The time has come for another MLB-All Star Game, otherwise known as the Midsummer Classic, with both the American League and National League teams coming to Dodger Stadium with superstar-stuffed rosters.
At 8 pm ET, the MLB All-Star Game will get underway, with all eyes on the NL to break what could become a nine-game losing streak in the annual meet. That last triumph was an 8-0 thumping in 2012.
2022 MLB All-Star Game Betting Picks:
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American League, Money Line (-105)
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American League +1.0, Run Line (-154)
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Under 7.5 Total Runs (-105)
Among the American League starters, we see two Toronto Blue Jays representatives in catcher Alejandro Kirk and first-baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with Alek Manoah and Santiago Espinal also joining the fold.
Mere days before the All-Star Game itself, Canadian right-hander Jordan Romano was called up to add yet another Blue Jays player to the roster. If the All-Star trend continues, there will be many happy Blue Jays.
Pack your bags, Jordan Romano.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 17, 2022
You're going to the #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/s1iKRMmX4A
So, which 2022 MLB All-Star Game team is backed to win, and how close are the oddsmakers expecting the game to be?
Money line gives the edge to NL
The American League rocks up to Hollywood with Kirk, Guerrero Jr., Tim Anderson, Giancarlo Stanton, and Rafael Devers among the starters. Even with this level of talent, all eyes are on the historic MVP race.
In an almost unfair swing of fate for the AL, both outfielder Aaron Judge and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will be competing for the team on an eight-year winning streak.
Monstrous in size, Judge could very well become the first player since steroid testing to hit 60 home runs in a season this year, while Ohtani is playing like a bona fide Cy Young winner and will likely exceed 100 RBIs.
Despite this, the money line MLB odds for the 2022 All-Star Game has the AL as the slight underdogs at -105, with the NL favoured at -118.
This likely hinges on those set to take to the field beyond the star-studded starters. Bench players will be given plenty of time, perhaps as much as a third of the innings, while the bullpen could start to emerge in the fifth.
In terms of depth, the needle marginally, and arguably, swings towards the NL; Manny Machado, Mookie Betts, and Clayton Kershaw are ready to headline prior to the bench and bullpen getting involved.
Regardless of this, it’s the All-Star Game, Judge and Ohtani are nearly unstoppable right now, and the AL just continues to win in the Midsummer Classic. So, despite the odds, AL at -105 on the money line will have plenty of suitors.
Aaron Judge's 70 RBI this season are the most by a Yankees hitter before the All-Star break since Alex Rodriguez in 2010. pic.twitter.com/Z3uh9MocpA
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 17, 2022
Odds forecast a close game
The run line odds in online sports betting tell of a close game between the 2022 NL and AL All-Star teams. Still, whichever way you swing the run line handicap, you could capitalize on a sudden breakaway for either side.
Here’s how the run line odds look coming into the MLB All-Star Game:
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AL +1.5 (-222), NL -1.5 (+180)
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AL +1.0 (-154), NL -1.0 (+130)
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AL -1.5 (+163), NL +1.5 (-200)
With the NL the marginal favourites along the money line, giving the AL a +1.0 cushion at -154 on the run line could cover for a slight lapse once the starters leave the field.
All-Star Games haven’t been scoring big
From the 2010 MLB All-Star Game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, seven games have seen seven or fewer put up on the scoreboard. Only the 2018, 2015, 2014, and 2012 instalments saw eight or more runs.
Now, Dodger Stadium is known for its home runs, featuring walls that are fewer than 400 feet away at a standard height of eight feet. As such, some will side with the over 7.5 runs at -118 rather than the recent-history-aligned under 7.5 runs at -105.
As we’ve come to expect, the 2022 MLB All-Star Game – the 92nd of its kind – will feature the biggest and most exciting stars from the National League and American League: but can the NL finally snap its losing streak?
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 18th July 2022
