Pirates blank Braves, who fall out of division lead
Baseball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delwyn Young capped a five-run seventh with a two-run homer and James McDonald tossed seven scoreless innings, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shut down the Atlanta Braves, 5-0, in the second test of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Atlanta, which has lost five of six, fell a half-game behind first place Philadelphia in the NL East standings. The Braves had been in sole possession of first since May 31.
Ronny Cedeno hit a two-run triple for the Pirates, who won 3-1 in the opener of this series. Pedro Alvarez drove in the other run.
McDonald (3-5) gave up just five hits in the process of putting the brakes on a three-start slide. The right-hander also struck out three and walked three.
Tim Hudson (15-7) allowed four runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. He allowed an earned run versus the Pirates for the first time since August 23, 2006. Hudson fell to 5-4 lifetime against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh broke a scoreless tie with a five-run seventh. Garrett Jones hit a one-out double to center and scored on Alvarez's two-bagger. Ryan Doumit was intentionally walked to put men on first and second before Cedeno cleared the bases with a triple to right-center field, chasing Hudson from the game.
Peter Moylan took over on the mound and struck out Chris Snyder. Eric O'Flaherty was called in from the bullpen to face pinch-hitter Young, who hit his two-run homer to left. Andrew McCutchen flied out to end the frame.
Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth, respectively, to seal the victory.
The Braves failed to score after putting men on the corners in the top of the fifth. Melky Cabrera doubled down the left-field line with one out. After Alex Gonzalez flied out, Rick Ankiel was intentionally walked. Hudson, though, popped out to end the threat.
Hudson, meanwhile, was perfect on the mound through four frames. Jones changed that in the home fifth with a leadoff single. Alvarez, though, grounded into a double play. Doumit singled before Cedeno grounded out.
Atlanta wasted another great scoring chance in the sixth. Jason Heyward singled, Martin Prado doubled, and Brian McCann was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Derrek Lee then grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Game Notes
There was a 43-minute rain delay prior to the start of the ninth inning...Atlanta leads the season series with Pittsburgh, 5-3...Pirates second baseman Neil Walker extended his hitting streak to 14 games...The Braves recalled pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Cristhian Martinez from Triple-A Gwinnett...The Pirates recalled pitchers Brad Lincoln and Justin Thomas, infielder Pedro Ciriaco, and catcher Jason Jaramillo from Triple-A Indianapolis. The club also selected the contracts of outfielders Alex Presley and Brandon Moss, and pitchers Brian Bass and Steven Jackson from Indianapolis.
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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.