3. More importantly, the sweep moved the Dodgers 1 1/2-games up on Arizona for first place in the National League West.
In Sunday's 5-3 win, Nomar Garciaparra's sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and James Loney knocked in three runs for the Dodgers, whose winning run comes on the heels of a season-worst eight-game skid.
The Dodgers went 6-0 on their homestand, a residency that began with a three- game sweep of the Padres, and Los Angeles now hits the road for 10 straight. The club is just 28-40 as the visiting club this year.
LA has won seven of 12 versus San Diego this year, with the clubs splitting six games at Petco Park so far.
Greg Maddux began the year as a Padre, but will face his former team for the second time in a week after getting dealt to the Dodgers. The 42-year-old Maddux halted a three-start skid on Monday by beating the Padres with 5 2/3 innings of two-run, six-hit ball.
Maddux is just 1-2 with a 5.94 earned run average in three starts with the Dodgers after going 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA in 26 outings with the Padres.
The right-hander, who is 3-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 14 starts at Petco this year, is 25-15 lifetime against the Padres with a 3.00 ERA in 45 starts.
The Padres counter with Cha Seung Baek, who is 0-4 with a 6.35 ERA in his last five starts.
That includes a loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday that saw the 28-year-old right- hander get lit up for seven runs on eight hits over just 3 2/3 innings. That was his first career start versus Los Angeles.
Baek is 4-9 with a 5.34 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) with the Padres this year.
San Diego played the role of spoiler over the weekend. Despite having the worst record in the baseball at 55-88, the Padres took two of four from the wild-card leading Brewers.
Chris Young carried a perfect game into the eighth inning before serving up a solo homer to Milwaukee's Gabe Kapler with two outs in the frame. Young ended up allowing two hits while fanning five in the 10-1 victory.
Kevin Kouzmanoff homered, drove in two runs and scored twice, and Chase Headley also homered and scored twice for the Padres, who ended a seven-game road trip with a 2-5 mark.
<< Brewers hope to get on track in opener with Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Brewers failed to capitalize on the help the Reds gave
them over the weekend, and now Milwaukee must watch out for a Cincinnati club
that is doing its best to shake up the playoff race.
The Brewers and Reds open up a t
<< Astros try to solve Pirates in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Of all the teams to struggle against, the Astros just can't
seem to beat the Pirates as of late. Houston will try to find some success
against doormat Pittsburgh this evening in the opener of a four-game series at
Minute
<< Phillies return home to face Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though they didn't leave New York exactly the way they
wanted to, the Phillies still made up some ground in the National League East.
Philadelphia returns home this evening to start a three-game set with the
Florida Marlins a
<< Angels aim to reduce magic number in test with Yankees
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim attempt to reduce their
magic number in the American League West tonight against a team they've
handled well in recent years, the New York Yankees.
The Angels need any combination of three
Cleveland continues road trip in Baltimore >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians continue their road trip tonight with
a visit to Baltimore's Camden Yards, where the Tribe will attempt to hang
another loss on the badly-slumping Orioles in the opener of this four-game
series.
Balt
Starace upends Granollers in Bucharest >>
Bucharest, Romania (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy's Potito Starace upset seventh-
seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers in Monday's first-round action at the
$525,000 BCR Open Romania.
Starace stifled Granollers in 6-2, 6-4 fashion
Line of Scrimmage: A Week 1 Honeymoon >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ah, the honeymoon period. It's a beautiful
thing when your love is new, when you gaze into your spouse's eyes and dream
of your future together. In those halcyon days just after you've made your
union officia
Week Two Headlines >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The college football season is now two
weeks old, and there is certainly plenty to talk about already. With that in
mind, here are the top stories following a furious weekend of action:
PIRATE MANIA
Wel
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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