Picks of the day

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

• 4-for-8 (.500) vs. MIN RHP Nick Blackburn
• .485 AVG during 15-game hit streak

Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers

• 8-for-15 (.533) vs. LAA LHP Joe Saunders
• .462 AVG during 19-game hit streak

Top 5 current leaders
(yesterday’s pick)

1. dalmeetz048, 34 games (Jose Reyes)
2. mday1018, 32 games (Dustin Pedroia)
3. slumley, 31 games (Ian Kinsler)
4. eazyeric, 29 games (Hanley Ramirez)
4. hdchannell, 29 games (J.D. Drew)

Season leader: spooky93, 48 games

Yesterday’s results

Beat the Streak leader dalmeetz048 took another step toward the record books on the strength of a 2-for-5 effort from Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. The leader’s 34-game streak is the sixth longest this season.

The second- and third-place contestants rode the scorching bats of Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler. The All-Star second basemen extended their own hit streaks to 15 games and 19 games, respectively, and in the process helped mday1018 and slumley keep pace with the leader.

Meanwhile, eazyeric and hdchannell rounded out the Top 5 by surviving on one-hit efforts from Hanley Ramirez and J.D. Drew.

Fans who made Chase Utley yesterday’s highest-picked player were rewarded when the second baseman went yard off Pedro Martinez in the fourth inning of yesterday’s Phillies-Mets slugfest. Chipper Jones, who leads the Majors with a .384 average and was yesterday’s fourth-most-picked player, was held hitless in three at-bats as Hiroki Kuroda tossed a one-hit gem against the Braves in Los Angeles.

Yesterday’s Top 5 most selected players

1. Chase Utley (PHI): 11.3%, 1-for-3
2. Hanley Ramirez (FLA): 7.4%, 1-for-5
3. Lance Berkman (HOU): 6.0%, 1-for-4
4. Chipper Jones (ATL): 5.8%, 0-for-3
5. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 5.5%, 2-for-4

Fan of the day

Five years ago, Scott Lumley was a fresh-faced rookie competing in his first fantasy baseball league. Today, the seasoned gamer is using his fantasy baseball knowledge to chase down a $1 million cash prize.

Scott, better known as “slumley” to his Beat the Streak presented by Mitchum competitors, entered Tuesday’s action with a 31-game streak, good for third-longest among active players.

A participant of Beat the Streak presented by Mitchum for two years, Scott also has fantasy teams in the MLB.com 2008 Open, Yahoo and ESPN leagues, and a keeper/auction league with his friends. In fact, the Ontario, Canada, resident has become so ensconced in fantasy baseball that he now favors individual players over one specific team.

“I was at one time a rabid Blue Jays fan,” Scott said. “I’ve been playing fantasy baseball so long, I no longer have a favorite team.”

Scott says his favorite hitters are Hanley Ramirez, Ian Kinsler, Alex Rodriguez, Chase Utley and Matt Holliday. And though he’s managed to keep his streak alive using studs like those listed above, one of his most memorable moments came when he called upon a less-heralded hero. 

On June 30, Scott had come up empty in his search for a promising matchup until he stumbled upon the unsung Mike Aviles. Though the 27-year-old shortstop had fewer than 100 at-bats going into the game, Scott noticed that he was raking against left-handers. With southpaw Brian Burres on the hill for the Orioles that day, Scott decided to gamble on his diamond in the rough. The gritty move paid off, as Aviles ended up swatting a pair of singles and scoring the game’s winning run in the top of the 11th.

“It was really satisfying seeing the leaders’ hitters listed — there was Ichiro and Berkman and A-Rod and Jeter, and I was the only guy on the list with Mike Aviles,” Scott said.

Using lesser-known players like Aviles has helped Scott build his streak into the 30s, but the third-place contestant understands the importance of bona-fide stars as well. He says that Kinsler and Holliday have been “money” for him when he’s used them in the right spots, but one superstar he will never use is Albert Pujols. According to Scott, Prince Albert is just too lethal for his own good.

“Pitchers are perfectly happy to walk him,” reasoned Scott, “because they’re absolutely afraid of him.”

Scott’s impressive streak and extensive fantasy background are far from being the only noteworthy elements of his life. The London native describes himself as a “full-time dad” before anything else. His plan, providing he wins the $1 million grand prize, clearly displays his family-first attitude.

“I’d buy my family a home and set up a college fund for my little boy,” Scott said. “He’s only 11 months old, but you can never start that stuff too early.”

Outside of being a family man, Scott is also a contributor to the film Web site boxofficeprophets.com. And though Scott may liken himself to a prophet of the movie industry now, people may soon consider him a prophet of another sort if he continues his run into the BTS record books.

Check out our profile of spooky93, whose season-high streak of 48 games ended with Ichiro Suzuki’s 0-for-3 day on July 4.

Picks of the day

Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers

• .438 AVG during 18-game hit streak
• .373 home AVG in ’08

Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins

• 6-for-11 vs. SD RHP G. Maddux
• .351 AVG during 13-game hit streak

Top 5 current leaders

1. dalmeetz048, 33 (Josh Hamilton)
2. mday1018, 31 (Alex Rodriguez)
3. slumley, 30 (Matt Holliday)
4. eazyeric, 28 (Placido Polanco)
4. hdchannell, 28 (Nick Markakis)

Season leader: spooky93, 48 games

Yesterday’s results

spooky93’s season-high 48-game streak may be over, but the race for 57 is still on. New leader dalmeetz048 extended his streak to 33
games on the strength of a 2-for-4 effort from Texas All-Star Josh Hamilton.
Second-place contestant mday1018 stayed two games behind the leader
thanks to a 2-for-4 night from Yankees All-Star Alex Rodriguez.

eazyeric, whose 28-game streak puts him in a tie for fourth place with
hdchannel, stayed alive with a first-inning double by Placido Polanco.
The early hit proved to be a lifesaver for eazyeric, as Polanco didn’t
manage a hit in his remaining six trips to the dish in the Tigers’ 15-inning affair.

Yesterday’s top 5 most selected players

1. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 10.4%, 1-for-6
2. Lance Berkman (HOU):  7.5%, 0-for-1
3. Albert Pujols (STL): 4.2%, 1-for-4
4. Matt Holliday (COL): 3.6%, 2-for-5
5. Hanley Ramirez (FLA): 3.1%, 2-for-5

Beat the Streak leader spooky93 extended his season-high hit streak to 48 games Thursday night by picking Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, who went 2-for-5 against the Colorado Rockies.

spooky93 enters Friday’s action a mere two games short of setting the all-time Beat the Streak mark and just nine games shy of the $1,000,000 grand prize.

More updates to follow on Friday morning.

Check out this day-by-day comparison to see how spooky93’s streak stacks up to the record-setting one posted by Joe DiMaggio in 1941.

Wednesday’s results

Beat the Streak leader spooky93
continued to ride the bat of Ichiro Suzuki, who went 3-for-3 against
the Blue Jays. The BTS leader has made Ichiro his go-to-guy, picking
the Seattle center fielder more times (11) than any other player.
spooky93 enters Thursday’s action just 10 games shy of the $1,000,000
grand prize.

The
rest of the Top 5 also stayed alive thanks to a 25-run rumble between
the Yankees and the Rangers. Capitalizing on the Bronx Bombers’ 18-run
barrage was dalmeetz048 (Derek Jeter), mday1018 (A-Rod) and tooley.3
(Johnny Damon). slumley rounded out the Top 5 by receiving a 1-for-4
effort from Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler.

For the second
straight day, fans picked A-Rod more than any other player. The slugger
turned in a 2-for-3 effort and drilled his 17th long ball of the year.
Albert Pujols was the fourth-most picked player, but he was held
hitless in five at-bats against Pedro Martinez and the Mets bullpen.

Spooky93’s favorite picks

Player: percentage picked (total times picked)

1. Ichiro Suzuki: 24% (11)
2. Lance Berkman: 19% (9)
3. Chipper Jones: 15% (7)
4. Jimmy Rollins: 9% (4)
5. Michael Young: 4% (2)
5. Carl Crawford: 4% (2)
5. Nick Markakis: 4% (2)
5. Vladimir Guerrero: 4% (2)
5. Hanley Ramirez: 4% (2)
10. Hideki Matsui: 2% (1)
10. Yunel Escobar: 2% (1)
10. Cristian Guzman: 2% (1)
10. Ian Kinsler: 2% (1)
10. Grady Sizemore: 2% (1)
10. Brian Roberts: 2% (1)

Top 5 current leaders

1. spooky93, 47 (I. Suzuki)
2. dalmeetz048, 29 (D. Jeter)
3. mday1018, 27 (A. Rodriguez)
3. tooley.3, 27 (J. Damon)
5. slumley, 26 (I. Kinsler)

Season leader: spooky93, 47 games

Yesterday’s Top 5 most selected players

1. Alex Rodriguez (NYY): 6.7%, 2-for-3
2. Chipper Jones (ATL): 5.7%, 1-for-4
3. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 5.0%, 3-for-3
4. Albert Pujols (STL): 4.4%, 0-for-5
5. Derrek Lee (CHC): 3.9%, 1-for-5

Picks for the holiday weekend

Thursday

Carlos Guillen, 1B, Tigers

• 17-for-32 (.561) vs. SEA RHP C. Silva

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox

• 6-for-13 (.462) vs. NYY LHP A. Pettitte
• .361 AVG vs. LHP in ’08

Friday

Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins

• 16-for-38 (.421) vs. CLE RHP P. Byrd

Saturday

David Wright, 3B, Mets

• 11-for-24 (.458) vs. PHI RHP J. Moyer
• .407 AVG in last 16 G

Sunday

J.J. Hardy, SS, Brewers

• 7-for-13 vs. PIT LHP Z. Duke
• .386 AVG during 14-game hit streak

Beat the Streak leader spooky93 extended his season-high streak to 47 games Wednesday night thanks to Ichiro Suzuki, who collected a single in his first at-bat off Toronto’s Dustin McGowan and finished with a 3-for-3 night in Seattle.

spooky93 enters Thursday’s action a mere three games short of setting the all-time Beat the Streak mark and just 10 games shy of the $1,000,000 grand prize.

More updates to follow on Thursday morning, including the experts’ picks of the day and a recap of Wednesday’s other highlights on the BTS leaderboard.

Picks of the day

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

• 10-for-18 (.556) vs. TB LHP Scott Kazmir
• .538 AVG during 9-game hit streak

Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers

• .421 AVG during 14-game hit streak
• .362 AVG in June

Top 5 current leaders
(yesterday’s pick)

1. spooky93, 46 (I. Suzuki)
2. dalmeetz048, 28 (J. Damon)
3. mday1018, 26 (D. Jeter)
3. tooley.3, 26 (I. Suzuki)
5. slumley, 25 (C. Guzman)   
   
Season leader: spooky93, 46 games

Yesterday’s results

Beat the Streak leader spooky93 extended his season-high streak to 46 games Tuesday thanks to Ichiro Suzuki, who hit a leadoff single en route to a 2-for-4 night against the Blue Jays.

spooky93 — who’s picked Ichiro more times (10) than any other player — enters Wednesday’s action a mere four games shy of setting the all-time Beat the Streak mark and just 11 short of the $1,000,000 grand prize.

Check out how his streak compares to Joe DiMaggio’s record run.

The four other contestants in the Top 5 all kept pace with the leader. tooley.3, who also picked Ichiro, extended his streak to 26 games, while dalmeetz048 and mday1018 stayed alive with Bronx Bombers Johnny Damon (2-for-5) and Derek Jeter (DNP). Fifth-place contestant slumley was rewarded for showing faith in Major League hit leader Cristian Guzman (2-for-5).

Contestants showed enormous faith in slugger Alex Rodriguez by making him yesterday’s most picked player. Rodriguez, who went into the game with a .429 lifetime average against Kevin Millwood, couldn’t manage a hit in four trips to the dish.

Spooky93’s favorite picks

Player: percentage picked (total times picked)

1. Ichiro Suzuki: 22% (10)
2. Lance Berkman: 20% (9)
3. Chipper Jones: 16% (7)
4. Jimmy Rollins: 9% (4)
5. Michael Young: 4% (2)
5. Carl Crawford: 4% (2)
5. Nick Markakis: 4% (2)
5. Vladimir Guerrero: 4% (2)
5. Hanley Ramirez: 4% (2)
10. Hideki Matsui: 2% (1)
10. Yunel Escobar: 2% (1)
10. Cristian Guzman: 2% (1)
10. Ian Kinsler: 2% (1)
10. Grady Sizemore: 2% (1)
10. Brian Roberts: 2% (1)

Yesterday’s Top 5 most selected players

Alex Rodriguez (NYY): 7.0%, 0-for-4
Chipper Jones (ATL): 4.7%, 1-for-3
Lance Berkman (HOU): 4.1%, 0-for-3
Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 4.0%, 2-for-5
Chase Utley (PHI): 3.7%, 2-for-6

Beat the Streak leader spooky93 is closing in on rarefield territory heading into Tuesday night’s action.

With a season-high 45-game streak, he’s just four games shy of tying
the all-time BTS record and only 12 games short of the $1 million grand
prize.

His immediate fate rests on the bat of Ichiro Suzuki, whose Mariners will take on right-hander Jesse Litsch (8-4, 3.82 ERA, .271 BAA) and the Blue Jays at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.

Tune in live at 10:10 ET on MLB.TV to find out if baseball’s single-season hit king can help spooky93 inch another step closer to history.

Picks of the day

Manny Ramirez, OF, Red Sox

• 5-for-8 vs. TB RHP Matt Garza

Dmitri Young, 1B, Nationals

• 8-for-11 vs. FLA LHP Mark Hendrickson
• .317 AVG vs. LHP in ’08

Top 5 current leaders
(yesterday’s pick)

1. spooky93, 45 games (L. Berkman)
2. dalmeetz048, 27 games (I. Kinsler)   
3. mday1018, 26 games (A. Rodriguez)   
4. tooley.3, 25 games (H. Matsui)
5. erika_martins, 24 games (C. Guillen)
6. slumley, 24 games (M. Aviles)

Season leader: spooky93, 45 games

Yesterday’s results

Spooky93 cleared another hurdle in his quest for $1 million when Lance Berkman went yard against Dodgers lefty Eric Stults in his first at-bat. The BTS leader hung on by a thread for the second straight day, as Berkman’s first-inning homer was his only hit in a 1-for-2, two- walk performance. On Sunday, spooky93 picked Michael Young, who squeaked out a 1-for-5 effort to keep the streak alive.

Two contestants extended their streaks to 24 games and made their way into the Top 5 as yesterday’s third-place contestant fell from the leaderboard after picking Derek Jeter (0-for-4 ). Erika_martins rode a 1-for-4 effort by Carlos Guillen, while slumley capitalized on a 2-for-6 day from the surprising Mike Aviles.

Yesterday’s most popular pick, Derrek Lee, thwarted fans with an 0-for-4 effort. Lee, who was picked by 12.9 percent of the contestants, entered the game with five hits in 10 at-bats lifetime against Giants lefty Barry Zito, but couldn’t manage a hit in six trips to the plate.

Spooky93’s favorite picks

Player: percentage picked (total times picked)

1. Ichiro Suzuki: 20% (9)
1. Lance Berkman: 20% (9)
3. Chipper Jones: 16% (7)
4. Jimmy Rollins: 9% (4)
5. Michael Young: 4% (2)
5. Carl Crawford: 4% (2)
5. Nick Markakis: 4% (2)
5. Vladimir Guerrero: 4% (2)
5. Hanley Ramirez: 4% (2)
10. Hideki Matsui: 2% (1)
10. Yunel Escobar: 2% (1)
10. Cristian Guzman: 2% (1)
10. Ian Kinsler: 2% (1)
10. Grady Sizemore: 2% (1)
10. Brian Roberts: 2% (1)

Yesterday’s Top 5 most selected players

1. Derrek Lee (CHC): 12.9%, 0-for-4
2. Alex Rodriguez (NYY): 4.9%, 1-for-3
3. Derek Jeter (NYY): 3.9%, 0-for-4
4. Dustin Pedroia (BOS): 3.4%, 1-for-4
5. Jermaine Dye (CWS): 2.9%, 1-for-4

Picks of the day

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

• 5-for-10 vs. TB RHP J. Shields
• 19-for-32 (.594) during 7-game hit streak

Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers

• .429 AVG during 12-game hit streak
• 5 multi-hit efforts in last 5 G

Top 5 current leaders

1. spooky93, 44 games
2. dalmeetz048, 26 games
2. pacioccoj, 26 games
4. mday1018, 25 games
4. tooley.3, 25 games

Season leader: spooky93, 44 games

Yesterday’s results

The spooky93 run to immortality continues.

The BTS leader tabbed Michael Young, who was coming off a pair of multi-hit games and facing Philadelphia soft-tosser Jamie Moyer. Young didn’t exactly stuff the stat sheet in a 1-for-5 day, but his third-inning double was enough to boost spooky93’s streak to 44 games.

Meanwhile, the rest of the participants in the BTS world sought to extend their own marches toward 57. The two second-place fans went with New York shortstops Derek Jeter and Jose Reyes, receiving 2-for-4 performances that pushed their streaks to 26 games.

Two more fans are up to 25 games thanks to successful days from Hanley Ramirez (2-for-4) and Johnny Damon (1-for-4). However, it was the end of the line for one member of the BTS Top 5, who saw his 24-game snapped with a 0-for-4 day from Alex Rodriguez.

Yesterday’s Top 6 most selected players

1. Derek Jeter (NYY): 7.0%, 2-for-4
2. Derrek Lee (CHC): 4.5%, 0-for-3
3. Chipper Jones (ATL): 3.7%, 0-for-0
4. Magglio Ordonez (DET): 3.5%, 0-for-0
5. Jose Reyes (NYM): 3.1%, 2-for-4
5. Placido Polanco (DET): 3.1%, 0-for-0

Pick of the day

Sunday
Michael Young, SS, Rangers
20-for-54 (.370 AVG) career vs. PHI LHP Jamie Moyer

Top 5 current leaders

1. spooky93, 43 games
2. dalmeetz048, 25 games
2. pacioccoj, 25 games
4. bfitzg01, 24 games
4. eugenethom, 24 games

Season leader: spooky93, 43 games

Yesterday’s results

Spooky93 inched closer to $1 million, thanks to a 1-for-6 day by Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford. Spooky93 is now 14 days away from becoming a millionaire.

Yesterday’s Top 5 most selected players

1. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 5.1%, 0-for-4
2. Derek Jeter (NYY): 4.0%, 0-for-4
3. Derrek Lee (CHC): 3.5%, 5-for-5
4. Adrian Gonzalez (SD): 3.4%, 0-for-4
5. Aramis Ramirez (CHC): 3.0%, 0-for-5