MLB Odds: NL All-Stars Will Win It
All good things must come to an end, and in this case a bad thing will also end, that being the National League's losing skid to the American League in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.
Truth be told, the All-Star Game has come to mean less to me as Major League Baseball tries to make the exhibition game more relevant. Some of that is due to the fact I'm a stubborn old man.
Don't get me wrong; I love the All-Star Game. The first 'interleague game' I witnessed was the 1968 Midseason Classic in Houston. That was six years after I had written to then-NL president Warren Giles to please put Carl Yastrzemski and the Red Sox on the Colt .45s slate.
I never got an answer, but 35 years after sending Giles that letter, I did witness a regular season interleague game for the first time. It took some time, but my message got through eventually.
My first love is an NL club, so I have some allegiance to the Senior Circuit. I also hate the designated hitter and the TV cut-ins to managers and players in the dugout. That's your disclaimer for this piece.
If there was ever a ballgame made for the DH, in-game interviews and a lot of fluff, it is MLB's All-Star Game. Even a stubborn old man can recognize that. I didn't buy into the NL being that much better than the AL in the 60s and 70s and 80s, and I don't buy into the opposite the last 15-20 years.
I still think the NL is going to win Tuesday, and this is why.
The Lineup
Assuming Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel is as smart as me – and I think he is – he will put Albert Pujols at the top of the order playing first base and leave him there all game. Manuel will then pencil in his DH slot second, going with either his own guy Ryan Howard or Pujols' teammate from St. Louis, Matt Holliday. That will depend on the left-right starter that AL dugout commander Joe Girardi goes with, of course.
Ryan Braun bats third and plays left field with Hanley Ramirez at short and hitting cleanup. Trust me on this. Ramirez gets on and Manuel moves him along with a steal and a sac bunt from fifth-place hitter, catcher Yadier Molina.
Martin Prado bats sixth and plays second base, Andre Ethier is in right batting seventh, David Wright is at third hitting eighth and center fielder Chris Young bats ninth. Saves the non-starter from the Holliday-Howard tandem, San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez and Cincinnati's Joey Votto for those key pinch-hitting situations in the seventh and ninth innings.
The Defense
Aside from possibly Braun in left field, the National League's defense is far superior to the gloves from the Junior Circuit. Manuel has solid defensive options for Braun once the score gets out of hand in favor of the NL.
The only shame here is that the best overall shortstop in the game, Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki, won't be available due to injury. The good news is Manuel has some versatile infielders at his disposal such as Omar Infante and Brandon Phillips.
The Pitching
How deep is your staff when you can leave the best pitcher in the game off and still have plenty of mound strength? Yeah, I know, the argument has been made that Stephen Strasburg only has a few MLB starts under his belt, yadda-yadda-yadda. But who's kidding who? The powers that be weren't going to allow a rookie like Strasburg to come to Anaheim and show up the big bad AL hitters even if he did have a few more games to his credit.
Manuel has his own guy in Halladay, who knows a thing or two about pitching to American Leaguers. He's also got the Cardinals tandem of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.
Oh, by the way, there are a couple of guys named Ubaldo Jimenez and Tim Lincecum on the NL roster. Last I checked, both were having pretty darn good seasons.
Add to it the best lefty specialist for late relief, Arthur Rhodes, plus closers like Matt Capps, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Broxton. Good morning, good afternoon, good night.
The Prediction
It's been a case of close but no cigar for the NL squad the past few seasons. The most disappointing loss was 2006, aka the Trevor Hoffman meltdown game, when the AL rallied in the ninth for a 3-2 win. That started a string of four consecutive one-run defeats for the NL, including the last two by identical 4-3 scores.
The Senior Circuit last tasted victory in 1996 with a six-nil victory at old Veterans Stadium in Philly. Since then the AL is 12-0-1. If you believe the old gambler's rule that says never bet against a streak, go ahead and plop down your hard-earned money on the American League.
But if you want to cash a winning MLB Odds ticket on this year's event, make your play on the NL. Look for Manuel's men to jump out to an early lead that is increased on a homer from Votto in the sixth or seventh inning. The arms and the defense will then take it home. Final: NL 6-2.
All good things must come to an end, and in this case a bad thing will also end, that being the National League's losing skid to the American League in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.
Truth be told, the All-Star Game has come to mean less to me as Major League Baseball tries to make the exhibition game more relevant. Some of that is due to the fact I'm a stubborn old man.
Don't get me wrong; I love the All-Star Game. The first 'interleague game' I witnessed was the 1968 Midseason Classic in Houston. That was six years after I had written to then-NL president Warren Giles to please put Carl Yastrzemski and the Red Sox on the Colt .45s slate.
I never got an answer, but 35 years after sending Giles that letter, I did witness a regular season interleague game for the first time. It took some time, but my message got through eventually.
My first love is an NL club, so I have some allegiance to the Senior Circuit. I also hate the designated hitter and the TV cut-ins to managers and players in the dugout. That's your disclaimer for this piece.
If there was ever a ballgame made for the DH, in-game interviews and a lot of fluff, it is MLB's All-Star Game. Even a stubborn old man can recognize that. I didn't buy into the NL being that much better than the AL in the 60s and 70s and 80s, and I don't buy into the opposite the last 15-20 years.
I still think the NL is going to win Tuesday, and this is why.
The Lineup
Assuming Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel is as smart as me – and I think he is – he will put Albert Pujols at the top of the order playing first base and leave him there all game. Manuel will then pencil in his DH slot second, going with either his own guy Ryan Howard or Pujols' teammate from St. Louis, Matt Holliday. That will depend on the left-right starter that AL dugout commander Joe Girardi goes with, of course.
Ryan Braun bats third and plays left field with Hanley Ramirez at short and hitting cleanup. Trust me on this. Ramirez gets on and Manuel moves him along with a steal and a sac bunt from fifth-place hitter, catcher Yadier Molina.
Martin Prado bats sixth and plays second base, Andre Ethier is in right batting seventh, David Wright is at third hitting eighth and center fielder Chris Young bats ninth. Saves the non-starter from the Holliday-Howard tandem, San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez and Cincinnati's Joey Votto for those key pinch-hitting situations in the seventh and ninth innings.
The Defense
Aside from possibly Braun in left field, the National League's defense is far superior to the gloves from the Junior Circuit. Manuel has solid defensive options for Braun once the score gets out of hand in favor of the NL.
The only shame here is that the best overall shortstop in the game, Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki, won't be available due to injury. The good news is Manuel has some versatile infielders at his disposal such as Omar Infante and Brandon Phillips.
The Pitching
How deep is your staff when you can leave the best pitcher in the game off and still have plenty of mound strength? Yeah, I know, the argument has been made that Stephen Strasburg only has a few MLB starts under his belt, yadda-yadda-yadda. But who's kidding who? The powers that be weren't going to allow a rookie like Strasburg to come to Anaheim and show up the big bad AL hitters even if he did have a few more games to his credit.
Manuel has his own guy in Halladay, who knows a thing or two about pitching to American Leaguers. He's also got the Cardinals tandem of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.
Oh, by the way, there are a couple of guys named Ubaldo Jimenez and Tim Lincecum on the NL roster. Last I checked, both were having pretty darn good seasons.
Add to it the best lefty specialist for late relief, Arthur Rhodes, plus closers like Matt Capps, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Broxton. Good morning, good afternoon, good night.
The Prediction
It's been a case of close but no cigar for the NL squad the past few seasons. The most disappointing loss was 2006, aka the Trevor Hoffman meltdown game, when the AL rallied in the ninth for a 3-2 win. That started a string of four consecutive one-run defeats for the NL, including the last two by identical 4-3 scores.
The Senior Circuit last tasted victory in 1996 with a six-nil victory at old Veterans Stadium in Philly. Since then the AL is 12-0-1. If you believe the old gambler's rule that says never bet against a streak, go ahead and plop down your hard-earned money on the American League.
But if you want to cash a winning MLB Odds ticket on this year's event, make your play on the NL. Look for Manuel's men to jump out to an early lead that is increased on a homer from Votto in the sixth or seventh inning. The arms and the defense will then take it home. Final: NL 6-2.
I've told my bookie that my bet is off if Manuel doesn't at least follow my advice and hit Pujols in the leadoff slot.
