MLB Picks: PrizePicks Plays and Strategy for Thursday, August 8

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Published on August 8, 2024

There are 10 games on the schedule across baseball Thursday, four of which have early start times. Let's focus on the six evening games and highlight some of the best options to consider on PrizePicks.

Elly De La Cruz, CIN at MIA: More Than 9.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

De La Cruz was finally held in check Wednesday, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a walk. Prior to that, he had eight hits over the first two games of this series. Of those eight hits, two were home runs and four were doubles. He now has a .237 ISO for the season to go along with his .368 wOBA. Oh yeah, and he's stolen a whopping 58 bases already.

Left-handed pitchers have held De La Cruz to a .145 ISO and a .304 wOBA, but he has a .281 ISO and a .398 wOBA versus righties. He will be facing an underwhelming righty in Kyle Tyler, who has a 1.76 WHIP across 27.1 innings with the Marlins. Look for De La Cruz to atone for Wednesday's dud with a much better stat line.

Ketel Marte, ARI vs. PHI: More Than 8.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

Marte has been locked in at the plate, hitting 20-for-56 (.357) with a .415 OBP across his last 15 games. During that span, he has launched 10 home runs, which helped him compile 23 RBI and 14 runs scored. This game being played in Arizona is noteworthy. While he has a good .883 OPS on the road this season, he has an even better .973 OPS at home.

Taking the mound for the Phillies will be lefty Kolby Allard, who has a career 5.33 FIP and 1.43 WHIP. He has also allowed 1.9 HR/9 for his career. Marte has a .354 ISO and a .468 wOBA versus lefties this season, so he comes into this matchup with the potential to put up monster numbers.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., ARI vs. PHI: More Than 6.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

Gurriel is another member of the Diamondbacks who could benefit from Allard being on the mound for the Phillies. While right-handed pitchers have limited him to a .132 ISO and a .276 wOBA, Gurriel has .177 ISO and a .368 wOBA versus southpaws. In a game in which the Diamondbacks could score in bunches, Gurriel has a favorable opportunity to go over his hitter fantasy score.

Kyle Schwarber, PHI at ARI: More Than 7.0 Hitter Fantasy Score

When Schwarber gets hot, he can hit home runs in bunches. He launched three of them Wednesday, giving him a total of five home runs over his last four games. Going back even further, he has hit a total of eight home runs over his last 11 games. Another big plus for him is that he has a .371 wOBA this year, which is on pace to be the second-highest mark of his career.

Starting this game for the Diamondbacks will be Jordan Montgomery, who has been a disaster with his 4.65 FIP and 1.66 WHIP. Schwarber has not had problems with left-handing pitching this season, posting a .231 ISO and a .443 wOBA against them. This number is set way too low. Schwarber could sail past it.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.