Beat the Streak Report: Monday, September 20

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 It turns out that 50,000,000 Elvis fans can be wrong, so the Beat the
Streak $3,000,000 grand prize money will safely stay in the BTS piggy
bank for another year.

I’m sorry, my fellow BTSers, but our final hope — “mattgolbeck” — saw
his dreams fade away, as his 39-game streak melted on Ichiro’s 0-fer
Sunday afternoon.

The bad news is that our new leader, “srinivasan.sr”, “only” has a
37-game streak and doesn’t have enough time left on the calendar to take
home the grand prize.

The good news is that is he/she is just six games away from tying Dick George and Geoff Croke atop our leaderboard.

Yeah, there’s still $10,000 on the line here, folks.

Time for Monday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Omar Infante: .385 AVG (10-for-26) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels

? Brian Roberts: .444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Daisuke Marsuzaka

? Alex Rodriguez: .450 AVG (9-for-20) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Gerald Laird: .353 AVG (6-for-17) lifetime vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke

You’ll thank me later…

? Alex Rios: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez

? Ryan Braun: .214 AVG (3-for-14) lifetime vs. Reds starter Homer Bailey

Top MLB streakers

? Michael Brantley: 19 games

? Nelson Cruz: 11 games

? Matt Holliday: 11 games

? Adrian Beltre: 9 games

? Joey Votto: 9 games 

Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, Sept. 17-19

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Get out that limbo stick because it looks like “mattgoldbeck” wants to dance.

Our streak leader and only remaining hope is now rocking a 37-game streak after Paul Konerko’s big night at the yard.

All Goldbeck needs to do is string together a 20 game streak and pray
for a three-way tie atop the NL West and $3,000,000 will be his.

That doesn’t sound too improbable or anything.

Speaking of Paul Konerko, Pauly Walnuts’ golden bat went yard Thursday
night to extend our Home Run Beat the Streak Leader, “stealth47”, to an
eight-game streak.

If “stealth47” can successfully predict a homer for tonight, we’ll have a two-way tie atop the overall HR BTS leaderboard.

Yes, things are getting saucy here in Streakland.

Time for the weekend’s picks

Friday

? Chase Utley: .480 AVG (12-for-25) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Jason Marquis

? Robinson Cano: .440 AVG (11-for-25) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood

? Adrian Gonzalez: .389 AVG (7-for-18) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse

Saturday

? Ryan Zimmerman: .500 AVG (8-for-16) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick

? Joe Mauer: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Dallas Braden

? Carlos Beltran: .373 AVG (25-for-67) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson

Sunday

? Shin-Soo Choo: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Royals starter Luke Hochevar

? Ichiro Suzuki: .400 AVG (8-for-20) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Tommy Hunter

? Adrian Beltre: .391 AVG (9-for-23) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

? Jack Cust: .533 AVG (8-for-15) lifetime vs. Twins starter Nick Blackburn

Saturday

? Jose Lopez: .360 AVG (9-for-25) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Cliff Lee

Sunday

? Mark Reynolds: .615 AVG (8-for-13) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Zach Duke


You’ll thank me later …

Friday

? David Wright: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tommy Hanson

? Omar Infante: .154 AVG (2-for-13) lifetime vs. Mets starter Jon Niese

Saturday

? Paul Konerko: .118 AVG (4-for-34) since lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander

? Billy Butler: .083 AVG (1-for-12) lifetime vs. Indians starter Justin Masterson

Sunday

? Brandon Phillips: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brett Myers

? Troy Tulowitzki: .192 AVG (5-for-26) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw

Top MLB streakers

? Michael Brantley: 16 games

? David Murphy: 13 games

? Nick Markakis: 11 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 10 games

? Ryan Spilborghs: 10 games 

Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, September 16

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Oh, hey there.

Yeah, it’s me — Dave.

Sorry, I know it’s been awkward lately, posting without analysis, reading your comments with no comments back.

I’ve been selfish, I know. But we can move past this. We are stronger than this.

This is what Beat the Streak is all about.

Because if you thought it was still impossible for someone to take home
the $3,000,000 grand prize, you’ve been sorely mistaken (sort of).

You see, our leader, “mattgolbeck”, currently has a 36-game streak after Joe Mauer’s fun night at the park.

As things currently stand, the regular season would end on October 3,
which means Golbeck would end the season with (at best) a 54-game
streak.

However, given the state of the NL West, NL East and Wild Card, where
the Padres, Giants, Rockies, Phillies and Braves are all within 2.5
games of each other, there’s a chance of an end-of-season tiebreaker
game.

Like, three of them.

So with that in mind, we’ll be pumping out the blog as per norm until Golbeck is officially eliminated. Or not.

And as if that wasn’t enough of an incentive, “stealth47” is rocking a seven-game homer streak in Home Run Beat the Streak.

We’re back, baby!

Time for Thursday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Matt Kemp: .391 AVG (9-for-23) lifetime vs. Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez

? Paul Konerko: .370 AVG (10-for-27) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano

? Juan Pierre: .455 AVG (5-for-14) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Adam LaRoche: .500 AVG (4-for-8) lifetime vs. Reds starter Edinson Volquez

You’ll thank me later…

? Andre Ethier: .167 AVG (4-for-24) lifetime vs. Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez

? Rafael Furcal: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez

Top MLB streakers

? Michael Brantley: 15 games

? David Murphy: 13 games

? Nick Markakis: 11 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 10 games

? Ryan Spilborghs: 10 games 

Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, September 15

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Oh, hello there …

? Andre Ethier: ..500 AVG (19-for-38) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain

? Chris Johnson: .778 AVG (7-for-9) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush

? Shin-Soo Choo: .474 AVG (9-for-19)lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver

? Denard Span: .500 AVG (12-for-24) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Orlando Cabrera: .500 AVG (9-for-18) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Joe Saunders

You’ll thank me later…

? Ian Kinsler: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Armando Galarraga

? Chase Utley: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Jorge Sosa

? Mark Teixeira: .143 AVG (4-for-28) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields

Top MLB streakers

? Michael Brantley: 14 games

? David Murphy: 12 games

? Nick Markakis: 10 games

Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, September 14

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Oh, hello there …

? Martin Prado: .563 AVG (9-for-16) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

? Carlos Gonzalez: .600 AVG (9-for-15)lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

? Alexei Ramirez: .471 AVG (8-for-17) lifetime vs. Twins starter Francisco Liriano

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Michael Cuddyer: .467 AVG (21-for-45) lifetime vs. White Sox starter John Danks

You’ll thank me later…

? Andre Ethier: .185 AVG (5-for-27) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito

? Adrian Gonzalez: .182 AVG (3-for-22) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jason Hammel

? Vladimir Guerrero: .192 AVG (5-for-26) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman

Top MLB streakers

? Michael Brantley: 13 games

? Mark Ellis: 13 games

? David Murphy: 11 games

? Nick Markakis: 9 games

Beat the Streak Report: Monday, September 13

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Oh, hello there …

? Shane Victorino: .500 AVG (10-for-20) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Andrew Miller

? Evan Longoria: .357 AVG (5-for-14)lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia

? Nyjer Morgan: .545 AVG (12-for-22) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Ben Zobrist: .350 AVG (7-for-20) lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia

You’ll thank me later…

? Jayson Werth: .000 AVG (0-for-9) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Andrew Miller

? Mark Teixeira: .154 AVG (2-for-13) lifetime vs. Rays starter David Price

? Ryan Braun: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brett Myers

Top MLB streakers

? Neil Walker: 18 games 

? Michael Brantley: 13 games

? Ichiro Suzuki: 13 games

? Mark Ellis: 13 games

Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, September 10-12

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It’s a sad day across Streak-land, as our fearless leader, “bretzky26”, saw his/her run come to an end at 37 games after Juan Pierre’s 0-for-4 effort vs. the Tigers yesterday.

It was a formidable run for “bretzky26”, who started to make us all believe that the elusive dream could indeed become a reality.

We enjoyed the ride, “bretzky26”. There’s always next year. 

Onto the weekend picks…

Oh, hello there …

Friday

? Billy Butler: .314 AVG (14-for-41) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle

? Manny Ramirez: .417 AVG (5-for-12) lifetime vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen

? Hanley Ramirez: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Nationals starter John Lannan

Saturday

? Ichiro Suzuki: .356 AVG (21-for-59) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana

? Bobby Abreu: .333 AVG (11-for-33) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez

? Aaron Hill: .571 AVG (4-for-7) lifetime vs. Rays starter Wade Davis

Sunday

? Orlando Cabrera: .538 AVG (7-for-13) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Brian Burres

? Erick Aybar: .357 AVG (5-for-14) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Jason Vargas

? Albert Pujols: .421 AVG (8-for-19) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

? Jose Reyes: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Halladay

Saturday

? Ryan Theriot: .370 AVG (10-for-27) lifetime vs. Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez

Sunday

? Carlos Beltran: .400 AVG (8-for-20) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Oswalt

You’ll thank me later…

Friday

? Alex Rodriguez: .000 AVG (0-for-12) lifetime vs. Rangers starter C.J. Wilson

? B.J. Upton: .133 AVG (2-for-15) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil

Saturday

? Nelson Cruz: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Yankees starter A.J. Burnett

? Placido Polanco: .125 AVG (1-for-8) lifetime vs. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey

Sunday

? Shin-Soo Choo: .190 AVG (4-for-21) lifetime vs. Twins starter Kevin Slowey

? Jose Bautista: .083 AVG (1-for-12) lifetime vs. Rays starter Jeff Niemann

Leaderboard time!

With “bretzky26” falling from grace, our new leader is “astoclubgoer”, who parlayed Troy Tulowitzki’s hot lumber into a 33-game streak.

Both “bhovekamp”
and “shinn_8” pushed their streaks to 31 games apiece thanks to Paul Konerko (1-for-4) and Hunter Pence (1-for-3).

Top MLB streakers

? Neil Walker: 15 games

? Michael Brantley: 10 games

? Hunter Pence: 10 games

? Ichiro Suzuki: 10 games

Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, September 9

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What’s good streakers? I’m Matt Chaprales and I’ll be handling the blog for a few days while Dave enjoys some much-needed time off.

It takes some spine to approach the territory our leader “bretzky26” is toeing these days, and once again he/she made a bold pick on Wednesday by selecting Orlando Cabrera.

However, O-Cab was given the day off.

That means “bretzky26” remains alone at the top with a 37-gamer.

Time for Thursday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Carlos Quentin: .417 AVG (5-for-12) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Rick Porcello

? Johnny Damon: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd

? Pablo Sandoval: .667 AVG (6-for-9) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Omar Infante: .556 AVG (5-for-9) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright

You’ll thank me later…

? Miguel Tejada: .125 AVG (1-for-8) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain

? Edgar Renteria: .158 AVG (3-for-19) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

? Albert Pujols: .200 AVG (2-for-10) lifetime vs. Braves starter Jair Jurrjens

Leaderboard time!

While “bretzky26” was essentially idle on Wednesday, second-place streaker “astoclubgoer” succesfully rode Martin Prado — who collected two hits vs. the Pirates — to a 32-gamer.

Both “bhovekamp” and “shinn_8” extended their streaks to 30 games apiece by selecting Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki, respectively.

Top MLB streakers

? Carlos Gonzalez: 16 games

? Neil Walker: 15 games

? Adrian Gonzalez: 11 games

? Michael Brantley: 10 games

? Ichiro Suzuki: 10 games

Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, September 8

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Well, isn’t “bretzky26” making things interesting?

Our fearless leader upped his/her streak to a robust 37 games after successfully choosing Mark Teixeira for Tuesday’s slate.

“bretzky26” is now just a 20-game streak away from taking home the big bucks.

Let’s see how this one all shakes out.

Time for Wednesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Stephen Drew: .345 AVG (10-for-29) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito

? Evan Longoria: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield

? David Wright: .375 AVG (12-for-32) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Jason Kubel: .304 AVG (7-for-23) lifetime vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke

You’ll thank me later…

? Billy Butler: .000 AVG (0-for-7) lifetime vs. Twins starter Brian Duensing

? Mark Teixeira: .000 AVG (0-for-4) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Brad Bergesen

? Nyjer Morgan: .000 AVG (0-for-7) lifetime vs. Mets starter R.A. Dickey

Leaderboard time!

Unfortunately, “pops50” saw his/her streak go down in flames after Hanley Ramirer went hitless. We’ll miss you, pops.

That means that “astoclubgoer” is in second place in the standings with a 31-gamer.

On that note, he is also the only streaker outside of “bretzky26” who
still has enough time on the calendar to put together a 57-game streak.

Top MLB streakers

? Carlos Gonzalez: 15 games

? A.J. Pierzynski: 14 games

? Neil Walker: 14 games

? Michael Cuddyer: 12 games

? Adrian Gonzalez: 10 games 

Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, September 7

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It looks like someone wants to play ball, after all.

BTS leader “bretzky36” survived the long weekend and now sports a 36-game after Ryan Zimmerman’s fruitful Monday at the yard.

With less than a month left in the season, “bretzky36″‘s 36-gamer should
add some much-needed BTS energy after we admittedly fell into a rut
once Geoff Croke’s 43-gamer hit the hay.

So splash some water in your eyes, put on a crisp new shirt and let’s get this party started. “bretzky36”, we’re here for you.

Time for Tuesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Ryan Howard: .450 AVG (9-for-20) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad

? Miguel Cabrera: .421 AVG (8-for-19)lifetime vs. White Sox starter Freddy Garcia

? Ryan Braun: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Chone Figgins: .421 AVG (8-for-19) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Dallas Braden

You’ll thank me later…

? Jayson Werth: .059 AVG (1-for-17) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad

? Adrian Gonzalez: .136 AVG (3-for-22) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw

? Billy Butler: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Twins starter Francisco Liriano

Leaderboard time!

“pops50” is also making things interesting, as our second-place streaker
is right on “bretzky36″‘s heels with a 33-gamer of his own after
successfully picking Ichiro for Monday.

Yes we can!

Top MLB streakers

? Carlos Gonzalez: 14 games

? Hanley Ramirez: 14 games

? A.J. Pierzynski: 13 games

? Neil Walker: 13 games

? Michael Cuddyer: 11 games

? Adrian Beltre: 10 games