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All-Star Game predictions: Will Aaron Judge take Max Scherzer deep?

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Will the National League finally break its four-year losing streak? Will Max Scherzer humble Aaron Judge, or will it be the other way around? And since the game no longer decides World Series home-field advantage, what's the craziest thing we could hope happens?

Our panel of experts offer their predictions as well as everything they can't wait to see in the 2017 All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Who will win the game?

Jerry Crasnick: The American League owns this thing. And I expect it to prevail again in a Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers smackdown.

Bradford Doolittle: The American League will win 7-2. The American League always wins.

Scott Lauber: National League. Because now that it no longer counts, the NL can feel free to stop a four-year losing streak.

David Schoenfield: The AL wins 6-4.

Mark Simon: The AL is so much better than the NL this season that it's hard not to pick it. But let's do that anyway. I'll go with the NL, 7-4.

Who will be crowned the ASG MVP?

Crasnick: Carlos Correa. He's 22 years old and making a run at the AL MVP Award. Here's his opportunity to snag some of the spotlight that's gone to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger in the first half.

Doolittle: George Springer. It has just been that kind of season for the Astros, and Springer homering off of Max Scherzer to lead off the game would be apropos for the way the season has unfolded.

Lauber: Paul Goldschmidt. It's time for the shockingly underrated Diamondbacks first baseman to take a star turn.

Schoenfield: Correa.

Simon: Bryce Harper will win it and become the sixth player to hit two home runs in an All-Star Game. Of the previous five -- Arky Vaughan, Ted Williams, Al Rosen, Willie McCovey and Gary Carter -- four are Hall of Famers and Harper will eventually prove Hall-worthy.

Which player are you most excited to see get his All-Star moment?

Crasnick: Zack Cozart. He isn't the sexiest name in Miami, but he has been a solid and reliable pro for six seasons in Cincinnati. As one scout at the Futures Game told me Sunday, "There's a reason why his teammates all love him.'' Now he gets a chance to make his mark before the Reds trade him at the deadline.

Doolittle: It's a tie between Wade Davis and Greg Holland. For Holland to bounce back from elbow surgery to earn a spot in the game is terrific, and it's a moment made all the sweeter by his bullpen reunion with his old set-up man and good friend Davis.

Lauber: Michael Brantley, my 2016 preseason pick to win the AL MVP. He missed almost the entire season after two shoulder surgeries. Now he's an All-Star again. Nice story.

Schoenfield: Justin Smoak. One of the most unlikely All-Stars ever.

Simon: I'm always going to be excited for the "Them???" All-Stars; unlikely selections like Jason Vargas, Cozart, Smoak and Yonder Alonso. Imagine what the calls to family and friends to let them know must have been like. Probably as awesome a moment as being on the field for the game itself.

Which pitcher-hitter matchup can you not wait to see?

Crasnick: I love watching Max Scherzer vs. anybody, but it will be especially entertaining to watch him try to throw a heater past Aaron Judge.

Doolittle: Scherzer vs. Judge. You could see Judge getting tied into a knot by Scherzer's sweeping power stuff, but you could also see Judge going deep and putting a hole through that art thing in left-center field.

Lauber: Scherzer vs. Judge. Power vs. power. This is what the All-Star Game is for.

Schoenfield: Scherzer vs. Judge. I can see Scherzer simply challenging him with fastballs and seeing what happens.

Simon: Let's get specific. Given my prediction of 7-4 for the NL, the matchup I'd really like to see is Kenley Jansen vs. Aaron Judge with two on base and two outs in the ninth inning. Prediction: Jansen gets him on a high cutter to end the game.

Now that the game doesn't count, what is one crazy/unexpected thing you'd love to see tonight?

Crasnick: I doubt it would happen, but I'd love to watch Charlie Blackmon pull out an electric razor and shave between innings.

Doolittle: Two teams that actually battle to win because competition is its own reward. Gimmickry unnecessary.

Lauber: The most colorful All-Star Game moments aren't usually premeditated. From Larry Walker turning his helmet around and batting right-handed against Randy Johnson to Barry Bonds lifting Torii Hunter over his shoulder after being robbed of a home run, the things we remember tend to just happen. That said, let's see some fun with the new re-entry rule. If the AL can bring in Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning, the NL should put Bryce Harper back in the game to face him. That would keep us tuned in.

Schoenfield: Chris Sale wouldn't throw high and tight to Bryce Harper, would he?

Simon: How about some experimental defenses from the most creative of managers Joe Maddon, perhaps a four-man outfield for Aaron Judge or an extreme-pull infield look for Salvador Perez (who ranks among the least likely to hit the ball to the opposite field).

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