The Daily Sweat: So, how exactly do you bet an MLB All-Star Game?
Every year, Major League Baseball gets a day to itself for the All-Star Game.
Nothing else is going on. The NBA Finals will play Wednesday, presumably taking an extra off day to give MLB its spotlight. The NHL is done. The NFL is still a few weeks away. The WNBA is on a break for its All-Star Game. Golf tournaments always start on Thursdays.
For bettors, that means sitting out a day or betting on the MLB All-Star Game. If you're reading this, we probably know the answer to that. You probably already know the National League is a slight -115 favorite at BetMGM, with an over/under of 10.5 runs.
So how do you bet an All-Star Game? If you're a trends bettor, there's a strong one. The American League has won seven in a row (there was no game in 2020) and has won 14 of 17 since the infamous 2002 tie. But does anything that happened when the AL started its streak in 2013 — Mariano Rivera's last game, and he's 51 years old now — matter now? Probably not.
Starting pitchers won't matter as much as usual because they won't pitch more than a couple innings. Shohei Ohtani will start for the AL, and that's a great story, but it doesn't offer bettors much insight.
The National League has more players who bowed out due to injury or because pitchers started Sunday: Dodgers OF Mookie Betts, Mets P Jacob deGrom, Padres P Yu Darvish, Brewers P Brandon Woodruff, Giants P Kevin Gausman and Giants C Buster Posey. A four-pack of Astros won't be playing for the AL via MLB.com: second baseman Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Michael Brantley and relief pitcher Ryan Pressly. Maybe that makes the AL the more attractive play, but it's not like the NL replacements are bad players.
Under 10.5 runs looks like a decent bet based on history, because only one All-Star Game since 2005 has reached 10 runs. Then again, none of those games was in the thin air of Denver's Coors Field.
It's hard to handicap an All-Star Game, of course. While competitive instincts can kick in, there's nothing really on the line. Both teams have great players. If you think you have an angle on the game, good luck.
It's not like we won't bet it regardless.
Here's the first look at the sports betting world on Tuesday:
Seriously, what else is there to bet?
Well, there is the first qualifying round of the Champions League. There are 12 matches on the schedule.
You can get in early bets on Wednesday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals (Bucks are -4 favorites). Maybe you can look at NFL win total bets. There is some tennis if that interests you. There's always Russian pingpong.
Really though, this is a thin day. Enjoy the relaxation.
Do we have a bet bet then?
The last time the All-Star Game was in Colorado, it was a 13-8 game. Coors Field = offense. It's square, but let's take the over in a Coors Field game, even though All-Star Games rarely reach 10 runs anymore. It's hard to make a serious bet on a baseball All-Star Game, so it might as well be a fun one.
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