July 2010
Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, July 30 – August 1
When playing Beat the Streak we do much more than learn about baseball. We learn about life.
We learn why it’s important to not believe in jinxes. We learn why you
should strike while the iron is hot and take your 15 minutes of obscure
fame when you can.
And we learn never to take Martin Prado on the road, where he is a .286 hitter this year.
Whoops!
I’m just so, so, so, SO sorry this whole streak thing didn’t work out for you, Richard Jucksch. It’s really a shame.
Our date of destiny was already painted in the canvas of my dreams, just
waiting for our Ed McMahon moment — arriving at your doorstop, wearing
a tux, holding your over-sized $3,000,000 check. Hugging you. Hugging
your loved ones. Hugging you while hugging your loved ones.
It’s truly been a pleasure dancing with you, hand-in-hand, during our
blissful 39-day journey. This is no time to regret your mistakes of the
past. Rather, this is a time of excitement as you head off on your new
odyssey.
Just remember that every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
I just made that line up. Just now — on the spot. It just came me.
Like it?
Time for the weekend’s picks
Oh, hello there …
Friday
? Michael Young: .400 AVG (20-for-50) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana
? Derrek Lee: .778 AVG (7-for-9) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jeff Francis
? Carlos Lee: .529 AVG (9-for-17) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Manny Parra
Saturday
? Matt Kemp: .447 AVG (17-for-43) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito
? Alex Rodriguez: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
? Corey Hart: .419 AVG (13-for-31) lifetime vs.Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez
Sunday
? Andre Ethier: .514 AVG (18-for-35) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain
? Robinson Cano: .438 AVG (14-for-32) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields
? Albert Pujols: .421 AVG (16-for-38) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Zach Zuke
Feeling kinda spicy?
Friday
? Jose Lopez: .429 AVG (9-for-21) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott Baker
Saturday
? Mike Napoli: .478 AVG (11-for-23) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Scott Feldman
Sunday
? Yadier Molina: .345 AVG (10-for-29) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Zach Duke
You’ll thank me later …
Friday
? Josh Hamilton: .111 AVG (2-for-18) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana
? James Loney: .174 AVG (4-for-23) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum
Saturday
? Delmon Young: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez
? Mark Teixeira: .077 AVG (1-for-13) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
Sunday
? Nick Swisher: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields
? Adrian Beltre: .240 AVG (6-for-25) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander
Leaderboard time!
After Prado’s Mortal Kombat-style fatality of our leader, Jucksch, our
new pious sage heading into the weekend is “vads15″ and his 29-game
streak.
Hey, 29! That’s the same number Ian Kay reached before he blew his
once-in-a-lifetime chance at fame and a life full of amazingness and
(probably) hummus.
Top MLB streakers
? Nelson Cruz: 17 games
? Justin Upton: 14 games
? Michael Cuddyer: 13 games
? Chris Johnson: 12 games
? Yorvit Torrealba: 12 games
Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, July 29
Joe Mauer’s 2-for-4 afternoon teleported “richard.jucksch” — our
leader — and his streak from 37 games to 38. Jucksch is now six days
away from taking the conch from the immortal Dick George atop our
season-long Beat the Streak Leaderboard.
Perhaps more importantly, Jucksch is still ignoring me and my e-mail,
likely — and understandably — in fear of jinxing his impressive run.
This brings up an interesting internal dilemma:
Given the historical data and precedent, it’s unlikely Jucksch will
actually Beat the Streak. I mean, I don’t mean to be the Debbie Downer
here but I’ve read this story too many times and have seen how this one
turns out. Just ask Ian Kay.
So unless this somehow transforms into one of those mind-blowing “Choose
Your Own Adventure” books I was obsessed with as a 10-year-old,
Jucksch’s 15 minutes of (relative) fame is squarely on the clock.
Which brings us to the dilemma: Should Jucksch accept his likely fate
and decide to play nice in the sandbox with me and respond to my e-mail
while his story is still relatively relevant?
Or, should he go for the gold, keep up his mime impression and laugh at the face of the several jinxes before him?
Only time will tell.
Time for Thursday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Buster Posey: 21-game hitting streak; has never faced Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez
? Nyjer Morgan: .563 AVG (9-for-16) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe
? Raul Ibanez: .350 AVG (7-for-20) lifetime vs. D-backs starter Joe Saunders
? Chipper Jones: .464 AVG (13-for-28) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Scott Olsen
? Cristian Guzman: .571 AVG (8-for-14) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe
? Troy Tulowitzki: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Paul Maholm
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Alberto Gonzalez: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe
You’ll thank me later …
? Troy Glaus: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Scott Olsen
? Chone Figgins: .067 AVG (1-for-15) last five years vs. White Sox starter Freddy Garcia
? Nick Markakis: .222 AVG (2-for-9) lifetime vs. Royals starter Kyle Davies
Leaderboard time!
A full nine games behind Juksch is “Grumps1945″, who is sitting pretty with a 29-game streak.
If 1945 represents the year Grumps was born, that most likely makes him
65-years-old. My dad is right around that age and the thought that he’d
be able to dominate this game at this juncture is borderline
mind-blowing to me. So keep it up Grumps!
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 21 games
? Nelson Cruz: 16 games
? Scott Podsednik: 15 games
? Justin Upton: 13 games
? Michael Cuddyer: 13 games
? Matt Holliday: 13 games
Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, July 28
Ichiro Suzuki entered Tuesday night in a 2-for-16 slump. He’s hitting an uncharacteristically low .221 for July.
Clearly the man is in a funk.
Clearly this did not reasonate with our streakers.
13.6 percent of the streak galaxy selected Ichiro for the day and 13.6
percent of the galaxy now has the same streak as my nanna.
Nanna doesn’t know how to use a computer.
Of course, the big news coming out of Tuesday’s festivities is that
MLB.com’s Ian Kay watched his 29-game streak link arms with Crystal
Clear Pepsi, grape-flavored Gushers and WWF Superstars Ice Cream Bars
and spiral into the abyss.
Kay’s streak is now swimming in the River of Styx after Carlos Gonzalez went 0-for-3 vs. Zach Duke of the Pirates.
Says Kay, “I can’t believe I broke the Golden Rule — always select an elite player”.
Ian, I’m just so, so, so, SO sorry. Considering you weren’t eligible for
the $3,000,000 prize to begin with, you really took the “if a tree
falls in a forest” metaphor to a whole new level.
Time for Wednesday’s picks
Oh, hello there ...
? Michael Cuddyer: 12-game hitting streak; .409 AVG (9-for-22) lifetime vs. Royals starter Brian Bannister
? Robinson Cano: .389 AVG (7-for-18) lifetime vs. Indians starter Fausto Carmona
? Adam Dunn: .409 AVG (9-for-22) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson
? Michael Young: .500 AVG (5-for-10) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Trevor Cahill
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Maicer Izturis: .370 AVG (10-for-27) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett
You’ll thank me later …
? Ian Kinsler: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Trevor Cahill
? Ryan Zimmerman: .143 AVG (4-for-28) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson
? Kevin Youkilis: .200 AVG (3-for-15) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel Pineiro
Leaderboard time!
Kay may have fallen on his streak sword, but our leader –
“richard.jucksch” — is cruising with a 37-gamer after Robinson Cano’s
eighth-inning double.
I legitimately think Jucksch has a chance here. He’s 20 days away from
the big bucks and continues to ignore my e-mail, thus saving himself
from the BTS jinx.
You may have won this round, Jucksch. But I got some tricks up my sleeve.
Let’s dance.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 20 games
? Nelson Cruz: 15 games
? Scott Podsednik: 14 games
? Justin Upton: 13 games
? Michael Cuddyer: 12 games
? Matt Holliday: 12 games
Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, July 27
Let’s just pretend Monday never happened, k?
Here’s the plan:
Create a diversion with our MLB.com fantasy tech team (Hey, guys! Target is having a sale on all Texas Instrument calculators!!),
while I MacGruber around with their computers and flip yesterday’s
results from the system database with the NBA Jam cheatcode for big
head. Sound good?
Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, and after Monday’s
three most popular selections (Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Joey
Votto) each went hitless to zap the streak of an astounding 36.4 percent
of all of Streakland, it’s officially Desperation Tuesday.
Time for Tuesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Derrek Lee: .500 AVG (17-for-34) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brett Myers
? Ichiro Suzuki: .409 AVG (9-for-22) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd
? Billy Butler: .400 AVG (12-for-30) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano
? Brian Roberts: .500 AVG (5-for-10) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero
? Ryan Braun: .500 AVG (5-for-10) lifetime vs. Reds starter Edinson Volquez
? Hanley Ramirez: .400 AVG (6-for-15) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain
? David Ortiz: .350 AVG (7-for-20) lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver
Feeling kinda spicy?
? John Buck: .381 AVG (8-for-21) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood
You’ll thank me later ...
? Ben Zobrist: .083 AVG (1-for-12) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander
? Torii Hunter: .136 AVG (3-for-22) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter John Lackey
? Hunter Pence: .192 AVG (5-for-26) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ted Lilly
Leaderboard time!
“richard.jucksch” escaped the Cano/Jeter/Votto deathtrap by picking Joe
Mauer, who went 5-for-5 last night with a homer and seven RBIs. Way to
get the fans on your side and show off, Jucksch. What next, you gonna
add another consonant to the end of your last name?
Anyway, with Mauer’s hit fiesta, Jucksch is now cruising with a 36-game streak. You’ll be hearing from me today, Richard.
MLB.com’s Ian Kay wrote a great piece
this morning on Florida’s top prospect Logan Morrison, who just got
called up to take Chris Coghlan’s starting spot after a shaving cream
incident gone horribly wrong.
I hate when that happens.
Oh, Kay also rode Derrek Lee to up his streak to 29 games. Rumor has it
that if Kay reaches 30, he’ll be guest blogging tomorrow. And by rumor, I
mean he just told me that.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 19 games
? Nelson Cruz: 14 games
? Scott Podsednik: 13 games
? Justin Upton: 12 games
? Michael Cuddyer: 11 games
? Matt Holliday: 11 games
? Luke Scott: 11 games
Beat the Streak Report: Monday, July 26
Sorry if all your keyboards got a little messy, but it was Gravy Train Sunday all across Streakland!
The day’s six most popular kids in class each got hits, as Robinson Cano
{7.9 percent), Josh Hamilton (7.4), Miguel Cabrera (6.5), Jayson Werth
(5.1), Mark Teixeira (4.4) and Joey Votto (4.0) combined to extend the
streaks of 38.4 percent of the galaxy.
But the lesson of the day is that BTS-ers really, really love Miguel Cabrera.
Or they just:
? Didn’t realize the Tigers were scheduled for a double-header
or
? Knew about the twinbill but were too lazy to go to their iPhone/computer and make the change (guilty!)
Alas, this is reason No. 4,421 that Miggy is my Jumpstart Pick.
Time for Monday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Alex Rodriguez: .375 AVG (9-for-24) lifetime vs. Indians starter Jake Westbrook
? Asdrubal Cabrera: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Yankees starter Javier Vazquez
? Vernon Wells: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Brad Bergesen
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Mark Kotsay: .368 AVG (7-for-19) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez
You’ll thank me later …
? Hanley Ramirez: .077 AVG (1-for-13) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito
? Johnny Damon: .125 AVG (2-for-16) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
? Kevin Youkilis: .200 AVG (3-for-15) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel Pineiro
Leaderboard time!
A new leader of Streakland emerged over the weekend, as
“richard.jucksch” is now king of the castle with a 35-gamer after Joey
Votto’s bountiful day at the plate.
One interesting tidbit is that MLB.com’s own Ian Kay — co-creator of the highly informative and super-daffy “Fantasy Goodness” blog — is now sixth on the leaderboard with a 28-game streak, the longest in company history.
Let’s all hope whoever Kay’s selection is tonight goes hitless — the
disparity between his highest streak and mine (11) is slowly killing me,
plus I’d rather not lose my job to some 22-year-old punk.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 18 games
? Nelson Cruz: 14 games
? Aubrey Huff: 12 games
? Scott Podsednik: 12 games
? Justin Upton: 12 games
Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, July 23-25
And now I eat humble pie.
After boasting my talents and comparing my streak skills to a “hit
dragon”, my streak evaporated faster than a case of Cheesy Gordita
Crunches in a frat house thanks to an 0-fer from Orlando Hudson.
This is what I get for eschewing my own advice, avoiding a blue-chip player and now chewing on a donut.
You see what I just did with “chew” there?
Alright, let’s just get to the weekend’s picks
Oh, hello there …
Friday
? Ian Kinsler: 15-game hitting streak; .429 AVG (9-for-21) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joe Saunders
? Derrek Lee: .429 AVG (24-for-56) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan
? Ryan Howard: .400 AVG (8-for-20) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Aaron Cook
Saturday
? Ryan Zimmerman: .633 AVG (7-for-11) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Manny Parra
? Michael Young: .413 AVG (19-for-46) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana
? Albert Pujols: .353 AVG (6-for-17) career vs. Cubs starter Tom Gorzelanny
Sunday
? Chipper Jones: .464 AVG (13-for-28) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco
? Matt Holliday: .500 AVG (6-for-12) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ryan Dempster
? Jayson Werth: .500 AVG (5-for-10) since ’05 vs. Rockies starter Jeff Francis
Feeling kinda spicy?
Friday
? Coco Crisp: .378 AVG (14-for-37) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle
Saturday
? Mike Napoli: .524 AVG (11-for-21) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Scott Feldman
Sunday
? Skip Schumaker: .400 AVG (14-for-35) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ryan Dempster
You’ll thank me later …
Friday
? Shane Victorino: .063 AVG (1-for-16) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Aaron Cook
? Ichiro Suzuki: .111 AVG (2-for-18) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett
Saturday
? Josh Hamilton: .133 AVG (2-for-15) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana
? Nick Markakis: .200 AVG (3-for-15) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott Baker
Sunday
? Chris Young: .074 AVG (2-for-27) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum
? Adam Dunn: .167 AVG (3-for-18) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush
Leaderboard time!
Our leader, “cwlarson”, joined the masses in selecting Mark Teixeira to
extend his streak, along with 10.1 percent of the BTS Nation with him.
“cwlarson” is now riding a 34-game streak, and if he/she survives the
weekend, I’ll e-mail a questionnaire so I can feature “cwlarson” in the
BTS Report and watch the streak evaporate into the abyss so we can learn more about our leader. \
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 16 games
? Ian Kinsler: 15 games
? Nelson Cruz: 11 games
? Aubrey Huff: 9 games
? Paul Konerko: 9 games
? Scott Podsednik: 9 games
? Justin Upton: 9 games
Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, July 22
The bad news is that Wednesday was another tough day in Streakland, with Ichiro Suzuki, Omar Infante, Josh Hamilton and Vlad Guerrero eating donuts for dinner and destroying the hopes and dreams of about 15 percent of our nation-wide audience combined.
The medium news is that Carl Crawford put up an 0-for-0, pressing the pause button 7.5 percent of all streaks — that’s a lot of pausing — an incredible amount of pausation.
The great news is that Derrek Lee went 2-for-5 to extend my streak to a season-high 10 games. Did someone say I’m gaining some street cred around here? Have I possibly started to figure this whole thing out? Am I contemplating quitting my job so that I’ll be eligible for the $3,000,000 grand prize?
These are all good questions to ponder as we look at Thursday’s picks.
Time for Thursday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Mark Teixeira: .636 AVG (7-for-11) lifetime vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen
? Adrian Gonzalez: .500 AVG (7-for-14) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson
? David Wright: .556 AVG (5-for-9) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda
? Orlando Hudson: .636 AVG (7-for-11) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood
? Ichiro Suzuki: .346 AVG (18-for-52) since ’05 vs. Red Sox starter John Lackey
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Nick Punto: .458 AVG (11-for-24) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood.
You had me at Millwood until I did some recon and saw that Punto is hitting .192 over his last 10.
You’ll thank me later …
? Nelson Cruz: .208 AVG (5-for-24) lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver
? Albert Pujols: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels
? Ryan Howard: .182 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright
Leaderboard time!
“cwlarson” kept his gravy train flowing, riding Robinson Cano’s coattails to reach a 33-game streak. And he better keep it up if he wants to avoid the fire breathing out of this hit dragon.
Yeah, I was referring to myself as a mythical creature there. This has to stop.
Side note: The thought of a dragon holding a baseball bat is funnier than I initially imagined.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster Posey: 15 games
? Ian Kinsler: 14 games
? Adam Lind: 14 games
? Nelson Cruz: 10 games
? Orlando Hudson: 10 games
Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, July 21
It isn’t often when I put on my sagacious sweater vest and dole out
some advice. But you know what? I’m riding a nine-game streak right and
feeling cocky, so why not?
Two of Tuesday’s most popular selections — Mark Teixeira and Derek
Jeter — went a combined 0-for-5 to give a proverbial wedgie to 12.9
percent of streakers in the galaxy.
The opposing starter Tex and Jeter were facing last night was the
seemingly innocuous Sean O’Sullivan, a 22-year-old right-hander who was
making his first start of the ’10 campaign in place of the Artist
Formerly Known as Scott Kazmir.
Why such a high percentage of streakers would take a swim in the
O’Sullivan pool is insane to me. Yes, I recognize that Sully has a
lifetime 5.15 ERA. But more importantly, I also recognize that these two
Yankees teammates had never, ever in the history of the whole wide
world stepped in batter’s box to face Sully.
Not to get too Robin Williams from “Good Will Hunting” on you but, Tex
and Jete might have known that Sully throws a curveball, but they
definitively had never seen his curveball spin in the flesh. They likely
knew that he throws a 77 miles-per-hour changeup, but they definitively
have never seen how he disguises it. And they may have flipped through a
picture book of Michaelangelo laying around Jorge Posada’s coffee
table, but I’ll bet they can’t tell me what it smells like in the
Sistine Chapel.
What I’m getting at is that it’s rarely a bad move to veer away from
batters facing pitcher’s whom they’ve never faced before. You just never
know how certain hitters see certain pitchers.
This game allows you to select any Major League player your angelic
hearts desire — there’s no need to put your fork in the mystery meat
when a filet is sitting their for the taking.
Time for Wednesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Derrek Lee:
.469 AVG (15-for-32) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brett Myers
? Robinson
Cano: .615 AVG (8-for-13) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel
Pineiro
? Matt Kemp:
.457 AVG (16-for-35) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito
? Ichiro
Suzuki: .474 AVG (9-for-19) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin
Floyd
? Adam Jones:.474
AVG (9-for-19) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields
? Ryan Braun:
.429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Zach Duke
? Omar
Infante: .425 AVG (17-for-40) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon
Garland
? Hanley
Ramirez: .833 AVG (5-for-6) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jason
Hammel
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Ronny
Cedeno: .533 AVG (8-for-15) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Randy
Wolf
? Mark
Kotsay: .438 AVG (7-for-16) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix
Hernandez
You’ll thank me later …
? James
Loney: .050 AVG (1-for-20) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry
Zito
? Delmon
Young: .133 AVG (2-for-15) lifetime vs. Indians starter Jake
Westbrook
? Albert
Pujols: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Joe
Blanton
Leaderboard time!
Joe Mauer’s 1-for-5 evening upped “cwlarson”‘s streak to a robust 32
games. That sounds incredible until you realize that 13 other streakers
have reached the 32-game plateu and fell flat on their faces.
Too grim?
Top MLB streakers
? Buster
Posey: 14 games
? Ian
Kinsler: 13 games
? Adam Lind:
13 games
? Placido
Polanco: 12 games
? Nelson
Cruz: 9 games
? Orlando
Hudson: 9 games
Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, July 20
It was Gravy Train Monday in Streakland, as the day’s top four picks
– Miguel Cabrera, Joe Mauer, Carl Crawford and Ichiro Suzuki — each
hit safely to up the streaks of 42.9 percent of all streakers nationwide
combined.
Ryan Braun was the night’s biggest Negative Nelly, as his 0-for-4 vs.
Jeff Karstens and the Pirates bullpen erased 6.5 percent of all streaks
– including our leader, “ftwaynealbert”, and his 34-gamer.
With a full slate of games scheduled for Tuesday, all the top dogs are
ripe for the taking. But as things peculiarly stand, there aren’t as
many top tasty options as one would imagine.
Time for Tuesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Adam Jones:
.333 AVG (6-for-18) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
? Jason
Giambi:.533 AVG (8-for-15) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Nate
Robertson
? Jose Lopez:
.421 AVG (8-for-19) lifetime vs. White Sox starter John Danks
? Jack Cust:
.455 AVG (10-for-22) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield
? Corey
Patterson: .625 AVG (5-for-8) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt
Garza
? Michael
Cuddyer: .385 AVG (5-for-13) lifetime vs. Indians starter Justin
Masterson
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Marco
Scutaro: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Athletics starter
Dallas Braden
? Jeff
Keppinger: .458 AVG (11-for-24) lifetime vs. Ryan Dempster
You’ll thank me later …
? Nick
Markakis: .143 AVG (4-for-28) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt
Garza
? Lance
Berkman: .167 AVG (5-for-30) since ’05 vs. Cubs starter Ryan
Dempster
? James
Loney: .200 AVG (4-for-20) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim
Lincecum
? Carlos
Gonzalez: .111 AVG (1-for-9) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Nate
Robertson
Leaderboard time!
With “ftwaynealbert” fallen on the sword, or new leader is “cwlarson”,
who is riding a 31-game streak after Miguel Cabrera’s fruitful night.
“cwlarson” is officially 54.4 percent on the way to the big bucks and
living a life of bathtubs overflowing with Whole Foods guacamole.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster
Posey: 13 games
? Ian
Kinsler: 12 games
? Adam Lind:
12 games
? Placido
Polanco: 11 games
? Johnny
Damon: 10 games
Beat the Streak Report: Monday, July 19
Rough day in Streakland yesterday, as Miguel Cabrera (9.8 percent),
Ichiro Suzuki (6.4 percent) and Albert Pujols (2.1 percent) combined to
vaporize 18.3 percent of all streaks in the universe.
And now, a little public service announcement from yours truly.
Often times when one of you lovely streakers reach a 35-game streak, I
will e-mail you with a little questionnaire filled with questions about
yourself, your streak, your hometown, etc. so that all of Streakland can
learn little chewy morsels about our leader.
Our leader entering Friday was “respy”, aka Ryan Espy, who had a 32-game
streak. Ryan took the initiative and decided to e-mail me and provide
some great details about his life as a grad student at Purdue and a nice
little tale about how his wife begrudgingly let him make his Beat the
Streak picks while on their honeymoon.
It really was a heartfelt tearjerker, one that surely would have fogged
the screens of many Streakers nationwide — except for the part that
Espy only had a 32-game streak and e-mailed me instead of vice versa.
With Espy’s count-my-eggs-before-they-hatch fate now squarely in the
hands of the BTS magical forces, his questionable pick for the day was
Ryan Theriot, who is hitting .246 for July. Furthermore, Espy basically
conceded that his pick was less-than-stellar on the Beat the Streak blog
on Friday, stating that he picked Theriot because he was “anxious at
work and I want[ed] to watch my player get a hit.”
Do you see where this thing is going? Do I need to even say that Theriot
proceeded to go 0-for-4 vs. the Phillies, eliminating Espy and likely
his chances at $3,000,000.
Now, I know with “Inception” dominating the box office this weekend that
we currently live in a society that touts things that sound cool but
really don’t make sense. But I’m afraid Espy might have taken this a
little too far.
Also, did I mention that you all should check out my (and Ian Kay’s) new blog, “The Fantasy Goodness“? It’s really good. Ya know, if you like baseball.
Time for Monday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Derrek Lee
: .438 AVG (14-for-32) lifetime vs. Astros starter Wandy
Rodriguez
? Ryan Braun:
.462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Jeff Karstens
? Denard
Span: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Indians starter Aaron
Laffey
? Joe Mauer:
.471 AVG (8-for-17) lifetime vs. Indians starter Aaron Laffey
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Travis
Hafner: .382 AVG (13-for-34) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott
Baker
You’ll thank me later ...
? Corey Hart:
.125 AVG (2-for-16) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Jeff Karstens
? Alfonso
Soriano: .050 AVG (1-for-20) lifetime vs. Astros starter Wandy
Rodriguez
? Vladimir
Guerrero: .208 AVG (5-for-24) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Jeremy
Bonderman
Leaderboard time!
“ftwaynealbert” is the current BTS King of the Castle, rocking a stellar
34-game streak. Should “ftwaynealbert” select a player who gets a hit
tonight, he’ll receive an email from me tomorrow. And that’s how it
works.
Top MLB streakers
? Buster
Posey: 12 games
? Ian
Kinsler: 11 games
? Adam Lind:
11 games
? Placido
Polanco: 10 games
? Johnny
Damon: 9 games
? Corey Hart:
9 games
mlblogsbeatthestreak1
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