MLB All-Star Game 2023 Tips: You should back under in the total runs market - and here’s why

This year’s MLB All-Star Game takes place in Seattle on Tuesday night, and SBK traders are baffled by the contest with both the American League and National League priced at 1.96 to win. 

The American League has a 47-43-2 record in the all-time series and has utterly dominated the Midsummer Classic since 1996, with the National League claiming only three wins in that period. 

As is often the case, the week leading up to the game has been littered with withdrawals. Shohei Ohtani will not be pitching, nor will Clayton Kershaw, Spencer Strider, Marcus Stroman or Shane McClanahan. Mike Trout and Yordan Alvarez are a couple of the position player absentees.

Of the pitchers who will be available on Tuesday, the American League looks to have a slight advantage. Zac Gallen has been exceptional and gets the start against Gerrit Cole, but the NL are missing several of their first-choice All-Stars with so many starters being made unavailable by their teams. 

Both bullpens are immense, of course. Camilo Doval, Josh Hader, Alexis Diaz and David Bednar form an unhittable quartet for the NL. The AL has a pair of nasty-stuff Orioles in Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano, backed up by future Hall Of Famer Kenley Jansen and flame-throwing Blue Jay Jordan Romano. 

There have been no runs after the sixth inning in the last two All-Star Games, which is a trend that I can see continuing with the elite stuff on show out of the respective bullpens. 

On offence, it’s really a toss up between the two teams. The AL are naturally weaker without Trout, Aaron Judge and Alvarez. Austin Hays, who will start in the outfield, is having a very nice year for Baltimore, though, as well as Adolis Garica for Texas. Julio Rodriguez and Wander Franco are immensely talented reserves amid a stacked AL bench, which includes Jose Ramirez and Luis Robert Jr (both were unlucky not to be named starters).

The NL’s position pool has not lost any players thus far, yet they are not at a significant advantage over the AL. Shortstop, for instance, is a clear weakness for the NL with Orlando Arcia starting and Dansby Swanson as backup. Nick Castellanos and Lourdes Gurriel Jr are having good seasons, but they do not bring the same star-power as their AL counterparts. 

While the AL looks to have an edge in its available starting pitchers behind Cole and their hitters, it’s important to note the sheer randomness of a one-off game featuring this much elite talent. Both rosters are littered with swing-and-miss pitchers and game-changing position players. 

A low-scoring game looks likely with five of the last six All-Star Games producing seven or fewer runs. There is power galore and the Seattle crowd will be hoping for some towering homers, but hitters are going to have trouble getting on base against these pitching staffs. 

If it’s going to be decided by a run or two either way, there’s a decent chance of this going to extra innings. The 2017 and 2018 contests both went into a 10th inning, and the relief arms could lead us to a late-game stalemate if the teams are even after five or six frames. 

MLB All-Star Game Tips

Will there be an extra inning – Yes @ 6.4
Under 7.5 total runs @ 1.76