Twins hope to make up more ground vs. White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will try to make up some more ground on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, as the teams continue a four-game set tonight at Target Field.

Last night, Joe Mauer had two hits, including a big two-run single in the eighth inning, as the Twins held on for a 7-4 victory and snapped Chicago's nine-game win streak.

J.J. Hardy went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Twins, who lost Thursday in the opener of this four-game series and trail the White Sox by 3 1/2 games in the division. Michael Cuddyer and Orlando Hudson each added two hits.

Francisco Liriano (7-7) pitched 7 2/3 effective innings for the Twins, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out eight. It was a good rebound start from last Friday, when Liriano permitted seven runs in less than two innings against Detroit.

The White Sox rallied for two runs off Minnesota closer Jon Rauch, but Jesse Crain entered to record the final two outs and get his first save since 2006.

"Very exciting baseball game," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "Liriano was super, [he] was just exactly what we needed."

Gavin Floyd (5-8) took the loss after allowing four runs in five innings. However, only one of those runs was earned as the White Sox committed four errors. Floyd, who had won his last three starts, allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out five.

Gordon Beckham went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Chicago, which took its first loss since July 3.

The White Sox will turn to Mark Buehrle to get them back on track tonight. The veteran left-hander has had good success of late, going 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA over his last six outings. He last started on July 9th, when he tossed seven scoreless innings in an 8-2 triumph over Kansas City.

Buehrle has made 44 career appearances - 42 starts - against the Twins, going 24-16 with a 4.10 ERA and four complete games. In his last appearance against Minnesota on April 11th, Buehrle picked up the win after allowing four runs and eight hits over eight innings of a 5-4 result.

Opposing Buehrle and Chicago will be Carl Pavano, who has won five consecutive decisions. In his last start on July 11th, the right-hander gave up three earned runs and six hits over 7 2/3 innings of a 6-3 victory over Detroit.

In six career starts versus the White Sox, Pavano is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA and a pair of complete games shutouts. He faced Chicago on May 12th at home and earned the 3-2 victory by holding the White Sox to just two earned runs and six hits over seven innings of work.

The Twins went 12-6 versus the White Sox last year, winning seven of nine at home between the teams, and they have won four of seven meetings so far in 2010.

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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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.