It looks like “breztky26” wants to dance.

Our fearless leader upped his streak to a stellar 32 games with a bold
Jhonny Peralta selection, and heads into the holiday weekend ready to
make some noise.

And here’s the obligatory holiday weekend reminder:

It’s a holiday weekend! Make sure to have all your picks through Monday selected ahead of time so you don’t forget.

Glad I’m here.

Oh, hello there …

Friday

? Matt Kemp: .425 AVG (17-for-40) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito

? Jorge Posada: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow

? Paul Konerko: 13-game hitting streak.

Saturday

? Carlos Gonzalez: .615 AVG (8-for-13) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

? Andre Ethier: .514 AVG (18-for-35) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain

? Johnny Damon: .500 AVG (11-for-22) lifetime vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen

Sunday

? Joey Votto: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter

? Albert Pujols: .364 AVG (4-for-11) lifetime vs. Reds starter Homer Bailey

? David Ortiz: .354 AVG (17-for-48) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle

Monday

? Hanley Ramirez: .400 AVG (10-for-25) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Oswalt

? Chase Utley: .391 AVG (9-for-23) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez

? Ichiro Suzuki: .368 AVG (7-for-19) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Brett Anderson

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

? Yuniesky Betancourt: .458 AVG (11-for-24) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman

Saturday

? Luke Scott: .379 AVG (11-for-29) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields

Sunday

? Jhonny Peralta: .571 AVG (8-for-14) lifetime vs. Royals starter Kyle Davies

Monday

? Jeff Keppinger: .462 AVG (12-for-26) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ryan Dempster

You’ll thank me later …

Friday

? Nick Markakis: .129 AVG (4-for-31) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza

? Victor Martinez: .188 AVG (3-for-16) lifetime vs. White Sox starter John Danks

Saturday

? Martin Prado: .190 AVG (4-for-21) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Josh Johnson

? Evan Longoria: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie

Sunday

? Joe Mauer: .059 AVG (1-for-17) lifetime vs. Rangers starter C.J. Wilson

? Jayson Werth: .083 AVG (1-for-12) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Randy Wolf

Monday

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

? Adrian Beltre: .231 AVG (3-for-13) lifetime vs. Rays starter Jeff Niemann

Leaderboard time!

“pops50”, welcome to the BTS Report. Our second-place streaker is
rocking a 30-gamer after Joe Mauer’s fruitful night at the yard.

Top MLB streakers

? Paul Konerko: 13 games

? Michael Bourn: 11 games

? Nick Markakis: 11 games

? Carlos Gonzalez: 10 games

? Jhonny Peralta: 10 games

? A.J. Pierzynski: 10 games

? Will Rhymes: 10 games 

Does anyone actually want to win this thing?

One day after flirting with him and putting on the Feldman full-court
press, “jpells10” rewards me by selecting Albert Pujols who proceeds to
0-fer and zaps a 31-game streak.

The conch now belongs to “bretzky26”. Do with it as you may.

Time for Thursday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Brian Roberts: .467 AVG (7-for-15)lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka

? Matt Diaz: .533 AVG (16-for-30) lifetime vs. Mets starter Johan Santana

? Joe Mauer: .357 AVG (15-for-42) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Jason Kubel: .387 AVG (12-for-31) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander

You’ll thank me later …

? Nick Markakis: .133 AVG (2-for-15) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka

? Martin Prado: .167 AVG (3-for-18) lifetime vs. Mets starter Johan Santana

? David Wright: .204 AVG (10-for-49) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson

Leaderboard time!

I don’t even know what to do here anymore.

Top MLB streakers

? Paul Konerko: 13 games

? Michael Bourn: 11 games

? Nick Markakis: 10 games

? A.J. Pierzynski: 10 games

Six players tied with nine-game streaks.                              

Another day, another hit for “jpells10”, as Joe Mauers’ base knock extended our leader’s streak to 31 games.

“jpells10” is slowly creeping to that make-or-break 35-game threshold
where I start taking him/her seriously and start with the e-mails.

Time for Wednesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Ryan Zimmerman: .611 AVG (11-for-18) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad

? Brian McCann: .486 AVG (18-for-37) lifetime vs. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey

? Martin Prado: .438 AVG (7-for-16) Mets starter Mike Pelfrey

? Pablo Sandoval: .357 AVG (10-for-28) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Geoff Blum: .536 AVG (15-for-28) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan

? Travis Hafner: .484 AVG (15-for-31) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Freddy Garcia

You’ll thank me later …

? Carlos Gonzalez: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum

? Ryan Braun: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Reds starter Johnny Cuetto

? David Wright: .000 AVG (0-for-7) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tommy Hanson

Leaderboard time!

Ryan Braun’s fruitful night at the yard lifted “bretzky26” to 30 games,
as our second-place stalwart is right on our leader’s toes.

Top MLB streakers

? Miguel Cabrera: 13 games

? Paul Konerko: 12 games

? Michael Bourn: 10 games

? A.J. Pierzynski: 10 games

? Troy Tulowitzki: 10 games

? Joey Votto: 10 games 

 

The pause button was pressed on “jpells10″‘s 30-game streak, as his selection, Troy Tulowitzki, was a late scratch.

Yes, Tulo was one of my Picks of the Day. Glad I could help.

Anyway, the BTS countdown is now officially at 34, meaning all those
with 23-game streaks or better are still alive in this crazy little game
called love.

Time for Tuesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Joe Mauer: .450 AVG (9-for-20) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Armando Galarraga

? Luke Scott: .444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett

? Shin-Soo Choo: .438 AVG (7-for-16) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Edwin Jackson

? Brandon Phillips: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo

? Scott Rolen: .750 AVG (6-for-8) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo

? Andre Ethier: .500 AVG (5-for-10) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Adam Lind: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Rays starter Jeff Niemann

You’ll thank me later …

? Demon Young: .105 AVG (2-for-19) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Armando Galarraga

? Hunter Pence: .133 AVG (2-for-15) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter

? Carl Crawford: .182 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero

Leaderboard time!

“bretzky26” is pulling a New Kids on the Block and hanging tough with a 29-game streak after Marlon Byrd hit safely.

Yeah, we’ve reached the point in the season where I’m going NKOTB on you. That’s just the way it works sometimes.

Top MLB streakers

? Miguel Cabrera: 12 games

? Paul Konerko: 11 games

? Ryan Theriot: 11 games

? Ryan Raburn: 10 games

? Troy Tulowitzki: 10 games 

Leader “sunhudson” asked for immediate Beat the Streak satiation
yesterday and his/her impatience was rewarded, as Jayson Werth singled
in the Phillies’ early afternoon loss to the Astros.

Werth’s base knock extended “sunhudson”‘s streak to a stellar 33-game
mark heading into the weekend. You know the deal, “sunhudson”, survive
the weekend and you’ll be featured in Monday’s BTS Report. And if that’s
not motivation, I don’t know what is.

Enough with the **** chat, let’s get to the weekend’s picks.

Oh, hello there …

Friday

? Adrian Gonzalez: .353 AVG (6-for-17) last 5 seasons vs. Phillies starter Roy Oswalt

? Justin Upton: .346 AVG (9-for-26) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum

? Matt Kemp: .375 AVG (9-for-24) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez

Saturday

? Torii Hunter: .417 AVG (15-for-36) last 5 seasons vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood

? Dan Uggla: .351 AVG (13-for-37) lifetime vs. Braves starter Tim Hudson

? Mark Teixeira: .625 AVG (5-for-8) lifetime vs. White Sox starter John Danks

Sunday

? David Ortiz: .400 AVG (12-for-30) since ’05 vs. Rays starter James Shields

? Hanley Ramirez: .500 AVG (12-for-24) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe

? Adam Dunn: .438 AVG (7-for-16) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

? Ryan Church: .571 AVG (4-for-7) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum

Saturday

? Blake DeWitt: .385 AVG (5-for-13) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo

Sunday

? Rick Ankiel: .429 AVG (3-for-7) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Josh Johnson

You’ll thank me later ...

Friday

? Brian McCann: .182 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad

? Robinson Cano: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Freddy Garcia

Saturday

? Joey Votto: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Randy Wells

? Ryan Zimmerman: .214 AVG (3-for-14) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse

Sunday

? Robinson Cano: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd

? Michael Young: .200 AVG (2-for-10) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez

Leaderboard time!

“walt2009” is now second in command with a 29-game streak after successfully choosing Austin Jackson in Thursday’s contest.

Here’s a little secret, Walt (we’re on a first-name basis, no?), do this
for 28 more days and you’ll know what it feels like to have one of the
obnoxious Ed McMahon checks. Only this one will be real.

Top MLB streakers

? Omar Infante: 14 games

? Alberto Callaspo: 11 games

? Hideki Matsui: 10 games

? Daric Barton: 9 games

? Miguel Cabrera: 9 games

? Ichiro Suzuki: 9 games 

And down goes “warriorclub”.

Yesterday’s leader saw his streak walk Albert Pujols’ bridge to nowhere,
after the St. Louis slugger went 0-for-4 in a loss to the Pirates.

By my count, there are only 39 more streak days left on the calendar,
and if I have my Algebra I skills tidy, that means that all those with
an 18-game streak or better are still chugging along on that $3,000,000
Beat the Streak choo-choo train.

My most favorite train of them all.

Time for Thursday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Miguel Cabrera: .625 AVG (5-for-8) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero

? Denard Span: .353 AVG (6-for-17) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Cliff Lee

? Ryan Theriot: .400 AVG (4-for-10) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Gerardo Parra: .368 AVG (9-for-17) lifetime vs. Padres starter Kevin Correia

You’ll thank me later …

? Delmon Young: .125 AVG (3-for-24) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Cliff Lee

? Jose Reyes: .158 AVG (3-for-19) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez

? Ryan Zimmerman: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter

? David Wright: .188 AVG (3-for-16) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez

Leaderboard time!

I gave “warriorcub” his/her props yesterday, and look how I get rewarded.

“sunhudson”, you and your 32-game streak have the conch now.

Don’t let me down.

Top MLB streakers

? Omar Infante: 14 games

? Alberto Callaspo: 11 games

? Hideki Matsui: 10 games

? Ichiro Suzuki: 9 games 

Three incredible things manifested yesterday all at the same time. Let’s
rate them on a scale of 1-100 rated by degree of ohmygoodness.

? Jose Bautista hit his 39th and 40th home runs of the season last night. His previous high for homers was 16.

Ohmygoodness scale: 95

Rationale: While obviously incredibly impressive, there seems to
be at least one guy every year who sidesteps into the bigs from Parts
Unknown and goes gangbusters at the plate.

? Home Run Beat the Streak leader, “kendo1961”, actually picked Bautista
yesterday and now has a nine-game home run streak — one away from tying the
longest streak in HR BTS history.

Ohmygoodness scale: 100

Rationale: Ohmygoodness, this is positively insane. I’m
absolutely baffled trying to come up with a corollary for predicting who
will hit a home run for nine days in a row. This is like George
Costanza playing “Frogger” crossed with Michael Jordan dropping 63
points at the old Boston Garden crossed with Ken Jennings going
gangbusters on “Jeopardy!” crossed with my performance when I ate 67
mini eggrolls for dinner in the summer of 1997 at my summer camp.

Something like that.

? I made Jose Bautista my Pick of the Day for Monday.

Ohmygoodness scale: 85

Rationale: I have never seen Larry David’s box-office blunder,
“Sour Grapes”, but I’m pretty sure the plot goes something like: Cousin A
gives Cousin B some petty cash at a casino. Cousin B uses said petty
cash and wins a mega-bucks jackpot. Cousin A thinks he deserves a cut of
mega-bucks jackpot. Cousin B disagrees.

Now, I’m not saying I deserve a huge cut of “kendo1961″‘s $10,000 if the
streak gets to 11, but, for what it’s worth, my e-mail address is
david.feldman@mlb.com.

Time for Tuesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Albert Pujols: .593 AVG (16-for-27) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Paul Maholm

? Ryan Theriot: .412 AVG (14-for-34) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush

? Andrew McCutchen: .455 AVG (5-for-11) career vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright

? Shin-Soo Choo: .364 AVG (4-for-11) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Adam Kennedy: .385 AVG (5-for-13) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano

You’ll thank me later …

? Matt Holliday: .071 AVG (1-for-14) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Paul Maholm

? David Wright: .174 AVG (4-for-23) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Josh Johnson

? Paul Konerko: .190 AVG (4-for-21) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie

? Ichiro Suzuki: .190 AVG (4-for-21) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett

? Ryan Zimmerman: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano

Leaderboard time!

BTS leader “warriorclub” rode Josh Hamilton to a 31-game streak. Yada,
yada, yada. Let’s get to my ill-advised HR BTS Pick of the Day:

Robinson Cano vs. Mark Rzepczynski.

Cano has 13 homers in just 156 at-bats vs. southpaws this year,
Rzepczynski has served up 37 homers over 84 big league innings, and Cano
has gone yard of Rzepczynski before.

Top MLB streakers

? Elvis Andrus: 13 games

? Omar Infante: 12 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 11 games

? Austin Kearns: 11 games

? Juan Pierre: 11 games 

We start this week with “warriorclub” atop the leaderboard with a
30-game streak. 30-game streaks are always attention worthy. There’s
some attention.

But this edition of the Beat the Streak Report is dedicated to our
season leader, Dick George. Oh, Dick George, how angelic of a human you
are.

Forget for a second that Mr. George is currently riding a 17-game streak
merely weeks after watching his 43-gamer evaporate — come on, we know
with Dick that it’s not and it never was about the money.

No, what makes Dick George a first-ballot Beat the Streak Hall of Famer
can be reflected in the e-mail he sent me over the weekend paying homage
and respect to Geoff Croke and his 43-gamer. I sic’d the daylights out
of this out of respect to my favorite hit oracle:

Naturally I have been following your recent streak closely along with
about 20-30 friends. I felt sure you would take the lead Thursday
night and I was ready to be 100% behind you as you went for the $3M. I
just want to congratulate you for your accomplishment. I know how hard
it is to get to 43 and I know it gets a little more nerve racking each
day when you get that high. My daughter lives in Brooklyn, I would love
to catch a Mets game with you sometime. Maybe when they play the
Giants, my favorite team.

Finished crying yet?

Good, now let’s try to make this little rendezvous a reality.

Time for Monday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Miguel Cabrera: .625 AVG (5-for-8) lifetime vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen

? Ichiro Suzuki: .321 AVG (18-for-56) since ’05 vs. Red Sox starter John Lackey

? Johnny Damon: .529 AVG (10-for-19) career vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen

? Howard Kendrick: .583 AVG (7-for-12) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Yuniesky Betancourt: .476 AVG (10-for-21) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman

You’ll thank me later …

? Alberto Callaspo: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields

? Joe Mauer: .182 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Rich Harden

? Albert Pujols: .167 AVG (1-for-6) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf

Leaderboard time!

As mentioned earlier, “warriorclub” is riding high with a 30-game streak. Not far behind is “sunhudson” with a 29-gamer.

In Home Run Beat the Streak news, “kendo1961” is setting the pace with
an eight-game streak. Eight is currently the season high, so if
“kendo1961” can press his luck for another day, a sole leader atop the
… leaderboard will emerge.

And on that note, my ill-advised HR BTS pick of the day is: Jose Bautista vs. Ivan Nova and the Yankees!

Do with that as you may.

Or not, your choice.

Top MLB streakers

? Elvis Andrus: 12 games

? Omar Infante: 11 games

? Austin Kearns: 11 games

? Juan Pierre: 11 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 10 games