10/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays hope to push the Boston Red to the brink of elimination this evening, when the teams play Game 4 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.
Tampa went up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series on Monday, as B.J. Upton and Rocco Baldelli each hit three-run homers to help the Rays to an emphatic 9-1 win. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena also went deep for Tampa, which has slammed seven homers over the last two contests.
Longoria and Upton have now combined to hit nine homers this postseason, the most by a pair of teammates under the age of 25. Longoria's four homers are also tied for the most from a rookie. Miguel Cabrera also belted four in 2003 for the Florida Marlins.
Matt Garza (1-1) earned the win by going six-plus innings and scattering six hits and allowing one run, while recording five strikeouts and three walks.
Jacoby Ellsbury knocked in the lone run for the Red Sox, who have dropped the last two games in the set, including a marathon 9-8, 11-inning defeat on Saturday. Dustin Pedroia and Mark Kotsay each collected two hits in the loss.
Jon Lester (1-1) was shelled for eight hits and five runs -- four earned -- over 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander fanned seven and walked two, but surrendered a pair of home runs.
Boston will try to avoid falling into a further hole behind the right arm of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who has dominated the Rays over the course of his 16-year career. Wakefield is 19-5 lifetime against them with a 3.32 ERA in 41 games, 31 of which have been starts.
Wakefield was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in three starts against Tampa this season,, though. He was battered by the Rays the last time he faced them, surrendering six runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings.
The 42-year-old hurler was 10-11 with a 4.13 ERA this season. This will be his first appearance this postseason, but he is 5-6 with a 6.36 ERA in 17 playoff appearances (10 starts).
Tampa will counter with 25-year-old righty Andy Sonnanstine, who picked up the win in the Rays' ALDS clincher against the Chicago White Sox. Sonnanstine gave up three hits, two of which were solo home runs, in 5 2/3 innings of that one. He was 13-9 with a 4.38 ERA during the regular season
Sonnanstine has faced the Red Sox six times and is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA against them.
While the defending world champion Red Sox are ALCS regulars, appearing in this round for the fourth time in the last six years, the Rays of course are new to the party, playing in their first-ever postseason.
These teams are obviously no stranger to one another, having played 18 times throughout the regular season. Tampa managed to win 10 of those contests, but just two of those wins came at Fenway.
After an off day on Wednesday, Game 5 of this series will be played on Thursday.
<< Ducks, Kings try to get in win column in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Crosstown rivals Anaheim and Los Angeles will both try for
their first wins of the 2008-09 season, as the Kings welcome the Ducks for a
battle at the Staples Center.
Both clubs are off to an 0-2-0 start to the campaign. An
<< Flames, Avs' meet in Northwest Division clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Northwest Division clubs seeking their first
victories of the season will meet tonight in Calgary, as the Flames welcome
the Colorado Avalanche to the Saddledome.
The Avalanche began the season with back-to-back
<< Wild battle Thrashers in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will hit the road for the first time
this season, as they head to Atlanta to take on the Thrashers at Philips
Arena.
The Wild, who went 19-17-5 as the road club a year ago, start a three-game
swing toni
<< Flyers and Pens renew battle of Pennsylvania
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia's first eight games this year come against
playoff teams from a year ago. Still searching for a win on this tough opening
stretch, the Flyers renew their Pennsylvania rivalry with the Pittsburgh
Penguins tonight
Capello: England has to defeat Belarus >>
Minsk, Belarus (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England boss Fabio Capello said Tuesday he
will settle for nothing less than a victory in Wednesday's World Cup qualifying
clash against Belarus in Minsk.
Capello's side has won their first three group ga
O'Neill rejects Sorensen's claims >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin O'Neill has dismissed as
"nonsense" claims made by Thomas Sorensen that he blocked several moves for
the goalkeeper away from Aston Villa during the summer.
The Danish keeper is c
Former Cubs pitcher Foster passes away >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Major League pitcher Kevin Foster
died on Saturday from renal cell carcinoma. Foster was 39 years old.
Foster compiled a 32-30 record with a 4.86 ERA during his career in baseball.
He was origin
Roma's Mexes, Panucci suspended for Inter clash >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma has plunged into a defensive crisis ahead
of Saturday's meeting with Inter Milan after losing both Philippe Mexes and
Christian Panucci to suspension.
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NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
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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.
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