After all of the significant personnel losses to the American League pitching staff, have to side with the short priced NL side here. The star studded list of subtractions includes Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, James Shields, David Price and Mariano Rivera. The extreme void left by those absences now makes the National League hitters look much more capable of scoring four or more runs. With the pitching rotation they can run out there, the task of scoring looks to be more difficult for the AL. NL starter Roy Halladay needs to throw well for the first couple of innings and then the NL can combat the left-handed dominant AL starting lineup with southpaws Cliff Lee and Clayton Kershaw. From there, Jair Jurrjens, Tim Lincecum and a lights out bullpen are strong enough to close the deal. Also find advantages with the National League reserve position players in overall hitting and base running speed. Chase Field familiarity could be a plus as well, especially for the NL staff which has thrown there before. The slight decline in the number which is currently around -115 lends some extra value toward the senior circuit side. Recommendation: National League
