Iwamura and Duke help Pirates down D'Backs

Baseball Betting Lines

04/10/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Akinori Iwamura went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and Zach Duke threw seven solid innings, as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-3, in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Duke (2-0) gave up two runs on four hits and two walks, and struck out two for the Pirates, who snapped a two-game slide. The left-hander improved upon his first start of the season, when he gave up two runs in five innings against the Dodgers on Monday.

Jeff Clement also homered for Pittsburgh, while Andy LaRoche was 2-for-4 and scored once.

Arizona's Dan Haren (1-1) had limited the Padres to a run in seven innings in his first start of the season, but was hit for six runs (five earned) in 6 2/3 innings Saturday. Haren allowed nine hits and walked two, but also struck out nine.

Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer and finished 2-for-4 for the Diamondbacks, who had won their last two.

Staring at a four-run deficit, the Diamondbacks threatened in the bottom of the eighth. Facing Jack Taschner, Kelly Johnson doubled and pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal walked before the Pirates brought in Brendan Donnelly to pitch.

Donnelly walked Conor Jackson to fill the bases, and Tony Abreu flied out to center to bring in Johnson. The other two runners advanced into scoring position after Andrew McCutchen threw the ball into open space in the infield.

However, Donnelly struck out Justin Upton before Javier Lopez struck out Adam LaRoche to end the threat. Octavio Dotel then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

The Pirates got to Haren in the first inning, which Iwamura led off with a single. He went to second on a McCutchen groundout before scoring on Lastings Milledge's single to center.

Clement began the second with a homer to right, and the Pirates tacked on three more in the fourth.

With a runner on second and two down, Ronny Cedeno doubled to left to plate the run. Iwamura followed with a two-run blast to right, making it a 5-0 game.

Duke kept Arizona off the scoreboard in efficient fashion, facing the minimum through three innings. He also didn't allow a runner past first base through the first six innings.

Pittsburgh made it 6-0 in the top of the seventh, when McCutchen scored from third on Johnson's fielding error. Haren didn't make it out of the inning, as Jordan Norberto came in to get the final out.

In the bottom half, Adam LaRoche doubled before Reynolds belted a homer to left with one out. Duke, though, retired the next two batters to complete his outing.

Game Notes

Arizona catcher Miguel Montero left the game after suffering an apparent knee injury running to first in the bottom of the second...Cedeno, McCutchen and Garrett Jones each had a stolen base for Pittsburgh.

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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.