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07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have done everything they can to separate themselves from the rest of the American League West. The Angels finished up the first half of the season with a Major League-best 53 wins and have since gone 3-3 to start the second half of the season.
However, they have not been able to slow down the red-hot Seattle Mariners, who are now just two games behind LA in the AL West standings. The Angels have dominated at home thus far, posting a 31-14 record. They have also had success on the road with a solid 25-24 record away from Angel Stadium. The next two weeks will be crucial for Anaheim, as it will face off against some of the AL's best in Minnesota, Oakland and Detroit. Those three series will lead up to a very important three-game set versus Seattle.
The Angels began the second half of the season on fire taking two out of three games from the lowly Texas Rangers. However, Anaheim failed to take advantage of another bottom feeder in Tampa Bay, dropping two out of three to the Devil Rays.
Tuesday night's opener was the most disappointing loss of the series for the Angels, as they were dominated in an 8-3 setback. Starter Ervin Santana put together another disappointing performance, allowing seven runs on 14 hits through six innings. The Angels were active at the plate, collecting 10 hits on the night, but still managed to leave seven runners on base.
Wednesday proved to be more of the same for the Angels, as they were hammered 7-2. Right-hander Bartolo Colon was solid in the loss, surrendering three runs on five hits through five innings. Reliever Dustin Moseley let the game slip away in the sixth, allowing four runs on four hits to put the game out of reach. The Angels were stifled at the plate, managing just six hits in the loss.
Anaheim finally turned things around in Thursday's finale, capturing a 3-0 win. Starter Kelvim Escobar led his team to victory, limiting the Devil Rays to nine hits through 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Escobar set the tone for closer Francisco Rodriguez who came on in the ninth to nail down his 25th save of the season. Anaheim gave their pitching staff plenty of support, compiling 10 hits in the win. Left fielder Garrett Anderson led the way, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Following the game manager Mike Scioscia praised Escobar for his outstanding performance this season.
"He's been on the money this whole season," Scioscia said. "So I think it goes past the last couple of games he's pitched. Along with [12-game winner] John Lackey, I'd hate to see where we'd be without these guys.
"I think [Escobar's] confidence is high, he's getting a little bit of support to match what he can do on the mound, and it's leading to some wins for him and that's good to see."
SANTANA'S STRUGGLES LAND HIM IN MINORS
It seems as if Scioscia and the rest of the Angels brass have given Santana more than enough time to turn things around. Following Wednesday's loss, the 24-year old right-hander was sent to Triple-A Salt Lake where he will remain until he proves that he is ready to return to the majors. The decision must have been a difficult one for the Angels, as Santana proved to be one of the brightest young talents in baseball just a year ago. In 2006 Santana went 16-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 33 starts. Anaheim had high expectations for the young hurler this season, expecting him to develop into a strong number two starter.
However, that was not the case as Santana has compiled a disappointing 5-11 record with a 6.22 ERA in 19 starts. Anaheim had hoped that the All-Star break would give Santana sufficient time to refocus on his mechanics. Although that did not come to fruition, as the right-hander fell apart during Wednesday night's loss, surrendering 14 hits in what resulted in his fourth straight defeat. During the four-game slide Santana has compiled an 11.64 ERA and showed signs of frustration on the mound.
Scioscia now feels that Santana needs some minor league work before he can turn things around at the professional level.
"It was a move that became more and more apparent as Ervin was struggling from start to start and not moving forward," Scioscia said. "Looking at certainly the last six or seven starts, he's been having trouble bringing some things to the game that he needs to. He's been working extremely hard -- and nobody feels it any more than Ervin -- but for him to move forward, we're going to have to take this half-step backward."
Santana was optioned to make room for catcher Mike Napoli, who was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday. The Angels are confident that by sending Santana to the minors he will be able to work on some of the mechanics that have made him ineffective this season.
"It's tough to make adjustments at the Major League level," Scioscia said. "I don't think he's that far off, but that gap that's there is important, and he needs to bridge it.
"I think Ervin's going to make the adjustments and get into the groove that he was, and I expect him back here."
As for Napoli he rejoins the team after being sent to the DL on July 2nd with an ankle injury. Napoli could give the Angels a spark at the plate, as he was hitting .243 with 29 RBI at the time of his injury. Napoli was available for Thursday's game, but is not expected to play until this weekend's series with the Minnesota Twins.
INJURY NEWS
Howie Kendrick has been sent back to the disabled list for the second time this season. The second baseman has already missed more than a month of action with a broken middle finger on his left hand. This time around he is expected to miss at least 15 days with a broken index finger on the same hand.
Minor league standout Brandon Wood was called up to replace Kendrick and will serve as a utility infielder for the time being. Wood is making his second trip the majors this season after a short stint in late April. The rookie has tore through the minors, holding team records in doubles (53) and total bases (370).
WHO'S HOT
Starter John Lackey picked up where he left off before the All-Star break, winning his first start since play resumed. Lackey's win over the Texas Rangers on July 14th gave him 12 wins on the season. The right-hander has been lights out this year, compiling a 12-5 record with a 2.98 ERA over 19 starts.
WHO'S NOT
Bartolo Colon is having trouble finding his groove, going 0-3 over his last five starts. The right-hander is just 2-5 in his last 10 appearances and has walked 22 batters during that time. Colon has not shown the consistency that made him a Cy Young Award winner in 2005. He is 6-5 on the year with a disappointing 6.38 ERA
ON DECK
The Angels will travel to Minnesota this weekend for a three-game set against the Twins from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Friday night's matchup will feature Lackey (12-5, 2.98) and Carlos Silva (7-10, 4.55). Saturday night's contest will be a showdown between Jered Weaver (6-5, 3.36) and Boof Bonser (5-6, 4.68) before Joe Saunders (3-0, 2.97) and Matt Garza (1-1, 0.00) square off in Sunday's finale.
<< MISL announces 2008 Championship Series format
Westport, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major Indoor Soccer League formally
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For most of the first half of the 2007 MLB season, Atlanta
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over
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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.
Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
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