Jordan Horrobin

The Atlanta Braves host the 95th edition of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Truist Park, where baseball’s brightest stars from both leagues share the field.

The pregame narrative: Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes get the start for the American League and National League, respectively, in a battle of reigning Cy Young winners. The NL snapped a nine-game ASG losing streak in 2023, but the AL got right back to its winning ways last year.

Check out these MLB All-Star Game predictions for the matchup on July 15, featuring prop bets on Shohei Ohtani and Riley Greene.

MLB All-Star Game predictions

Best Bet: Ohtani over 0.5 hits (+100)

This prop price would never exist for Ohtani in a regular season game, which is part of what makes it so tempting.

Of course, there are reasons for these even-money odds: Ohtani won’t play the full game, and when he’s in there, he’ll be facing a world-class pitcher every time.

Ohtani will face Skubal right out of the gate in arguably the most star-powered matchup possible.

The two-time reigning MVP is just 1-for-9 vs. Skubal, but this lefty-lefty matchup isn’t as lopsided as that would indicate.

• Ohtani’s batting average vs. LHPs (.295) is actually higher this season than his average vs. RHPs (.265).

• Skubal is tough on anyone, but his opponent BA vs. left-hitting players (.209) is only marginally lower than his opponent BA vs. right-hitting players (.219).

I don’t want to fixate too much on this Ohtani-vs.-Skubal showdown, though, because it’ll only happen once. What I’m buying here is Ohtani’s opportunity as a whole.

The two-way superstar will bat leadoff for the NL and should have three plate appearances. Last year, he went 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk.

In the likely scenario that Ohtani has three cracks at getting a hit, I think there’s value on a +100 price tag.

Key stat: Ohtani ranks in the 99th or 100th percentile in xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate, per Baseball Savant.

• MLB ASG betting markets
• MLB futures markets
• MLB injury report
• MLB stats & standings

All-Star Game best bets

Under 7.5 runs (-136): Instead of taking under 7 runs (-104) on the standard line, I’m adding a bit of juice for what I believe is some very important cushion.

• This under is 6-2 in the past eight all-star games.

• Dating back to 2008, the average ASG total is 6.7 runs.

• In the past 18 all-star games, only one has featured 10+ runs.

Last year’s 5-3 win for the AL just snuck past this total, but the under cashed in four straight games before that.

There’s a glut of elite players at the plate and on the mound, but top-tier pitching tends to win out.

Most pitchers will only work an inning (or less), meaning hitters are constantly seeing different deliveries, release points and pitch mixes.

Greene over 0.5 runs (+125): Somebody has to score in this game, and Greene should have as much of a chance as anyone on the AL side.

Did you see who he’s hitting in front of?

The Detroit Tigers outfielder will bat second, just ahead of MLB’s top two home run hitters: Aaron Judge (35 HRs) and Cal Raleigh (38).

As with Ohtani, I’m not hyper-fixated on Greene’s first plate appearance (vs. Skenes). I’m moved by the idea that he’ll likely have three PAs before a replacement steps in.

Greene went on a stellar run ahead of the Midsummer Classic, posting a .306/.340/.684 slash line in his past 25 games.

MLB All-Star Game predictions made at 11:15 a.m. on 07/15/2025.

This week’s all-star festivities begin Monday night with the MLB Home Run Derby at Truist Park.

The pre-derby narrative: Cal Raleigh is on a historic pace as a home run hitter, and he’ll put that power on display in Atlanta. He’s the co-favourite, alongside Oneil Cruz, in the eight-player derby field.

Check out our MLB Home Run Derby odds for the all-star event on Monday, July 14.

MLB Home Run Derby odds

• Full HR Derby betting markets
• MLB injury report
• MLB stats & standings

Click on linked odds below to bet now. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.

MLB odds as of 3:10 p.m. ET on 07/14/25.

Best MLB Home Run Derby odds

The co-favourites: Raleigh, Cruz (+300)

Catchers aren’t supposed to mash the way Raleigh does.

Raleigh is subverting the belief that catching is a defence-first position by putting up some insane power numbers this season.

His 38 HRs are the most in the majors, and the most ever for a catcher before the all-star break. He’s also on a 64-homer pace for the season, which would set a new American League record.

With all that in mind, it makes sense for Raleigh to be a co-favourite at the derby.

Then again, claiming the derby title would be a historic feat, too: No catcher or switch-hitter has ever won this event.

Cruz has 16 home runs, which is tied for 40th in MLB. But don’t let that fool you.

Pittsburgh’s converted outfielder (formerly a shortstop) is arguably the hardest hitter in the entire league.

• 1st in average exit velocity (96.4 mph)
• 2nd in barrel rate (22.3%)
• 3rd in hard-hit rate (58.0%)

Cruz has a ton of swing-and-miss in his game, but that shouldn’t be a concern with a batting practice pitcher. He can send the ball to the moon, especially when it’s grooved over the plate.

HR Derby notes

• One more way to illustrate Cruz’s power is the fact that he has +165 odds to hit the longest home run. Everyone else in the field has odds of +400 or longer.

• James Wood (+450) has generated some buzz to win the derby after a viral video circulated of a recent batting practice session. Truist Park is the seventh-most favourable HR park for left-hitting players, per Baseball Savant, which works in Wood’s favour.

• The hometown crowd will be behind Braves slugger Matt Olson (+500), who’s replacing teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. in this event. Olson bashed an MLB-high 54 home runs in 2023, so the upside is there. He ranks in the 95th percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate.

• Half of the field has odds of 10-to-1 or longer, and the most interesting of that bunch might be Georgia native Byron Buxton (+1,100). He has 21 homers on the season, including 10 in his past 23 games. An intriguing way to back Buxton might be to pick him to hit the longest HR (+550), given that his 479-foot blast in June is the longest of anyone in the field.

The Toronto Blue Jays look to end their pre-all-star slate on a high note in a rubber match against the Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

The pregame narrative: Toronto has won five series in a row and now finds itself atop the AL East standings. The Jays are eighth in wRC+ vs. left-handed pitchers (108), and they’ll face another one today.

Check out my Blue Jays picks vs. the Athletics for July 13, featuring Ernie Clement and Brent Rooker.

Blue Jays picks vs. Athletics

Best Bet: Clement over 1.5 hits (+130)

Clement cashed this bet for me yesterday at +138 odds, smacking a pair of doubles against the A’s.

With another left-hander on the mound today, how could I not go back to the well?

Clement has been among the very best hitters vs. LHPs this season, batting .394 with a 1.072 OPS. By comparison, he’s batting .243 with a .559 OPS vs. RHPs.

To put it another way, Clement has a 196 wRC+ against southpaws. That ranks fifth among 163 qualified hitters (ahead of guys like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado and Jose Ramirez).

Another reason to like Clement in this market is that he maintains a high contact rate while rarely accepting a free pass.

• 96th-percentile K rate
• 93rd-percentile whiff rate
• 22nd-percentile walk rate

Over his past 27 starts, Clement is batting .330 and has gone over 1.5 hits 13 times.

Key stat: Clement is 2-for-4 with a double and a home run against A’s left-hander Jeffrey Springs.

Embed: #115835

• Full MLB betting markets
• MLB injury report
• MLB stats & standings

Quick pick

Rooker over 1.5 total bases (-105): Rooker has been fooled by Toronto starter Jose Berrios many times over, but I’m backing the slugger on Sunday based on how he’s seeing the ball right now.

• In his past 19 games, Rooker has a .306/.367/.625 slash line and is 12-7 vs. this prop. He’s averaging 2.4 bases/game in that span.

• Rooker is 4-for-7 with a home run and a double in this series vs. Toronto.

Berrios has only allowed two hits to Rooker in 12 at-bats … while striking him out seven times. But this still profiles as a decent matchup for the slugger.

Berrios is a sinkerballer, and that’s arguably Rooker’s favourite offering to hit against righties (.346 BA).

According to Baseball Savant, Rooker ranks in the 88th percentile or better in barrel rate, xBA and xSLG.

Blue Jays picks were made at 10:56 a.m. ET on 07/13/2025.

It’s the final day before MLB’s all-star break, and Sunday afternoon is loaded up with action.

Today’s MLB props narrative: Jose Altuve duels with familiar foe in the Lone Star State, looking to keep up his power surge. Elsewhere, Teoscar Hernandez has value against a left-handed pitcher in what has been a highly profitable platoon advantage.

Check out my top MLB prop bets for July 13, featuring a fade of Luis Arraez.

MLB prop bets

Best bet: Altuve over 1.5 total bases (+138)

There’s a longstanding battle between two veterans brewing deep in the heart of Texas today.

Altuve and Nathan Eovaldi, both 35, will continue an extended saga that is 58 plate appearances deep.

Houston’s small slugger has had the upper hand, going 17-for-55 (.309) with seven home runs and a pair of walks. That equates to a .727 SLG, which isn’t too much of an outperformance of his xSLG (.661), as tracked by Baseball Savant.

Both players are having solid seasons, though it’s Eovaldi who has shone particularly bright. The Houston native is a legitimate all-star snub, posting a 1.62 ERA and 2.30 FIP over 15 starts.

Altuve is 47th in MLB in slugging percentage (.465) and is still a well-above-average bat with his 120 wRC+. He’s also doing his best work right now.

After bashing a 407-foot home run off Jacob deGrom last night, Altuve is up to a .370/.426/.826 slash line in his past 12 games. He has 10 extra-base hits in that span.

For as dominant as Eovaldi’s numbers have been, he’s practically a league average guy when it comes to contact quality:

• 40th-percentile average exit velocity
• 56th-percentile barrel rate
• 57th-percentile xBA

Eovaldi also rarely walks batters (97th-percentile walk rate), while Altuve seldom strikes out (82nd-percentile K rate). So I expect plenty of opportunities with the ball in play.

Key stat: Altuve is 9-3 vs. this prop in his past 12 games.

Embed: #115832

• Full MLB betting markets
• MLB injury report
• MLB stats & standings

Best MLB picks

Arraez under 0.5 hits (+230): This is far more ambitious than I typically go for a straight prop, but let’s live a little.

Arraez is a three-time reigning batting champ, which is really difficult to bet against, but he’s nowhere near that realm in 2025.

After posting a combined .328 BA from 2022-24, Arraez is batting .283 this year — with a .272 xBA.

He’ll be at a platoon disadvantage today against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (7-2, 2.59 ERA), who has been absolutely dealing all year. Against left-hitting players specifically, Sanchez has allowed a .188 BA.

Arraez puts the ball in play more than 90% of the time, which doesn’t help our case. But he’s hitless in five of 11 games this month, and Sanchez is downright nasty.

Hernandez over 1.5 total bases (+143): Hernandez is hitting righties worse than he has at any point since his debut season (2016), but his production against left-handers hasn’t wavered.

In fact, Hernandez’s .695 SLG vs. lefties is the second-best of his career. And his 166 wRC+ vs. LHPs since the start of last season ranks ninth among 136 qualified hitters.

Giants starter Robbie Ray (9-3, 2.63 ERA) is having a bounce-back season, but Hernandez has gotten the better of his ex-Toronto teammate in the past.

Hernandez is 3-for-7 vs. Ray with two home runs and a walk.

MLB prop picks made at 9:35 a.m. ET on 07/13/2025.