MLB All-Star Game Best Bets: Picks, Odds and Predictions for AL vs. NL

The American League and National League clash in the 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on FOX.

The AL holds a slight 48-45-2 series advantage, although the NL has won two of the past three installments, including last season’s 7-6 victory at Truist Park in Atlanta. Philadelphia Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, the runner-up in Monday’s Home Run Derby, was the MVP after leading the NL to a win in the first-ever “swing-off”, deciding a winner with a HR Derby, the equivalent of penalties in a World Cup matchup.

Schwarber will be in the starting lineup for the NL, batting leadoff and serving as the designated hitter. Teammate Brandon Marsh will start in right field, and he bats seventh for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who leads the NL. And, on the bump, Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez gets the starting nod.

Sanchez is 7-1 with a 0.86 ERA across 73 IP in 11 home starts this season, posting a 0.93 WHIP, while surrendering just two home runs at his home park. That’s pretty impressive. However, Sanchez just started Saturday, so don’t expect him to get a ton of work.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider leads the American League, and he gives the ball to Blue Jays RHP Dylan Cease for his first-ever All-Star appearance. He is the first Jays starter since 2009, when the late Roy Halladay was the starting pitcher. Oddly enough, Sanchez is the first Phillies starting pitcher since…Halladay, in 2011.

As far as weather, temperatures are forecasted to still be at 90 degrees at first pitch, which is very hot for Philadelphia. A hot wind from 11-14 MPH will be blowing from the southwest, which means we’ll have a bit of a jet stream to the right-center field power alley.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the likes Houston Astros DH Yordan Alvarez, batting second, and Tampa Bay Rays 3B Junior Caminero, jump on Sanchez in the first. He isn’t likely to go far after working just three days ago. In fact, betting OVER 0.5 RUNS (-105) – FIRST INNING is a strong play. We have Cease, who gives up plenty of walks, which is not great, and Sanchez, who might not be at 100 percent rest.

As far as the entire game, I like the NL (-140) to get the job done. The National League has won two of the past three meetings, and historically, the NL has won three straight meetings when Philadelphia has hosted, dating back to July 8, 1952 at Shibe Park.

For years, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s, it seemed that the pitching was overpowering in these games. However, since 2018 in Washington D.C., we’ve seen a total of 59 combined runs in the past seven mid-summer classics. That’s 8.4 runs per game (RPG) in the span, so the lean is to the OVER 8 (-105) for the total.

Lastly, if you’re trying to bet the MVP, that’s a crapshoot. It literally can be any late-innings hero. Last season, Schwarber was 0-for-2 in the game, but he won MVP thanks to the silly swing-off thing. Anyway, while he didn’t have a great Home Run Derby showing, BRYCE HARPER (+1300) – MVP could come on in the middle to late innings, making for a storybook finish.