Carpenter masters Dodgers again

Baseball Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Carpenter pitched eight strong innings and remained unbeaten against the Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals started the post All-Star break with a 7-1 win in the opener of a four-game series.

Carpenter (10-3), who had lost his previous two starts, allowing a total of 18 hits and 11 earned runs over nine innings, was marvelous Thursday night. The right-hander permitted four hits, including a homer by Andre Ethier in the fourth inning, and moved to 6-0 in eight lifetime starts against the Dodgers. Carpenter, who had six strikeouts without walking a batter, upped his mark to 19-4 lifetime against NL West clubs.

Albert Pujols had three hits and scored once, while Allen Craig knocked in two runs for the Cardinals, who lost four of their last six games just prior to the break. They're within a half-game of Cincinnati for first place in the NL Central.

Ethier had two hits for Los Angeles, which had won three of four against the Cubs just prior to the unofficial midseason point.

Manny Ramirez, who had been out since June 29 due to a strained right hamstring, was activated off the disabled list and went 0-for-3.

Clayton Kershaw (9-5) was charged with eight hits and five runs -- four earned -- over 4 1/3 innings to have a two-start winning streak snapped.

St. Louis loaded the bases with nobody out in the opening inning before Matt Holliday and Craig each knocked in runs via fielder's choice ground balls.

Ethier homered to right-center with one out in the fourth, but the Cardinals tacked on two runs in the bottom of the inning. Yadier Molina singled to left and went to second on Ramirez's error. Aaron Miles followed with an RBI single to left. Miles went to second on the throw home and scored on Felipe Lopez's two-out double to left.

Pujols doubled to start the fifth and scored on Craig's sacrifice fly to center.

Jon Jay extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI double in the seventh inning, and he scored on Molina's base hit to center.

Game Notes

St. Louis has an 18-4 home mark in the last 22 regular season games against the Dodgers...The Cardinals handed general manager John Mozeliak a three-year contract extension on Thursday, keeping him in St. Louis through the 2013 campaign...St. Louis placed outfielder Nick Stavinoha on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder. The team also recalled Craig from Triple- A Memphis. The Cardinals also announced right-handed pitcher Adam Ottavino, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 4, will undergo a procedure to repair a tear in his throwing shoulder...Ramirez went 0-for-9 with five strikeouts during a three-game rehab stint with Single-A Inland Empire from Sunday-Tuesday. The Dodgers opened a roster spot for Ramirez by placing outfielder Reed Johnson on the 15-day DL with a lower back injury.

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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.