3 MLB Batter Props to Back on August 2: Devers, Machado, and Raleigh Home Run and Hit Picks

Sunday’s MLB slate is loaded with series finales, and three of the best power-and-contact profiles in the league are lined up in spots that favor the bat. Rafael Devers gets a look at Michael King in the desert air of Petco Park, Manny Machado tries to keep a hot recent stretch rolling against the Giants, and Cal Raleigh looks to break out of a lineup-wide funk against a Twins staff that’s given up plenty of contact this weekend.

None of these are hunches. Each pick is built on a real trend line — recent form, park factors, or a pitching matchup that skews in the hitter’s favor. Here’s the breakdown, prop by prop.

Rafael Devers Chases Another Long Ball at Petco Park

Devers has been quietly building momentum over the past two weeks, going 12-for-35 with two home runs and eight RBIs over his last 10 games entering Sunday’s series finale against San Diego. He sits at 18 home runs on the season, a number he’s added to steadily since a mid-summer surge, and Sunday’s matchup against Michael King (6-7, 3.38 ERA) presents a real opportunity to keep that total climbing.

King has been solid overall, but he’s a pitch-to-contact righty who’s allowed his share of hard contact to left-handed power bats this season, and Petco Park’s marine layer burns off by the 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch, meaning the ball should carry reasonably well for a Sunday afternoon getaway game. Devers’ exit velocity numbers have stayed near the top of the league even during his early-season slump, and his recent surge suggests the swing is fully synced up again.

Betting Devers Over 0.5 Home Runs is a bet on a hitter trending in the right direction at exactly the right time, against a pitcher who won’t back down from the strike zone.

Manny Machado’s Bat Has Been Waking Up

Machado’s overall season line has been a grind — he’s sitting at a .188 average with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs through 89 games — but the underlying trend the last month tells a different story. Over his last 30 games, Machado is hitting .279 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs, and over his last seven games specifically, he’s a scorching 10-for-25 (.400) with two homers and seven RBIs. That’s a hitter locked in, regardless of what the full-season average says.

San Francisco’s rotation has struggled on the road this season, and with Landen Roupp (7-9, 4.12 ERA) on the mound Sunday, Machado gets a pitcher who’s given up a career-high hit rate in 2026. Machado’s ability to work the count and find hard contact against righties who live in the zone plays right into this matchup. Betting on him to reach base with a hit isn’t a stretch — it’s simply following the form.

Over 0.5 Hits for Machado is about as safe a bet as the board offers Sunday, especially with his recent 15-game surge (.291, five homers) still very much intact.

Cal Raleigh Looks to Break Through Against Minnesota

Raleigh’s season has been a step down from his historic 2025 campaign, when he led all of MLB with 60 home runs. He’s sitting at nine homers in 2026 and dealing with an extended cold stretch — 0 home runs over his last seven games and just two over his last 30 — but Sunday’s matchup against Minnesota offers a real look at positive regression. Raleigh has gone deep against the Twins before, including a home run against Minnesota back in late April, and Friday night’s series opener saw him drive in two runs with a ground-rule double, a sign his barrel-to-ball contact is trending the right way even without the ball clearing the fence yet.

The Twins’ bullpen has been stretched thin after using several relievers in Friday’s comeback win, and Minnesota starters have not been especially stingy against left-handed power this series. Raleigh remains one of the most dangerous switch-hitting power bats in the sport, and touch-and-go stretches like this one have a way of ending with a loud swing. A regression-driven power bounce-back against a taxed pitching staff makes for a live shot here.

Raleigh Over 0.5 Home Runs is a bet on one of the league’s premier sluggers snapping a cold streak against a division rival’s tired arms — check your book for the latest line before locking it in.

Today’s Edge

All three of these picks lean on a hitter trending in a favorable direction against a pitching matchup that plays to their strengths. Here’s the full card for Sunday.

• Rafael Devers Over 0.5 Home Runs (vs. Michael King, Petco Park)
• Manny Machado Over 0.5 Hits (vs. Landen Roupp)
• Cal Raleigh Over 0.5 Home Runs (vs. Minnesota Twins)

Bettors looking to build these into a same-game or cross-game parlay can find current lines on any major sportsbook — the DraftKings promo code is worth checking before kickoff for anyone getting started on today’s slate.