Red-hot Orioles open short set with Athletics

Baseball Betting Lines

04/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles try to win their fifth straight game this evening when they begin a brief two-game set with Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards.

Baltimore continued its surprising start to the season over the weekend, as it completed a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, culminating with a 7-3 win on Sunday at Rogers Centre. Miguel Tejada went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Nick Markakis was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs batted in and a pair of runs scored for the Orioles, who have won eight of nine.

Baltimore, which is in the midst of a seven-game homestand, has won six in a row at home.

Steve Trachsel (1-1) went 5 1/3 innings, scattering four hits and one run, striking out three but walking four. Chad Bradford, Scott Williamson, and Jamie Walker combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, but Brian Burres ran into some trouble in the ninth, giving up three hits and two runs before recording the final out.

Getting the call for the Orioles tonight will be staff ace Erik Bedard, who has won his last three starts. Bedard's latest victory came on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as he allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to run his record to 3-1 this season to go along with a 5.40 earned run average.

Bedard has faced the A's four times and is 0-1 against them with a 4.32 ERA.

Oakland will counter with Dan Haren, who is 1-2 this season despite a sparkling 1.44 ERA. Haren picked up his first win of the year in his last start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as he scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings.

The A's have managed just eight runs in his four starts this season.

Haren is 1-2 lifetime against the Orioles with a 4.30 ERA in four starts.

Oakland enters this series on a sour note after dropping the final two games of their three-game set with the Texas Rangers over the weekend, including a 4-3 setback in Sunday's finale.

Shannon Stewart hit a two-run home run and Mike Piazza went 2-for-4 with one RBI for the Athletics, who will be trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season tonight.

Justin Duchscherer (1-1) was saddled with loss and allowed three runs and two hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Chad Guadin started for the A's and gave up a run on four hits in six frames.

The A's, who will be playing the fourth leg of a five-game road trip tonight, are 4-6 away from home this season.

Oakland beat Baltimore four of the six times they played last season and is 17-6 against them since the start of the 2004 season. The A's have also had success on the road in this series, winning 11 of their last 13 at Camden.

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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.