Cabrera drives Indians past White Sox in 11 innings

Baseball Betting Lines

04/09/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th, and the Cleveland Indians notched a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox in the rubber match of a season-opening three-game set.

Grady Sizemore added three hits and three RBI for the Indians, who are above .500 (2-1) for the first time since being 81-80 at the tail end of the 2008 season. Jhonny Peralta provided a key two-out RBI double in the eighth, while Matt LaPorta doubled in a 2-for-4 effort.

Justin Masterson pitched five strong innings, allowing only one run on four hits and two walks while fanning five. Jensen Lewis (1-0) earned the win for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Chris Perez earned his second save.

Carlos Quentin hit a two-run homer and drove in all three runs for the White Sox, who have lost five straight season-opening series. Juan Pierre added two hits and a run scored in the loss, while Gavin Floyd yielded two runs, five hits and three walks in six frames with seven strikeouts.

J.J. Putz (0-1) suffered the loss.

With Putz on the mound for Chicago in the 11th, the Indians forged ahead.

Luis Valbuena put down a perfect bunt down the third base line leading off, and he just beat Mark Teahen's throw for a single. Valbuena moved to second on Lou Marson's bunt, and, after Michael Brantley struck out, he scored on Cabrera's bloop single to shallow right for a 4-3 lead.

Sizemore followed with a double off the wall in deep right-center, driving in Cabrera for a two-run edge.

Perez set the White Sox down in order to secure the victory.

Cleveland broke the scoreless tie in the third. Brantley ripped a leadoff single to center and moved to second on a Floyd throwing error. After Cabrera sacrificed Brantley to third, Sizemore hit an RBI single for the game's first run.

The Indians extended their lead in the fifth with a two-out Sizemore base hit. Brantley worked a one-out walk, and two batters later Sizemore perfectly placed a line drive to the right-centerfield gap, allowing Brantley to score on the double.

Masterson allowed only two hits in the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. He walked Teahen with one out, then Alexei Ramirez roped a single to center. Another single from Pierre loaded the bases, and, with two outs, Quentin drew a walk to force in a run. Masterson was able to prevent further damage by striking out Paul Konerko.

The White Sox grabbed their first lead, 3-2, in the seventh on Quentin's two- run blast, scoring Pierre, who had walked off reliever Tony Sipp to begin the frame.

Cleveland, though, answered by tying the game in the eighth off Matt Thornton. With two outs and nobody on base, Travis Hafner laced a single to right and was able to score on Peralta's double to deep right field.

Both teams put a runner on second with less than two outs in the ninth, but neither club could plate the winning run.

Game Notes

Every batter except for Pierre struck out at least once...Peralta also stole a base for the first time since August 4, 2008...Cleveland didn't earn its second win of the season in 2009 until its ninth game...Chicago managed just two hits in the final six innings and eight hits in the last two games combined.

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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.