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Week’s worst bad beats: Don’t bet on exhibition baseball

By
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Calvin Petersen (40) makes a save on a shot by Vegas Golden Knight ...

This week makes the case for not betting on exhibition baseball.

Here are our picks for the five worst sports betting bad beats of the week.

If you have a nomination, email jbarnes@reviewjournal.com.

5. Over 5½ Kings-Golden Knights (March 1)

Vegas fans didn’t like seeing Los Angeles take a 4-1 lead after two periods, but over bettors knew their bet was all but in the bag.

The Golden Knights would fling a bunch of shots on Kings goalie Cal Petersen in the third period and surely at least one would go through, right? Right?

Vegas ended up getting 19 shots on goal in the period (after scoring its lone goal on 18 shots in the second), but Petersen stopped everything.

Under 5½ winner.

4. Southern Methodist -2 (March 1)

The March melts have begun.

The Mustangs led Wichita State by 13 at halftime and extended the edge to 24 five minutes into the second half.

The Shockers started to chip away, and SMU went ice cold, scoring eight points in the next 11 minutes.

Wichita State went ahead with 1:14 to go (its first lead since midway through the second half) and ended up with a 66-62 victory.

3. Under 137 Michigan-Ohio State (March 1) and under 132 Illinois-Ohio State (Thursday)

The Buckeyes won and covered in two home games this past week, but under bettors got put through the ringer with two late “meaningless” 3-pointers from the losing team.

First, Michigan’s Franz Wagner canned a 3 with fourth-tenths of a second left to move over bettors from a push to win in a 77-63 Ohio State victory. (The teams scored 79 points in the second half after 61 in the first.)

Then, Illinois’ Alan Griffin hit a 3 with 9.1 seconds left to turn under bettors from winners to losers in a 71-63 Buckeyes victory.

It’s favorite and over, not favorite and under, guys.

2. Milwaukee +5 (Tuesday)

The Panthers went to Youngstown State for the Horizon League tournament opener and immediately took control, leading by 11 points in the first half and by six at halftime.

The second half went back and forth, but Milwaukee was never outside the number until the final minute.

Youngstown State led 61-54 after a Darius Quisenberry jumper and Naz Bohannon free throw after a Milwaukee miss.

Darius Roy saved Panthers bettors for the moment with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to four with seven seconds left.

Now the cover would be decided at the free-throw line. Milwaukee bettors needed Devin Morgan to miss one to preserve a push (or a win for early bettors who got +5½).

No dice. Morgan hit both, Roy missed a 3 at the buzzer, and Youngstown State covered in a 63-57 victory.

1. Red Sox +110 (Monday)

When is a push the worst bad beat of the week? When it happens in an exhibition baseball game.

Boston bettors looked pretty smart when the Red Sox took a 7-1 lead after three innings against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Florida.

After the Tigers trimmed the lead to 7-5 after seven innings, Boston appeared to slam the door shut with a four-run eighth to go up 11-5.

With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Detroit poked three runs across on a wild pitch and two singles. The Red Sox went to Adam Lau in the bullpen, and Travis Demeritte stepped to the plate with two on.

Tie game. Demeritte lofted a homer, his second of the game, to the patch of grass beyond the left-field fence.

Josh Lester lined out to second, and the game went to extra innings. … Oh, wait, it didn’t. This was an exhibition game.

Tigers 11, Red Sox 11. Annoyance level for Boston bettors: 11.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.

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