Reds wrap up set in Milwaukee

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After breaking out of an offensive slump last night, the Cincinnati Reds hope to be swinging hot bats for a second straight day when the National League Central co-leaders conclude a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon at Miller Park.

The Reds followed up a shutout loss at Houston on Sunday with a 3-2 setback to the Brewers the following night, but the NL's most productive offense was able to return to its season-long form in Tuesday's second test of this three-game set. Cincinnati racked up 19 hits and knocked out Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo in the third inning en route to a 12-4 rout.

Scott Rolen led the Reds' outburst by going 4-for-4 with three RBI. Fellow NL All-Stars Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto also collected four hits each in the win, with Phillips knocking in a pair of runs, while Ramon Hernandez doubled twice and finished with three RBI on the night.

Most of the damage took place against Gallardo (9-5), who was rocked for six runs (five earned) and 10 hits before being removed after just 2 2/3 innings.

"You can never predict what's going to happen in this game," said Rolen. "We swung the bats well and kind of put the pressure on them. It feels good to even up the series and hopefully we can take it [Wednesday]."

With the Brewers trailing big late, manager Ken Macha decided to have position player Joe Inglett pitch the ninth inning, with the utilityman retiring the side in order.

"It's really the first time I've ever used the position player to pitch," Macha said. "It was interesting. He was throwing 51 (mph) and got them out. When you're starter doesn't get three innings in, that's what happens."

The Reds didn't get much out of their starter either, with Edinson Volquez lasting only 3 2/3 frames and allowing four runs on six hits while issuing four walks. Logan Ondrusek (2-0) then took over and delivered 2 1/3 hitless innings to nail down the win.

Gallardo made more of an impact at the plate, belting a two-run homer off Volquez in the second inning. Rickie Weeks added a solo shot and ended 2-for-4 with two runs scored for Milwaukee, which had a season high-tying five-game win streak halted.

Seeking to get the Brewers back on track will be Chris Narveson, a surprise eight-game winner for the team who's done a serviceable job since being placed in the rotation in late April. The journeyman lefty hasn't had a good July, however, as he's allowed 21 runs (20 innings) over 20 1/3 innings and posted a 1-2 record in four starts this month.

Narveson was sharp in his first outing after the All-Star break, holding NL East-leading Atlanta to two runs in six innings to help Milwaukee to a 6-3 win on July 17. He didn't perform as well in last Friday's matchup with Washington, however, as the visiting Nationals reached him for five runs in a six-inning no-decision.

The 28-year-old gave up two home runs in that start and has surrendered 16 in only 98 2/3 innings of work this season. The Reds, by the way, are ranked second in the NL with 119 homers, a number surpassed only by the Brewers, in addition to topping the Senior Circuit with 496 runs scored.

This will be Narveson's first-ever start against Cincinnati, but he's yielded just one run in a combined four innings in two previous encounters with the Reds in relief.

For Cincinnati, hard-luck rookie Travis Wood takes another stab at an elusive initial victory in the majors when he takes on the Brewers for the first time tonight. The young lefty has made five starts since being promoted from the minors on July 1, but has yet to win despite limiting the opposition to two runs or fewer in three of those games.

Wood wasn't particularly good in his most recent assignment, a six-inning no- decision at Houston on Friday in which he was tagged for four runs on nine hits, but pitched extremely well with nothing to show for it in his two prior starts. He took a perfect game into the ninth inning and finished with nine frames of one-hit, shutout ball at Philadelphia on July 10, then followed up by permitting just one run and three hits through six innings of a loss to Colorado on July 18. The Reds did not score at all in either of the two tilts.

Cincinnati moved into a virtual first-place tie with St. Louis, which lost to the New York Mets on Tuesday, in the NL Central standings and will attempt to maintain its recent mastery of Milwaukee. The Reds have taken seven of the past eight meetings between the clubs and swept a two-game series from the Brewers in Cincinnati from May 17-18.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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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.