Braves try to carry momentum into series vs. Nats

Baseball Betting Lines

09/07/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After rallying for a big win two days ago, the Atlanta Braves will hope for an easier time tonight when they begin a three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Turner Field.

The Braves trailed 8-2 on Wednesday against the Phillies before plating four runs in the eighth. Matt Diaz then sent the club home winners as he hit a bases-clearing double in the ninth with two outs to lift Atlanta to a 9-8 victory.

Willie Harris homered for the Braves, who improved to just 2-4 on their current nine-game homestand. The club is 7 1/2 games behind the Mets for the top spot in the NL East and 5 1/2 games off the pace in the wild card race.

Atlanta starting pitcher Tim Hudson surrendered five runs on a season-high 11 hits with two walks and four strikeouts over five frames. Rafael Soriano (3-3) earned the win with a scoreless ninth.

Brian McCann, though, left the game in the eighth with a bruised left ankle and is questionable for tonight's game.

The Braves are set to send John Smoltz to the hill tonight. Smoltz is 12-7 this year with a 3.09 earned run average and is coming off a loss last time out on Sunday versus the Mets. He allowed three runs on nine hits over seven innings in that one.

Smoltz has faced the Washington franchise 65 times in his career, 38 of them starts, and is 19-11 with 17 saves and four complete games. The right-hander also has a stellar 2.63 ERA against the Expos/Nationals after besting the club on June 27 behind five shutout frames.

Washington comes into Friday's game red hot, as the club has won five straight games. The Nationals just completed a three-game sweep of the Florida Marlins with a 6-4 victory on Wednesday.

Austin Kearns homered and scored three times in the win, while Brian Schneider drove in a pair of runs.

Tim Redding started but left in the third inning after getting hit on his right elbow by a sharp grounder. Jonathan Albaladejo made his major-league debut in relief of Redding and tossed 1 2/3 hitless frames, while Luis Ayala (1-2) picked up the win after working a flawless seventh. Chad Cordero took care of the ninth for his 31st save of the campaign.

Joel Hanrahan will try to turn in his second solid outing when he toes the rubber for the Nationals tonight. Hanrahan picked up a win Saturday over the Giants behind six innings of one-hit, one-run ball. He also walked just one batter to improve to 4-2 with a 5.14 ERA.

The right-hander will be making just his eighth career start tonight and first against the Braves.

Atlanta holds a 7-5 edge over Washington this season and has won five of six at Turner Field.

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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.