White Sox target rare sweep at Fenway

Baseball Betting Lines

09/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After putting what could be the final nail in the coffin in regards to the Boston Red Sox' playoff hopes with Saturday's performance, the Chicago White Sox now set their sights on earning their first series sweep in Fenway Park in 19 years when they take the field this afternoon.

Chicago took both ends of yesterday's doubleheader between these teams by identical 3-1 scores, with the two losses moving Boston 7 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for the lead in the American League Wild Card standings with under a month to go in the regular season.

The White Sox received terrific starting pitching in both contests. John Danks (13-9) held Boston to a run and six hits over seven innings of work in the opener, while Gavin Floyd (10-11) yielded just one run and five hits through six frames in game two to help Chicago register its fifth straight win on its current road trip.

Bobby Jenks closed out both wins for the White Sox, tossing a scoreless ninth in game one and retiring all four batters he faced in the nightcap.

Chicago banged out 13 hits in taking the opener, with Paul Konerko going 3- for-4 with two runs scored to lead the way. Carlos Quentin was the hitting star in the second test, delivering a double and a triple and crossing the plate twice.

Former Red Sox great Manny Ramirez, acquired by Chicago in a waiver claim from the Dodgers on Monday, served as the White Sox' designated hitter in both games and went 3-for-8 over the course of the twinbill.

The White Sox closed within 3 1/2 games of first-place Minnesota in the AL Central race with Saturday's results and will be shooting for their first road sweep of Boston since July 27-28, 1991.

"If you're not winning the other games, when you play the Twins it's not going to matter," said Jenks. "It doesn't seem like they're going to lose any time soon either."

The White Sox, who had last won a series in Fenway Park back in 2004, have now prevailed in six of their last seven matchups with Boston dating back to last season.

Chicago turns to Mark Buehrle this afternoon in hopes of continuing its winning ways. The steady veteran owns a 12-10 record with a respectable 3.95 earned run average over 27 starts this season, but hasn't been able to pick up a win in either of his last two outings.

Buehrle allowed three runs in a six-inning no-decision this past Monday in Cleveland, five days after the left-hander was reached for four runs and walked four over seven frames in a home loss to Baltimore on August 25.

The four-time All-Star is 6-5 with a 4.43 ERA in 14 lifetime appearances (13 starts) against Boston and 3-2 in four career trips to the Fenway Park mound. Buehrle has lost in each of his past two starts at the historic venue, however, including a lopsided defeat in 2008 in which he was tagged for seven runs and 11 hits in only 4 2/3 innings of work.

Boston mustered only seven hits in the opener and six in the nightcap and has now dropped five of its last seven games. Marco Scutaro drove in both of the Red Sox' runs on the day with a pair of RBI singles.

"We're in a tough spot for sure," said starting pitcher John Lackey, who surrendered three runs (one earned) over seven innings in losing game two. "We're in a tough division with two real quality teams in front of us. We have to keep battling the rest of the way. It's frustrating."

Josh Beckett has endured his share of frustration during what's been a subpar and injury-plagued season for the Red Sox hurler. The right-hander enters today's assignment with a 6.21 ERA over 16 starts in 2010 and has let up six runs or more in three of his past five times out.

Beckett has been significantly better as of late, however. After halting a three-start winless skid by limiting Seattle to three runs and fanning seven over 6 1/3 innings on August 25, the former World Series MVP allowed three runs -- two earned -- through seven frames of Tuesday's start at Baltimore. He did end up with a loss in that game, though, as Boston fell by a 5-2 count.

The 30-year-old does sport a 4-1 lifetime record along with a 3.72 ERA over six meetings with the White Sox, although the lone loss took place in his only start against the club last season.

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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.

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