Saturday didn't go quite as planned, resulting in a pedestrian 1-2 showing overall. Kyle Gibson made me eat dirt as he compiled seven strikeouts in a quality seven-inning performance. Rafael Devers also fell just short of his 7.5 hitter fantasy score as he managed to double and score a run resulting in a 7.0 scoring day. Aaron Judge was the lone success as his reign over baseball continued, and he easily provided an RBI. The scaries are now officially out, and a Sunday bounce back is beyond necessary.
Current Overall Record: 52-34-3
Sunday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
How does one not take Paul Skenes for a strikeout total at this point of the season? The rookie is basically the pitcher version of Aaron Judge right now, simply dominating to an extent that quite arguably shouldn't even be possible. Skenes has defied all odds as a 22-year-old and, despite not debuting until May 11, started the All-Star game for the National League and may just end the season in the thick of the CY Young race.
Saturday didn't go quite as planned, resulting in a pedestrian 1-2 showing overall. Kyle Gibson made me eat dirt as he compiled seven strikeouts in a quality seven-inning performance. Rafael Devers also fell just short of his 7.5 hitter fantasy score as he managed to double and score a run resulting in a 7.0 scoring day. Aaron Judge was the lone success as his reign over baseball continued, and he easily provided an RBI. The scaries are now officially out, and a Sunday bounce back is beyond necessary.
Current Overall Record: 52-34-3
Sunday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
How does one not take Paul Skenes for a strikeout total at this point of the season? The rookie is basically the pitcher version of Aaron Judge right now, simply dominating to an extent that quite arguably shouldn't even be possible. Skenes has defied all odds as a 22-year-old and, despite not debuting until May 11, started the All-Star game for the National League and may just end the season in the thick of the CY Young race.
Skenes has already surpassed 100 strikeouts in just 13 starts this year, and he has eclipsed the 7.0 mark a staggering nine times (he has also finished with exactly seven strikeouts twice). The Pirates have not limited their rookie ace to any degree either; he has averaged nearly 100 pitches since joining the big-league squad, and he has lasted less than six complete innings just two times.
Pittsburgh and Skenes will face off against Arizona at home on Sunday, and there is a reason the run line is fairly low at 7.5 (largely due to Skenes' own unprecedented success). He's as good a bet as any to keep his impressive strikeout run going.
Corbin Burnes is having a fantastic debut season for the Orioles, and on Sunday, he will face Cleveland for the first time. On the side of the Guardians, one Austin Hedges will be staring down an extremely tough matchup on the hill, one that should result in a poor day at the plate.
Hedges has not recorded a hit against Burnes in four career at-bats and he has struck out in three of them. In addition, the 31-year-old veteran simply isn't known for his bat to begin with. Hedges is slashing just .157/.206/.225 in 2024, and he only has 14 total hits in 89 at-bats. He has recorded just four total hits dating back to the beginning of July. Assuming the backstop makes it into Sunday's lineup against Baltimore, the under on this line feels like a no-brainer.
Jarren Duran has been another extremely impressive baseball player in the year 2024. Formerly a top prospect, it initially looked like the 27-year-old was going to bust out of the league before his impressive year four bounce back. He has had a career year by all accounts, and is currently humming to the tune of .292/.350/.504 with 13 triples, 13 homers, 53 RBIs, and 24 steals while resting comfortably atop the Red Sox lineup.
Duran will get a special treat on Sunday when he faces off against one of his former teammates, Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers. Duran is the type of player to get up for these matchups, as he puts in full effort every time he steps into the box.
The speedy outfielder has collected at least one hit in all but three games dating back to July 10 (19 games total), and he has had 11 multi-game performances across that time frame. To close out the first August weekend of baseball, Duran is the guy I'll be looking to for continued success.
