Bryce Harper's grand slam keys NL win in simulated All-Star Game

MIAMI -- Bryce Harper's second-inning grand slam propelled the National League to an early lead and a dominant bullpen held on for a 9-6 victory in USA TODAY's annual All-Star Game simulation using the online version of Dynasty League Baseball.

American League starter Chris Sale was rocked for six runs in 1 1/3 innings of work as the NL scored twice in the first as Buster Posey hit an RBI double and came around to score on Nolan Arenado's single.

BOX SCORE: National League 9, American League 6

The NL broke things open in the second thanks to its trio of Washington Nationals starters. Daniel Murphy led off the inning with a single, Ryan Zimmerman walked, and -- after Sale hit Charlie Blackmon -- Harper cleared the bases with a 346-foot home run down the right field line.

NL starter Max Scherzer worked two scoreless innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. But the AL bounced back for four runs in the third against Zack Greinke. The big blow was Mookie Betts' two-run homer to left.

Justin Smoak also homered for the AL in the fourth off Carlos Martinez, but the NL bullpen made the lead stand up, despite some tense moments in the final two innings when the AL brought the tying run to the plate. 

Kenley Jansen worked his way out of a jam with two on in the ninth by getting pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas to ground out to first to end the game.

GAME SUMMARY:NL proves too powerful

Murphy, Arenado and Posey had two hits apiece for the victorious NL and Posey finished with three RBI. In addition to his grand slam, Harper also walked and scored twice on his way to being named the game's MVP.

What to watch in the real All-Star Game

The whole point of this annual exercise isn't to predict which team will win the game. It's more of an attempt to highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses of each side -- and show how they could potentially impact the way the game unfolds on the field. 

Some observations: 

-- The National League seems to be much better defensively, on the left side of the infield in particular, with Gold Glover Nolan Arenado starting at third and Zack Cozart at short.

The AL isn't as reliable with 3B Jose Ramirez, SS Carlos Correa, 2B Jose Altuve and 1B Justin Smoak all rated as average or (in Smoak's case) below average at their positions. Sure enough, the NL's second run of the game came on a ground-ball single by Arenado that Ramirez couldn't reach.

-- The American League doesn't really have a true center fielder on the roster. George Springer and Mookie Betts have played center before, but are better suited for the corner spots. That could be a factor in a game filled with sluggers.

The NL, meanwhile, has Charlie Blackmon as its starter and can go to Ender Inciarte in the late innings for defense.

-- The AL has a predominantly right-handed lineup, which gives the NL an advantage with its wealth of right-handed pitchers. 

In our simulated game, the NL only used one left-handed pitcher -- and Brad Hand only pitched to one batter. 

Meanwhile, the NL teed off against the AL's lefties. In addition to Sale's troubles, Andrew Miller retired only two of the seven batters he faced, allowing a hit and three walks.

-- The biggest advantage at a position goes to the NL at first base. In addition to Zimmerman, who's hitting .330 with 63 RBI, they can turn to Joey Votto and/or Paul Goldschmidt (although Goldschmidt started our simulated game as the DH).

The AL has Smoak as its starter and Yonder Alonso as his only backup. Both are first-time All-Stars.

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USA TODAY Sports simulation tournament

Another annual tradition is the opportunity we give USA TODAY Sports readers to participate in an online tournament made up of 64 of the greatest teams in baseball history.

Even if you've never played simulation baseball before, it's easy to learn. And you can get a free one-month subscription to Dynasty League Baseball to get familiar with how the game works (and keep playing after you're hooked).

The 2017 tourney will get underway Thursday, July 13 at 7 p.m. ET.

To sign up:

-- Go to DynastyLeagueBaseball.com.

-- If you're a new user, click on the button for a free 2-day trial.

-- Create your user name and password, then under code USA2 for a free month of access.

-- On the main menu, click on Tournaments and find "USA Today Greatest Teams Tournament."

-- Click to sign up and pick your team.