Twins grab early lead in AL Central
Baseball Betting Lines
04/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have asserted themselves as the early frontrunners in the ultra-competitive American League Central. Although it is only a one-game lead with about 150 games remaining in a long season, tallying wins in April could mean the difference between a postseason berth and an early offseason in such a tight division.
Last year, Minnesota started off rather cold, then got scorching hot in mid- summer to climb into playoff contention and just barely grab the division title, while leaving the 90-win White Sox at home come playoff time. Back in the first week of June last year, Minnesota was sporting the AL's third-worst record at 25-33.
In 2007, the Twins have their sights on establishing a more consistent start to the season. And for the most part, they've done that.
Minnesota swept Seattle in three games this past week, but then lost two of three on the road to Kansas City over the weekend. The offense was held to a single run on Sunday, as the Twins dropped a 3-1 decision to close out the series with the Royals. However, Minnesota had been averaging better than seven runs per game over its previous five contests. And with a pitching staff anchored by two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, such run support spells trouble for opposing teams.
Currently, the Twins sport the AL's second-best team batting average at .275. The staff ERA, however, is a combined 4.19, eighth-best in the AL. With hurlers Brad Radke and Francisco Liriano no longer part of the equation, Minnesota has had to make due with a slightly different cast in the rotation.
Santana has been Santana, as he has posted a 3-1 record and a 3.00 ERA through four starts. He has whiffed 32 and walked only seven batters. Ramon Ortiz, who posted an 11-16 record with Washington last year, has gotten off to a 3-1 start with a 2.48 ERA. Carlos Silva is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in his three starts.
The other two starters have not fared so well. Boof Bonser is winless with a 6.53 ERA in four starts, and Sidney Ponson is 1-2 with an ugly 9.39 ERA in three starts.
CASTILLO HEADED TO DL?
A strained left quadriceps has limited second baseman Luis Castillo. Minnesota's leadoff man tweaked the muscle running out a double on Thursday, and he spent the weekend on a stationary bike.
Gardenhire told the Minnesota Star Tribune he would evaluate the situation after the weekend to determine the best course of action for Castillo, whether it be more rest or a trip to the disabled list.
"I don't want to push that issue yet," Gardenhire said over the weekend. "Give him a few days here and see if it starts getting better. If it doesn't get better then by the time we get home (Monday), we might have to do something."
The Twins have already been without outfielder Rondell White, who was eyeing a return to the lineup this weekend from a pulled right calf muscle but now must wait it out for a few more days after suffering a setback. And Torii Hunter, although he is back in the lineup, said he still feels soreness in his left shoulder.
ROOM FOR THREE?
Catcher Mike Redmond has been added to the lineup as a designated hitter over the last several days, making it five straight games he and fellow catcher Joe Mauer have appeared in the same batting order together. Given his recent string of success, Redmond figures to get plenty more opportunities.
The Twins do not have any other catchers on the active roster, so naturally, Gardenhire is exploring adding a third backstop. Minnesota started the season with three, but the roster has been shuffled a bit since then and catcher Chris Heintz was the main casualty.
"We'll play it by ear," Gardenhire said. "We talked about getting another player up here with all the guys beat up. If Redmond keeps swinging, I'd sure like to get a third catcher up here."
Redmond has hit safely in his last five games, including a two-hit game and a three-hit game.
WHO'S HOT
Redmond, Santana, Ortiz and Silva. Also, Mauer is hitting .393 and Michael Cuddyer is batting .324.
WHO'S NOT
Nick Punto (.204) and Jason Bartlett (.213) have endured early-season struggles at the plate.
A LOOK AHEAD
Minnesota hosts the Indians and Royals for a pair of two-game sets this week, followed by a weekend series with the Tigers. Silva and Santana will pitch against Cleveland, and they will be opposed by Jeremy Sowers (0-1, 5.17) and Fausto Carmona (0-1, 6.97).
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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.
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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.
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