LA's Billingsley takes on Colorado's Marquis at Chavez Ravine
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of pitchers vying to become the National League's first 10-game winner of the season will go head-to-head when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies continue a three-game series this evening at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles' Chad Billingsley and the Rockies' Jason Marquis each enter tonight's clash with nine victories, tied with the Mets' Johan Santana and San Francisco's Matt Cain for tops among NL hurlers. Santana will also be going for his 10th win of 2009 tonight.
Both of this evening's starters have also been stuck on nine wins for a while. Billingsley has recorded a pair of no-decisions since besting Texas on June 14, while Marquis is coming off a forgettable showing in his most recent start.
The Colorado right-hander was rocked for eight runs (7 earned) and nine hits before exiting after 3 1/3 innings of an 11-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Wednesday. It was a rare non-quality start this season for Marquis, who won just 11 times for the Chicago Cubs a year ago.
He'll try to get back on track against a Dodgers squad he has a track record of past success. In 10 career appearances (9 starts) versus Los Angeles, Marquis is 4-1 with an excellent 2.19 earned run average.
The 30-year-old already owns a win at Dodger Stadium this year, having tossed 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball to defeat Los Angeles on April 26. Marquis is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA over four lifetime starts at Chavez Ravine.
Billingsley has also performed very well at Dodger Stadium during his excellent first half, with the hard-throwing righty having compiled a 6-2 record with a 3.35 ERA over eight home starts this season.
The former first-round pick's last two starts have been on the road, however, and Billingsley hasn't been as effective in those outings. He matched a season high by allowing five runs over six innings against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, six days after he was touched for four runs (3 earned) and issued five walks in a six-inning stint at Anaheim.
Billingsley also sports a win over the Rockies earlier this season, having held them to three runs through six frames of a 9-5 decision at Dodger Stadium on April 18. That improved him to 2-2 with a 5.18 ERA in nine lifetime encounters (7 starts) with Colorado.
The Dodgers were able to hand the red-hot Rockies a rare recent loss in Monday's opener thanks to Andre Ethier's walkoff home run in the 13th inning. The outfielder followed Casey Blake's leadoff single with a two-run blast that lifted the NL West leaders to a 4-2 triumph.
The loss was only the fourth in Colorado's last 24 games.
The Rockies broke a scoreless tie on Ryan Spilborghs two-run homer in the top of the fifth, but Dodgers starting pitcher Randy Wolf pulled his club even with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
Wolf lasted six innings on the mound and allowed two runs on four hits. Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez was equally as effective, yielding two runs on five hits over the first seven frames.
"You can't ask our club to pitch any better than they did tonight," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. "It was a great game. Unfortunately, we got beat."
Joel Peralta (0-1), pitching his third inning in relief, took the loss after serving up Ethier's game-winning shot.
Ethier's homer extended the Dodgers' dominance over the Rockies this season. Los Angeles has now won nine of the 10 meetings between the divisional foes in 2009, and Colorado has lost five in a row at Dodger Stadium.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- A pair of American League Central foes resume a three-game series tonight at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, where the host Royals will be vying for a second straight win over the Minnesota Twins. Kansas City received
<< Angels try to extend AL West lead over Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- It took nearly half a season to get there, but the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim are back in their customary place atop the American
League West. The two-time defending division champions will try to further
distanc
<< London gets extension at Richmond
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Richmond has rewarded head
football coach Mike London with a contract extension through the 2014 season.
London guided Richmond to the 2008 FCS national championship in his first
seaso
<< Venus rolls into Wimbledon semifinals
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Venus Williams continued her quest for a
third straight Wimbledon title with a straight-set victory over Poland's
Agnieszka Radwanska in quarterfinal play Tuesday at the All England Club.
Williams, the t
<< Ethier's homer gives Dodgers 13-inning win over Rockies
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Ethier smacked a two-run homer in the
13th inning off Joel Peralta, giving the Dodgers a 4-2 win over the Rockies in
the opener of a three-game set between the National League West foes.
After spoili
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Detroit Tigers hope to jump-start their slumping offense when the current American League Central leaders play the second test of a three-game series with the host Oakland Athletics this evening. Detroit had
Safina, Venus will clash in Wimbledon semis >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-ranked Dinara Safina and five-time
champion and former world No. 1 Venus Williams were a pair of quarterfinal
winners Tuesday at Wimbledon. The two stars will meet in a marquee semifinal
here on Thursda
Boston's Smoltz tries again for win at Baltimore >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Smoltz will be attempting to atone for a shaky debut
in a Boston Red Sox uniform when the star pitcher takes the mound for
tonight's clash with the Baltimore Orioles from Camden Yards.
Smoltz's first major
Cubs, Pirates resume series in the Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs will try to get back to the .500 mark this
evening, when they resume a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates
at PNC Park.
Chicago ended a two-game losing streak with Monday's 3-1 win over the Pi
Indians send Lee to hill vs. White Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Cliff Lee goes for two straight wins over Chicago and
three straight overall when his Cleveland Indians host the White Sox tonight
in the middle game of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
The American Leag
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.
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards