MLB All-Star Game Picks for July 15: The National League Is Favored For a Reason!

We know the starters of tonight’s game. But after that, it’s almost anyone’s guess who will pitch next. Tarik Skubal will take the hill for the AL. He won the AL Cy Young Award last year and is on track to do the same this year. The lefty is 10-3 with a 2.33 ERA and has 153 strikeouts on the season.

He’ll battle Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Ketel Marte. Luckily for the National League, that’s two righties and one lefty. Still, Skubal has struck out nearly a third of batters over the last month and has been super hard to hit.

On the other hand, Paul Skenes will get the start for the National League. The right-handed phenom has just a 2.01 ERA this season for the Pirates. He’ll take on Gleybar Torres, Riley Greene, and Aaron Judge. The Judge-Skenes battle should be tremendous, but it’s more likely Skenes gets a couple of pitches from Judge.

It’ll likely be a low-scoring game, and there probably won’t be any runs in the first inning.

The National League Looks Nice!

The National League has a more balanced lineup. They’ve got power with Shohei Ohtani and some great contact hitters, including:

• Freddie Freeman
• Ronald Acuna Jr.
• Will Smith
• Elly De La Cruz
• Pete Crow-Armstrong

There are some really elite hitters in the National League. They’re a more versatile bunch.

The National League also has guys who can add a high number of strikeouts. Some are unhappy that Jacob Misiorowski made the National League team after barely pitching in the majors during his rookie season. But you can’t deny the fact that he throws gas!

American League Has No Flexibility!

The goal in the MLB All-Star Game is to play every player and give every player a chance to play in the game. You’ll see almost all position players get an opportunity, and most pitchers.

That said, the American League could struggle to find spots for each player in the later innings. The American League has limited flexibility in its position assignments. Instead, many of their players are single-position bench players. That will hurt when you’re looking to pinch-run or make some in-game adjustments late in the game.

The American League’s pitching staff has Garrett Crochet and other intriguing arms. But they’ve also got guys like Casey Mize and Shane Smith. I’d be scared if either of those two entered the All-Star Game tonight.

That said, the American League has some of the best power hitters in the league. But the All-Star game is usually a low-scoring game, and the pitchers typically shine. Again, the National League has more pitchers who can add a high amount of whiffs and swinging strikes. There’s more talent on the National League side, specifically with its pitching.

Without home runs, the American League will likely struggle. The National League can put together a rally and add some runs without needing the long ball.

All-Star Game Picks

The National League won the All-Star game in 2023. The curse was broken a couple of years ago. Don’t worry about what has happened ten years ago. It’s a different game and a different time.

Let’s back the National League to win this game outright, but also take no runs in the first inning at -180.

• No Runs First Inning (-180) at Caesars Sportsbook
• National League ML (-115) at Caesars Sportsbook

*All odds from Caesars Sportsbook

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