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With last year’s MLB All-Star Game cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, baseball fans are eager for Tuesday night’s game. The last time MLB held its annual All-Star game, the American League beat the National League 4-3 at Progressive Field in Cleveland in 2019.
Despite the 2019 win which was the AL’s seventh straight, the NL has been installed as the All-Star Game favorite at -113. That makes the AL, which has not only won seven in a row but 25 of the last 32, the underdog.
The Case for the NL
The NL has some of the game’s brightest young stars, which is one of the reasons why the league is the favorite to end the AL’s streak. Another is the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending World Series champions.
Amazingly, there is not a single Dodgers player in the NL starting lineup. That’s how deep the team is this season. The brightest of the young stars is San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. who is hitting .286 with 28 home runs so far this season.
Reds Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos as well as Pirates 2B Adam Frazier all are among the MLB leaders in batting average which could plenty of baserunners out there for the likes of Tatis, Nolan Arenado, and other NL power hitters.
The Case Against the NL
The NL loses Atlanta OF Ronald Acuna Jr. who was among the league leaders in home runs with 24. Acuna was hitting .283 also and had an OBP of .394. He is done for the season with a torn ACL.
There are plenty of other players to replace Acuna, but remember what happened in 2019. The AL pitching staff struck out 16 NL batters. That was the big key in winning that game 4-3. Once again in 2021, the AL has the better pitching staff.
Pitching Advantage
There is no question the AL has the advantage when it comes to pitching in the 2021 All-Star Game. The Mets Jacob deGrom, who leads the majors with a ridiculous 1.08 ERA, decided to forgo Tuesday’s game and will not play. He would have most likely been the NL starter.
With deGrom out, the nod could go to the Giants Kevin Gausman (9-3) or even deGrom’s replacement, teammate Taijuan Walker, who is enjoying an outstanding season as well with a 2.50 ERA and a record of 7-3.
Even with Cleveland’s Shane Bieber sidelined by an injury, the AL has the Yankees Gerrit Cole, Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon of the White Sox, and Kyle Gibson (Texas) and Yusei Kikuchi of Seattle.
Lynn has the third-best ERA (1.99) in the majors behind deGrom and Gausman. Gibson is sixth at 2.29 and Rodon seventh (2.31). The AL also has one of the top relievers in baseball in the White Sox’s Lima Hendricks, who has 23 saves. That ranks second behind San Diego’s Mark Melancon who is on the NL roster.
Best Bet to Win the MLB All-Star Game
With seven straight wins, it’s hard not to salivate at the AL being listed at +102. The AL has dominated the All-Star Game for the past three decades and there is no reason why they can’t win again on Tuesday.
The AL has the better pitching. The NL’s best pitcher and one of their best hitters will not play. The AL just has too much value at +102. Hurry, before the odds shorten.
Learn how to bet on MLB team totals and strikeout props.
