Scutaro's grand slam helps Red Sox complete sweep of Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marco Scutaro's grand slam in the eighth inning helped the Boston Red Sox to a three-game sweep of the LA Angels of Anaheim with a 7-3 win in the finale.

Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre and Bill Hall each hit solo homers for the Red Sox, who have won five of their last seven. Josh Beckett (2-1) went seven innings in the start and was charged with three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

"I had to manifest some energy today," said Beckett. "I felt better today than last time out. I did some good things and made some good adjustments. The most important thing is for our team to win now."

Reggie Willits went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Maicer Izturis and Bobby Wilson each drove in a run for the Angels, who have dropped four straight and seven of eight.

The team suffered a blow before the game started as pitcher Joel Pineiro strained a muscle in his left side while warming up and will miss the next 6- to-8 weeks. Scot Shields started in Pineiro's place and was charged with two runs over 1 2/3 innings. Fernando Rodney (4-1) got the loss for giving up the grand slam.

"Halfway through my warmup I threw a curveball and it felt like a cramp," said Pineiro. "Just a freak thing to happen, I can't explain it. It's really frustrating and when I heard how long I'll be out my heart sunk to the ground."

With the score tied in the eighth, Boston went ahead. Rodney started on the mound and promptly loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a bunt single. Scutaro then stepped to the plate and smacked a 1-2 pitch just inside the left field pole for a 7-3 lead.

"After two strikes I was just trying to see the ball and I got a changeup," said Scutaro. "I got lucky today."

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Alberto Callaspo doubled and Bobby Abreu followed with a walk. Juan Rivera then lofted a soft blooper to shallow center that appeared to be over the head of Hall, but he was able to make a diving catch to preserve the four-run lead.

Ramon Ramirez then set the Angels down in order in the ninth to close the win.

Boston jumped on top in the second as Beltre clubbed a solo homer and, two batters later, Hall smacked a solo shot for a 2-0 lead.

The Angels, though, tied the game in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back RBI singles from Wilson and Willits.

Anaheim went ahead in the fifth as Willits led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Erick Aybar and came home on a sac fly off the bat of Izturis for a 3-2 lead.

In the sixth, the Red Sox got a two-out triple from Eric Patterson. Scutaro followed with a walk, but Darnell McDonald flied out to end the threat.

Boston did tie the game in the seventh when Youkilis led off the frame with a blast over the left field wall.

Game Notes

Boston returns home to face Detroit for three games starting on Friday...The Angels host Texas for three games beginning Friday...The Red Sox are 15-9 versus the AL West this season...Boston has won all seven games against the Angels this season...Scutaro has two grand slams in his career.

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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.