2018 MLB All-Star Game Odds & Preview

A Major League Baseball tradition that dates all the way back to 1933 is renewed on Tuesday night, as the 2018 MLB All-Star Game is set to get underway from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The action starts at 8:00pm Eastern time and will be available for viewing on FOX, with ESPN Radio also carrying the game. Last year’s game was also in a National League park, in Miami, so an oddity about this game is that there will be a designated hitter, even though the National League does not allow those, and the American League will bat last. Take a look at our MLB betting preview for the 2018 Midsummer Classic.

2018 MLB All-Star Game Odds & Preview

When All-Star comes to town, these guys can’t help but want to play ⚾️ too. 😁 pic.twitter.com/tqTsfmVTfG

— All-Star Game (@AllStarGame) July 16, 2018

When: Tuesday, July 17, 2018, 8:00pm ET Where: Nationals Park, Washington, DC TV: FOX Radio: ESPN Radio Live Stream: FOX Sports GO 2018 MLB All-Star Game Odds: National League +112 / American League -122 / O/U 7

Why should you bet on the National League?

The National League has two quality starting pitchers to choose from, whether it’s Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer. I expect Scherzer to get the nod since he pitches for Washington, but deGrom has 19 starts on the season with a 1.68 overall ERA. It’s true that he only has five wins on the season to this point, but the MEts’ offense has not given him any sort of run support. He only has permitted more than three earned runs once. Scherzer has an outstanding strikeout rate (34.5%), and his swinging strike rate is an eye-popping 16.6 percent. He has permitted 10 earned runs in his last three starts, but he should be sharp under the lights of national television. The National League’s hitters are simply not as stacked as those in the American League. Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman are the scariest names in the starting lineup for the senior circuit, and given who the American League can place on the mound, that’s simply not going to intimidate their pitching staff. If you like the National League, you see the American League taking things easy and not having a lot of focus.

Why should you bet on the American League?

The American League should get a jolt out of its starting pitching, whether it is Chris Sale or Luis Severino. Sale has a 37.2 strikeout rate and has a 28.5 percent soft contact rate. In his last seven starts, he has fanned 78 men in 48 innings, putting up a minuscule 0.94 ERA. Luis Severino has a 14-2 record and a 2.31 ERA, and he has established himself as the ace in that Yankee rotation. However, Sale’s dominance makes him the likelier choice to start the game. Offense should also favor the American League, as six of the starters in the lineup are in the top seven of the 2018 home run list in Major League Baseball. Jose Ramirez and J.D. Martinez each have 29, while Aaron Judge, Francisco Lindor and Mike Trout all have 25. Manny Machado and Mookie Betts each have 23. So the National League pitching staff will have their hands full, no matter who is at the plate. Trout and Betts are the top two hitters in terms of on-base percentage, and Trout leads MLB with a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 6.9. The starting lineup will likely bat twice — and then there is talent like Nelson Cruz (22 home runs) an Alex Bregman (20 HR, .926 OPS) waiting to come in.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game

This is an exhibition game — and the winning side no longer gets to be the home team in the World Series, as was the case in years past. There are a lot of big names in this game, but this isn’t the competitive rivalry it was a few decades ago, perhaps because players move around so much. I see the American League winning through sheer talent, but I don’t see anyone taking this as seriously as a league game. I predict a final score of American League 6, National League 3.