Boston's Buchholz squares off with Oakland's Cahill

Baseball Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though a sweep would have been better, a series victory in Boston's most recent set has kept its slim playoff hopes alive.

Hoping to make up more ground in the American League Wild Card race, the Red Sox will send the AL's earned run average leader Clay Buchholz to the hill this evening as he battles the Oakland Athletics and fellow 15-game winner Trevor Cahill in the opener of a three-game series at the Coliseum.

Boston began its most recent set with Tampa Bay 7 1/2 games back of the Rays for the AL's final playoff spot and a series loss, or even worse a sweep, would have likely killed the Red Sox chances of making the postseason.

The Red Sox, though, won the series opener before dropping Tuesday's meeting at Fenway Park. Boston then came through on Wednesday with an 11-5 victory to move within 6 1/2 games of Tampa Bay.

Tim Wakefield snapped a four-decision losing streak after allowing five runs -- four earned -- over five innings, and at 44 years and 37 days old, surpassed Dennis Eckersley (43 years, 349 days old) as the oldest pitcher to pick up a victory in franchise history.

Wakefield has helped in reaching that milestone with five home runs, including two from Marc Scutaro as part of a four-hit day. Victor Martinez, David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre also went deep in the win, which came after the Red Sox were swept by the White Sox in three games before facing the Rays.

"I was the benefactor of some great run support by our offense. They really picked me up," Wakefield said.

The Red Sox have split six games so far with the Athletics, losing two of three in Oakland back in July, but have to like their chances of taking the season series lead tonight behind Buchholz, whose 2.25 ERA is the second best in the majors along with a solid 15-6 mark.

Buchholz hasn't won in his last two starts though, going 0-1 despite allowing just three runs. Two of those came in a 3-1 loss to the White Sox on Saturday over five innings as the right-hander suffered his first loss since July 21.

He faces a worthy foe tonight in Cahill, who is also 15-6 with a 2.72 ERA that is third best in the AL. The 22-year-old righty has won three of four and six of his last eight starts, besting the Angels on Saturday with six scoreless innings after working around four hits and a career-high six walks to become the first A's pitcher to reach 15 wins in a season since Dan Haren in 2007.

"The command wasn't there, but I got out of some jams -- that was the key," Cahill told Oakland's website. "My goal was to not walk anybody, and I think I set the new standard of walking everybody."

Cahill is a solid 9-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts at home, while the 26-year- old Buchholz is 8-2 with a 2.13 ERA in 12 road outings.

Neither starter has beaten their respective opponents either. Buchholz was drilled for five runs over four innings in a loss in Oakland on July 21, falling to 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA in two starts against the club, while Cahill is 0-2 with an 8.71 ERA in two career starts versus the Red Sox, who he has yet to face this season.

Cahill's teammate, Gio Gonzalez, is close to matching his 15-win mark, as he won game No. 14 on Wednesday, 4-3 over Seattle. Gonzalez allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings, striking out nine.

Coco Crisp helped him get the win by hitting a two-rum homer in the third inning before driving in the go-ahead run with a single in the sixth.

"He's very, very valuable to the team," Oakland manager Bob Geren said about Crisp.

Oakland, which has won four of six, is 7 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Texas.

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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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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.