Harrell wins MLB debut as White Sox extend home win streak

Baseball Betting Lines

07/30/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Beckham had two hits and drove in two runs to support six solid innings from Lucas Harrell in his major league debut as Chicago downed Oakland, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game set.

Harrell (1-0), promoted from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, yielded a lone run on four hits while working around five walks for the White Sox, who have won five in a row.

Paul Konerko chipped in with two hits, a run scored and a run batted in and Dayan Viciedo collected three hits and scored once for Chicago, which extended its winning streak at US Cellular Field to 12 in a row.

Brett Anderson (2-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since June 3 for the Athletics, who have dropped three out of four.

Juan Pierre opened the home first with a single, stole second base with one out and scored the game's first run when Alex Rios followed with a base hit.

Oakland tied the game in the fourth after Mark Ellis led off with a single, moved to third base on two groundouts and scored on an infield hit by Cliff Pennington off the glove of Harrell.

The White Sox regained the lead for good in the home half with a trio of runs. Konerko doubled and scored the go-ahead run on an A.J. Pierzynski base hit. Viciedo followed with a double and a ground out by Andruw Jones brought home Pierzynski to make it 3-1. Beckham then came through with a base hit to deliver Viciedo to complete the rally.

Pierzynski and Viciedo put together back-to-back singles with one out in the sixth to chase Anderson from the game.

Brad Ziegler took over and walked Jones to load the bases for Beckham, who singled to right to drive in Pierzynski to push the lead to four. Pierre then lined into an inning-ending double play.

Konerko's sacrifice fly off Henry Rodriguez in the seventh made it a 6-1 game.

Game Notes

The last time the White Sox claimed 12 straight games at home was July 1- August 5, 1989 when they won 13 in a row...Chicago has won 19 of its last 20 games on home soil...Harrell went 9-9 with 4.24 ERA in 22 starts at Charlotte. He became the first White Sox pitcher to win his first big league start since Kip Wells did it on August 2, 1999 at Detroit...Anderson was removed from his last outing against Boston due to left eblbow soreness and was placed on the disabled list the next day...He made four rehabilitation starts in the minor leagues before being activated to start Friday's game...Oakland also reinstated outfielder Travis Buck from the 60-day disabled list and transferred him to Triple-A Sacramento; placed pitcher Andrew Bailey on the 15-day DL and transferred outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the 60-day DL...The A's have used the disabled list 84 times since the start of the 2007 season, second only to Texas, which has used it 87 times, over that time span.

Wwwbetroyal Baseball Betting News

<< Atlanta's Heyward comes through in extras in Cincy
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Heyward delivered the game-winning two-run double in the 10th inning as Atlanta upended Cincinnati, 6-4, in the first of a three-game set. Brian McCann homered and Chipper Jones added two hits,

<< Diamondbacks power past Mets to snap seven-game slide
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth and Miguel Montero tacked on a three-run shot later in the frame to help the Diamondbacks snap a seven-game slide with a 9-6 win over the Mets. Montero

<< Eagles acquire RB Arrington from Broncos
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back J.J. Arrington from the Denver Broncos in exchange for linebacker Joe Mays. The Eagles will receive a conditional draft pick in 2012 if Arrington does no

<< Happ's Houston debut a gem as Astros down punchless Brewers
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings in his Houston debut, as the Astros handled the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0, in the opener of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Happ (2-0) and minor leaguers Jonatha

<< Stammen strong, so are Nats' bats as Oswalt's Philly debut a dud
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Willingham and Roger Bernadina both stroked a two-run double to back a solid outing by Craig Stammen, as Washington cooled off the surging Phillies, 8-1, and, in doing so, spoiled Roy Oswalt'

Peralta homers twice in Tigers debut; Detroit tops Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhonny Peralta hit a pair of homers and drove in three in his Tigers debut, as Detroit held on against Boston's furious ninth- inning rally for a 6-5 decision in the first of three between the clubs at Fenway

Twins remain hot, sink Mariners >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome and Alexi Casilla both clubbed a two-run homer, as the streaking Minnesota Twins beat Seattle, 5-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Target Field. J.J. Hardy had two hits and score

Prado leaves Friday's game >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado left Friday's game against Cincinnati with an undisclosed injury. Prado slid somewhat awkwardly headfirst into home plate on Jayson Heyward's game-winning two-

Gordon long ball in ninth leads Royals over Orioles >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Gordon hit a game-winning three-run homer with two outs in the ninth, and the Kansas City Royals put together a fierce rally to stun the Baltimore Orioles, 7-5, in the second of four games at Kauf

Record-breaking inning propels Rockies to rout of Cubs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI, as Colorado scored 12 times with two outs in a franchise record-breaking eighth inning to pull away from Chicago, 17-2, in the ope

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.