The AL Looks To Make It 7 All Star Wins In A Row In Cleveland

Before we take a look at who’s playing in tomorrow night’s 90^thAll Star Game in Cleveland, let’s take a brief look at who isn’t here.

• Bryce Harper: Currently batting .253 with 16 HRs and 62 RBIs, he was passed over by the players, who chose his teammate JT Realmuto to be the lone Phillies representative. 
• Manny Machado: Hitting .266 with 20 HRs and 58 RBIs, he’s had a decent season (he’s been great on defense as usual), but with so many big names sharing his position, he misses out on this year’s game.
• Jose Ramirez: Something is wrong in Cleveland. The two time 3^rd runner up in the MVP race, who at 26 should be at his peak, has lost his mojo, hitting .218 with 7 HRs.
• Paul Goldschmidt: Last year’s starter at DH, his move from Arizona to St. Louis has been a bust so far, with the career .294 hitter batting just .254 with only 37 RBIs.
• Jose Altuve: Kind of strange that he’s not playing, considering his numbers aren’t terrible. But it may be a case of what have you done for me lately, with injuries keeping him out of the eyes of fans and players alike.
• Edwin Diaz: Based on last year’s numbers for the Mariners, Diaz looked to be a fixture in future All Star Games, especially since he was now on a team with a legitimate chance to win some games. Alas, he’s imploded, blowing saves (the Phillies seem to have his number) and racking up an ugly 5.50 ERA.

While future free agents must be cursing players like Harper, Machado, and Goldschmidt, giving teams more evidence that mega contracts don’t pan out, we will get a chance to see some of the future of baseball at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, especially on the NL lineup. Senior Circuit players like Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr, Cards SS Paul DeJong, and the Dodgers Cody Bellinger will look to become household names as they battle against a more experienced AL team featuring familiar names like Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Justin Verlander.  

What can we bet on and where are the biggest and best winning available? Let’s take a look.

Money Line: The standard money line for the ASG is tilted slightly in the AL’s favor, with the Junior Circuit at -120 against the NL’s -103.

Run Line: Similar to betting the spread in the NFL, the standard Run Line bet in MLB is set at 1.5, so the favored team is set at -1.5, and the team must win by 2 or more runs in order to cover the spread. (The underdogs would thus be at +1.5 and would need to lose by 1 run or less or win the game outright.) Since the standard 1.5 spread won’t win much, especially in a game as unpredictable as the ASG, at 888, you can bet on different spreads, with different odds for each. So taking the NL at -2.5 will get you a bigger win at +255 than a regular NL at -1.5, which is set at +163.

Total Runs: Let’s look at the past 5 ASG scores for some reference:

• 2018: AL 8- NL 6 
• 2017: AL 2- NL 1 
• 2016: AL 4- NL 2 
• 2015: AL 6- NL 3 
• 2014: AL 5- NL 3 

Yeah, a little all over the place, but in the years where the dominant veteran pitchers are aplenty, you’ll get lower scores. The AL roster has 9 first time pitchers, while the NL has 8 first timers in their rotation. With a HR friendly park in a year where dingers are being hit with regularity, taking a bet of over 9.5 at +130 doesn’t seem too much of a stretch.

Game Parlay: There are two ways to parlay, and both give you much better odds than single bets. 

• By choosing any of the four options in Money Line and Runs +8.5, the lowest odds you’ll get are Home Team and Over at +235.
• The same good odds are available at Run Line Home Team at -1.5 and Runs +8.5, with a potential big payout by selecting Home Team and Over at +425.

Other Bets: Here are some specific bets you can make depending on what you think the game will turn out to be like.

• Think it’ll be a pitcher’s duel? Take the tie in First To 3 Runs, where the tie means no team will reach 3. That will get you +1150 odds.
• Think it’ll go extra innings? The last two have. If you bet that it does this year, you get odds of +800.
• Think it’ll be a tight one? Bet on a tie score at various innings. A tie at the end of the 3^rd is +290, while a tie at the end of 5 is at +500.

It is always a fun game to watch, and betting on it only makes it more exciting. Good luck!