Red Sox send Dice-K to the mound against O's

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daisuke Matsuzaka tries to win back-to-back starts for the first time in nearly three months this evening when the Boston Red Sox continue their four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Matsuzaka picked up the win on Monday against Toronto, despite a poor performance. The Japanese superstar surrendered seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. but improved to 14-11 nonetheless to go along with a 4.11 earned run average.

Over his last four starts Dice-K has not been particularly sharp, going just 1-3 with a 7.61 ERA.

Tonight's assignment will be the 29th start of the year for Matsuzaka, a total he reached only once in eight seasons in Japan. He is also on pace to go over 200 innings for the first time in his career.

Matsuzaka received a no-decision in his only other start against the O's, giving up a run and four hits in seven innings of a 6-5 loss back on August 10.

Baltimore will counter with Jon Leicester, who will be making his second major league start. Leicester, whose other start came with the Chicago Cubs last season, has appeared in five games out of the bullpen this year and is 0-1 with a 12.60 ERA. Three of his outings this year and his lone decision has come against the Red Sox, who have managed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings off of Leicester.

In the second game of this set on Friday, Jon Lester scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings to help Boston to a 4-0 win. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek and Coco Crisp drove in a run each for the AL East-leading Red Sox, who have won six of seven.

Lester (4-0) retired 11 batters in a row and 12 of the last 13 he faced from the fourth through the seventh. The young left-hander fanned four and walked two and needed just 98 pitches to record his third win in as many starts.

O's starter Daniel Cabrera (9-15) took the loss and was charged with three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings before being ejected after throwing at second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Jay Payton had two hits for the Orioles, who have lost three in a row and 15 of their last 17.

Baltimore has also now lost a franchise record 11 consecutive games at home, tying the franchise mark last set in September 1987.

Boston has won 11 of its 16 matchups with the Orioles this season and is 36-16 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign. The Red Sox have also had success in Baltimore, where they have won in 15 of their last 19 visits.

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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.