Could National League break a spell tonight?
DENVER (KDVR)  The National League doesnt have a great track record lately, but sportsbooks say maybe they could break a decade-long losing streak. Draftkings lists the National League to win at -117 odds,- not a heavy favorite, but a favorite all the same. Draftkings Director of Race and Sportsbook, Johnny Avello, said starting pitcher Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals is the biggest tip in the scales. We dont know how long Scherzer will go, but hes a quality pitcher, one of the best the game has ever seen, said Avello. So if he goes one or two innings, youd hope he shuts them down and gets them a little bit of an edge. After that the handicap is out the window.  Bettors are still banking on Coors Field delivering some hits. Avello said bettors are predicting upwards of 11 runs this game  a little more action-packed that the league average of eight or so runs per game. Aside from the moneyline and game bets, people are wagering on more nuanced lines where theyre more likely to get paid: runs in the first inning, runs by league, first to score or who gets more runs first. With Coors Fields thin-air dingers over 500 feet at last nights Home Run Derby, fans are also banking on larger overall run totals. There was a (Coors Field) game back in 98, he said. There werent any runs, but there was a lot of hitting going on in the first innings. The total on this game is 11. The average is eight, maybe 8.5. The feeling is theres gonna be some runs scored here, and some of these runs are gonna be moon shots. Thats what others are thinking.  It would only add to the excitement if National League pulled out of a historic slump. Since 1933, both leagues have won nearly equal numbers of All-Star Games: 43 for American League, 45 for National League. That isnt a year-to-year pattern, though. The history of the All-Star Game is the history of decades-long lopsided dominance. The first 25 years of the game were roughly equal in terms of winners, but between 1950 and 1982 the All-Star Game was almost entirely National League. American League teams only won four times during that stretch. The script flipped, and and in the nearly 30 years since then the National League has only won nine games. Schezers pitching matters more than any other factor, especially considering how little the actual location matters. Historically, theres no connection between American League vs. National League venues. In the All-Star Game, there isnt such a thing as homefield advantage.