MLB All Star Betting News, Match-Ups and Trends

Your complete guide to All-Star week

Lost among all the arguments about All-Star voting and All-Star snubs is that All-Star week is really just a big celebration of the sport. Baseball fans in Cleveland can attend the fan festival, get to see the up-and-coming stars of tomorrow, enjoy sluggers slugging during the Home Run Derby and then watch the best players in the sport -- most of them, at least -- in Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Here's a guide to three days of fun:

Monday: Home Run Derby

Pete Alonso's big swing could deliver big results in the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

Time: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
2018 winner: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Format: An eight-player bracket, with the higher seed going second. Batters have four minutes per round with one timeout allowed per round (and two in the finals).

2019 MLB All-Star Game

This year's All-Star Game is Tuesday at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Here's what you need to know about the teams and all the festivities. Rosters, schedules, analysis

Participants: Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics (No. 1 seed, stepping in for the injured Christian Yelich); Pete Alonso, New York Mets (2); Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates (3); Alex Bregman, Houston Astros (4); Joc Pederson, Dodgers (5); Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves (6); Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians (7); Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (8)

It's going to be hard to top the past two Home Run Derbies -- Aaron Judge winning 2017 while dueling Giancarlo Stanton with a barrage of long-range missiles, and then Harper pulling out a dramatic, last-second victory over Kyle Schwarber at his home park -- but this field is loaded and should provide some fun energy with all the young guys.

Also, for the first time there is the added incentive of $1 million going to the winner, as the overall pool for the participants increased from $725,000 to $2.5 million.

No wonder Alonso has actually been practicing for the event. The rookie slugger has the opportunity to basically double his 2019 salary.

Bregman and Pederson have participated in previous Home Run Derbies (Pederson lost in the 2015 final to Todd Frazier), so that might help them. Yelich is the first reigning MVP winner to participate since Albert Pujols in 2009. Acuña and Guerrero give us two of the most exciting young players in the game, and the hometown fans will root on Santana.

Bell, however, might be the favorite (he and Yelich were the top picks in Vegas, before Yelich pulled out), as his raw power might top even Alonso's. His seven home runs of 440-plus feet lead the majors, and he has cranked two into the Allegheny River beyond the right-field stands at PNC Park -- becoming just the fourth player in PNC history to reach the river on the fly.

Tuesday: All-Star Game
Will Mike Trout add to the success he's already enjoyed in the All-Star Game?

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
2018 MVP: Alex Bregman, Astros

Format: Nine innings, doesn't count. The past two All-Star Games both went 10 innings. The AL has won six in a row (after winning 12 in a row with one tie from 1997 to 2009).

The last time All-Star festivities were held in Cleveland was 1997, when Randy Johnson started against Greg Maddux. The AL starting lineup featured six future Hall of Famers (Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Cal Ripken, Ivan Rodriguez, Roberto Alomar) plus Alex Rodriguez. The NL starting lineup featured five future Hall of Famers (Maddux, Craig Biggio, Tony Gwynn, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell) plus Barry Bonds and Larry Walker. There were eight more future Hall of Famers on the benches, plus Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire.

The first four NL pitchers were Maddux, Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown and Pedro Martinez. Now that is an All-Star pitching staff. Indians catcher Sandy Alomar played the hero for the hometown fans with a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Giants lefty Shawn Estes, giving the AL a 3-1 win.

Players to watch

• The NL starting outfield of Yelich, Acuña and Cody Bellinger is third-youngest outfield by average age in All-Star history, trailing only the 1957 NL trio of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson and the 1940 AL trio of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller. Yelich and Bellinger, battling for MVP honors, both head into the break with at least 30 home runs.

• Mike Trout, Angels. The two-time All-Star MVP might be having his best season yet. He's 7-for-15 with five extra-base hits (including two home runs) in All-Star games.

• Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers. The likely NL starter, Ryu is 10-3 with a 1.73 ERA. He has allowed more than two runs in a start just twice all season -- one game with three runs (but just one earned) and one bad seven-run outing at Coors Field in which he allowed three home runs. He has walked just 10 batters in 109 innings. He's joined on the NL roster by teammates Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler, making the Dodgers just the fifth team in 20 years with three starting pitchers on an All-Star roster.

• Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs. Last year's NL MVP runner-up started the 2018 game at second base but starts at shortstop this year. He joins Bobby Grich and Granny Hamner as the only players to start All-Star Games at both shortstop and second base.

• Justin Verlander, Astros. He started in 2012 and could be the AL starter seven years later, as he's 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA and has held batters to a .162 average. After finishing as the Cy Young runner-up in 2018 and 2016, he's intent on adding a bookend to his 2011 trophy.

• Francisco Lindor, Indians. He isn't starting, but he'll play in front of the hometown fans. And maybe like Alomar in 1997, he walks away with MVP honors.

National League starters

C -- Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs

1B -- Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

2B -- Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks

SS -- Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs

3B -- Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies

OF -- Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

OF -- Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers

OF -- Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves

National League reserves

C -- Yasmani Grandal, Milwaukee Brewers

C -- J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies

1B -- Pete Alonso, New York Mets

1B -- Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates

2B -- Mike Moustakas, Milwaukee Brewers

SS -- Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals

SS -- Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies

3B -- Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals

3B -- Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

OF -- Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies

OF -- David Dahl, Colorado Rockies

OF -- Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

National League pitchers

RHP -- Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP -- Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds

RHP -- Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

RHP -- Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks

LHP -- Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

LHP -- Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP -- Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

RHP -- Mike Soroka, Atlanta Braves

RHP -- Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

LHP -- Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers

LHP -- Will Smith, San Francisco Giants

RHP -- Kirby Yates, San Diego Padres

x -- injured

American League starters

C -- Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees

1B -- Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians

2B -- DJ LeMahieu, New York Yankees

SS -- Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins

3B -- Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

OF -- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

OF -- George Springer, Houston Astros

OF -- Michael Brantley, Houston Astros

DH -- Hunter Pence, Texas Rangers -- x

American League reserves

C -- James McCann, Chicago White Sox

1B -- Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

1B -- Daniel Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners

2B -- Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals

2B -- Tommy La Stella, Los Angeles Angels -- x

2B -- Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (replaces La Stella) -- x

2B -- Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees (replaces Lowe)

SS -- Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians

SS -- Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox (replaces Pence)

3B -- Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics

OF -- Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox

OF -- Austin Meadows, Tampa Bay Rays

OF -- Joey Gallo, Texas Rangers

DH -- J.D. Martinez, Boston Red Sox

American League pitchers

RHP -- Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros

RHP -- Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox

LHP -- John Means, Baltimore Orioles

LHP -- Mike Minor, Texas Rangers

RHP -- Charlie Morton, Tampa Bay Rays

RHP -- Jake Odorizzi, Minnesota Twins -- x

RHP -- Marcus Stroman, Toronto Blue Jays

RHP -- Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

RHP -- Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins (replaces Odorizzi)

LHP -- Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees

RHP -- Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers

LHP -- Brad Hand, Cleveland Indians

RHP -- Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros

x -- injured

2019 MLB All-Star Game betting picks and predictions: Plenty of pop at the plate for NL vs AL

The American League has held a six-year stranglehold on the MLB All-Star Game since snapping a three-year winning streak by the National League in 2013.

The MLB All-Star Game is the only show in town for baseball bettors Tuesday night, with the American and National Leagues doing battle at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio (7:30 p.m. ET).

We dive into the odds for the MLB All-Star Game and break down the best bets and top predictions for the Mid-Summer Classic, from quick-paying plays, top props, and the moneyline and Over/Under.

QUICK HITTER

Unlike most All-Star events around the sporting world, the MLB showcase isn’t bloated with an outpouring of offense. The American and National Leagues have played some low-scoring tight contests in recent years, and that competitiveness starts with the first pitch.

Generally, the respective managers will look to their top starter to open the game, and in the case of the All-Star Game, that means the best of the best: Top Gun style. With those elite aces on the mound to open the ASG, it’s no surprise the past six Mid-Summer Classics have produced a total of just five runs in the first innings (three of those coming in 2014). The past two All-Star Games, the AL and NL standouts have combined for a goose egg on the scoreboard and the 2013 game also featured a scoreless opening frame.

Astros starter Justin Verlander is first up for the AL, while Dodgers ace Hyun-jin Ryu gets the honors for the NL. Verlander has a 3.32 ERA in opening innings this season, but hasn't allowed a first-inning run in his last three starts. Ryu boasts a 3.71 first-inning ERA and blanked the Padres in the first inning of his previous start.

PREDICTION: Under 0.5 runs first inning

FIRST FIVE INNINGS

While low-scoring first innings have been the trend in MLB All-Star Games, so have uneventful first-five-innings spans. Over the past six seasons, the first five innings of action have averaged 3.33 runs, and four of those events had three or fewer runs scored.

All-Star team managers are still working with some elite starters through the opening five innings, but we have seen an uptick in scoring in the first half of the 2019 schedule, especially in terms of power.

Both lineups are loaded with pop at the plate, with the American League starting lineup totaling 164 home runs (three players with 20-plus HRs) and the National League lineup touting 185 homers (NL has seven players with 20-plus HRs) – give or take if MLB home run leader Christian Yelich (31) plays or not.

The starting lineups will likely get two at-bats before managers start swapping in reserves, which means plenty of power-hitting potential in the early innings.

PREDICTION: Over 4.5 runs first five innings

TEAM/PLAYER PROP

As measured above, the American League doesn’t pack the same punch at the plate as its Senior Circuit foes, but does have a deeper collection of pure hitters on its All-Star roster.

Three of the top four leaders in total hits this season are featured among the AL All-Stars (but not Boston’s Rafael Devers – glaring ASG snub), including major-league hit leader Whit Merrifield of Kansas City coming off the bench as a reserve. Houston’s Michael Brantley, who ranks No. 7 in hits, is also among the American League starting lineup.

The MLB All-Star Game averaged 14 total hits between 2010 and 2015, but that jumped in the past three years, with 18 hits in 2016, 17 hits in 2017 and 20 hits in last July’s Mid-Summer Classic. The American League was responsible for 13 of those hits in 2018 and will rely on getting guys on base and advancing those runners more than the NL on Tuesday night.

PREDICTION: American League Over 8.5 hits

BONUS PROP PREDICTION: If you’re looking for a tasty flier, you could take “Yes” on the extra innings prop at +650. The current moneyline has this game as a pick ’em, and the previous two ASGs have gone into extra frames.

OVER/UNDER BET

Last year’s All-Star Game went Over the 7-run total, thanks to a busy final three innings in which the teams combine for seven runs and forced the game into extra innings, tacking on an added four runs in those two bonus frames for an 8-6 win for the Junior Circuit.

Traditionally, the seventh, eighth and ninth innings have been relatively quiet. Before the 2018 ASG, the previous seven Mid-Summer Classics produced a total of just six runs in the final three frames, and four of those runs came in 2015.

However, measuring up past All-Star Game results doesn’t hold much water when looking at 2019. So far, this MLB season has produced the highest scoring rate (9.6 total runs per game) since 2007 (9.6) and 2006 (9.72). A good part of that uptick in production has been the explosion in power hitting, namely the home run rate.

Major League Baseball is producing 2.74 home runs per game in the first half of the 2019 schedule, which is the highest home run rate ever and on pace to break the 2018 record rate of 2.52. The next highest home run rate came in 2000 (2.34) – smack dab right in the middle of the steroid era.

Plenty of the bats responsible for those rising home run numbers are stepping into the box Tuesday night.

PREDICTION: Over 8.5 runs

SIDE BET

The American League has held a six-year stranglehold on the MLB All-Star Game since snapping a three-year winning streak by the National League in 2013. Home-field advantage has had little to do with that success, as 2019 is the first time the All-Star Game has been played in the AL park since 2014.

The Mid-Summer Classic has been a hotly contested showcase during that six-year run, with the previous two games going to extra innings and the average margin of victory in those ASGs sitting at 2.16 in favor of the AL.

The National League holds an 89-73 advantage in interleague action this season, but there are some big guns missing from the NL roster: Washington starter Max Scherzer and third baseman Anthony Rendon. The National League could also be without the massive bat of Yelich, who withdrew from the Home Run Derby due to back issues.

Six-year steak aside, the American League gets the nod in 2019.

PREDICTION: American League -110

MLB
Dunkel

Tuesday, July 9

National League @ American League

Game 945-946
July 9, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
National League
(Ryu) 16.466
American League
(Verlander) 14.945
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
National League
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
American League
-110
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
National League
(-110); Over
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