The writing was on the wall as soon as the schedule was released.
Once it was clear that there were only three games on Monday’s bill
with four of the six teams being the Nationals, Royals, Athletics and
D-backs (with the Yankees and Reds being the other options), it was
clear that an absurd amount of the Beat the Streak nation would put all
their eggs in the Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter basket.

I cautioned that such strategy was mighty risky should Arizona
starter Rodrigo Lopez somehow stymie the Bombers and put some extra hot
sauce on his fastball.

I was right. Sort of.

A staggering 67.2 percent of all streakers selected either
Robinson Cano (45.7 percent) or Derek Jeter (21.5 percent) last night.
And as Jeter (0-for-3) fans know, the hot sauce was a comin’.

As for Cano, the man who has shredded opposing pitching all
season long to the tune of a Major League-leading .365 batting average,
he kept his streakers on a full-blown sweaty palms panic attack watch
all night by waiting until his final at-bat in the eighth inning to
loop a single.

Unfortunately, Michael Young and the Rangers were not playing, as
“fromomma” decided to roll the dice with the wrong Yankee for the
night.

Which means for now, Dick George (Cano) is our lone ranger with a 38-game streak.

Time for Tuesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: .688 AVG (11-for-16) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo

? Austin Kearns: .438 AVG (7-for-16) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Jaime Moyer

? Prince Fielder: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott Baker

? Casey Blake: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Juan Uribe:
.545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Astros starter Roy Oswalt. Uribe has
one hit in his last 11 at-bats. Roy Oswalt pitches well for a living. I
say stay away.

You’ll thank me later …

? Hunter Pence: .111 AVG (2-for-18) lifetime vs. Giants starter Tim Lincecum

? Manny Ramirez: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana

? Ryan Braun: .154 AVG (2-for-13) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott Baker

? Marlon Byrd: .143 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Jason Vargas

Leaderboard time!

Riding high with a 35-game streak is “kbarr9” who also selected Cano
last night. “kbarr9” is 61.4 percent on the way to the $3,000,000. Ya
know, assuming Dick George goes down in flames first.

Top MLB streakers

? Josh Hamilton: 16 games

? Jose Guillen: 16 games

? Jason Kubel: 12 games

? Jeff Mathis: 12 games

? Garrett Jones: 11 games 

Things are starting to seriously heat up here in Streakland. And I’m
talking about that disgusting
wow-I-didn’t-even-realize-I-could-even-sweat-there type of heat.

As things currently stand, we have two streakers —
“dick.george” and “fromomma” — pacing our leaderboard with season-high
37-game streaks (sorry, Cruj) and they don’t look to be slowing down
any time soon.

Except that maybe they do.

Dousing our leaders like a bucket of ice water is a brutal
Monday schedule which consists of only three Interleague
games. That means that only six teams have made themselves available
for the Monday hit buffet.

And just to rub habanero peppers all over an already spicy situation,
four of these six teams are the Nationals, D-Backs, Royals and A’s.

Yikes.

Thankfully, the Yankees are on the slate to face Rodrigo Lopez and the D-backs.

But if Rodrigo decides to bust out the cumin, put some hot sauce
on his fastball and get kinda spicy himself, we might be referring to
June 21, 2010 forever as the Beat the Streak Massacre of ’10. Just warning ya. 

Time for Monday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Derek Jeter: .448 AVG (26-for-58) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Rodrigo Lopez

? David DeJesus: .450 AVG (18-for-40) last 10 games; 2-for-4 lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: .442 (31-for-74) AVG for June; has never faced Reds starter Mike Leake

? Jason Kendall: .353 AVG (12-for-34) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Wilson Betemit:
.417 AVG (5-for-12) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez. All
Wilson Betemit rules fly out the window once Livan Hernandez is
involved — even this season.

You’ll thank me later ...

? Jorge Posada: .115 AVG (3-for-26) since ’04 vs. Diamondbacks starter Rodrigo Lopez

? Mark Teixeira: .176 AVG (3-for-17) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Rodrigo Lopez

? Billy Butler: .222 AVG (2-for-9) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

Leaderboard time!

Not far behind our two leaders is “kbarr9” with a 34-game streak,
“aydinalp1” and “lfinnberg” with 31-gamers and “death2fowl” at 30.

I told you it’s getting hot!

Top MLB streakers

? Josh Hamilton: 16 games

? Jose Guillen: 15 games

? Jason Kubel: 12 games

? Jeff Mathis: 12 games

? Garrett Jones: 11 games 

Dave’s Note: Yes I read the comments. No, I don’t know why the comment system gets weird and disorganizes everything and sometimes puts things on twice. And, yes, I’m in “The Bloggers” but my screen name has somehow been changed to “Iheartstrazzy”.  Which I do. 

Robinson Cano (who else?) and Adrian Beltre each laced hits last
night to stomp on the fast forward button for a combined 22.8 percent
of our streakers.

Derek Jeter was the day’s biggest doom’s day device,
extinguishing the lifelines of 9.9 percent of the universe all by his
lonesome self.

Moving on, Interleague Play continues this weekend, as strange uniform
combinations and awkward American League pitchers taking the batter’s
box awaits us.

This is never not fun. I just set a Google alert to notify me every time cousin Scotty heads to the plate for tonight.

On to the weekend’s picks …

Oh, hello there ...

Friday

?  Ian Kinsler: .750 AVG (9-for-12) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Nate Robertson

? Bobby Abreu: .550 AVG (11-for-20) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Silva

? Scott Rolen: .538 AVG (7-for-13) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Cliff Lee

Saturday

? Hideki Matsui: .545 AVG (6-for-11) since ’05 vs. Cubs starter Ted Lilly

? Victor Martinez: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla

? Ryan Braun: .500 AVG (4-for-8) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jeff Francis

Sunday

? Derek Jeter: .433 AVG (13-for-30) lifetime vs. Twins starter Johan Santana

? Jim Thome: .429 AVG (12-for-28) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Halladay

? Nick Markakis: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

?  Adam Kennedy: .571 AVG (4-for-7) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Gavin Floyd

Saturday

? Orlando Cabrera: .500 AVG (16-for-32) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez

Sunday

? Luke Scott: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

You’ll thank me later …

Friday

? Hanley Ramirez: .200 AVG (2-for-10) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza

? Jose Reyes: .188 AVG (3-for-16) lifetime vs. Yankees starter Javier Vazquez

Saturday

? Johnny Damon: .136 AVG (3-for-22) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Edwin Jackson

? Adrian Beltre: .179 AVG (7-for-39) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla

Sunday

? Troy Tulowitzki: .188 AVG (3-for-16) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Randy Wolf

? Alex Rodriguez: .192 AVG (5-for-26) lifetime vs. Mets starter Johan Santana

Leaderboard time!

“fromomma” hopped on the Michael Young gravy train to extend his streak
to a knee-bending 35 games. “fromomma”is now one more hit away from
tying “cruj” for the season lead.

Expect an e-mail from me, “fromomma”, if you somehow survive
this weekend, so you can succumb to the
I-just-got-featured-on-the-blog,-my-streak-will-now-vanish curse.

Or something like that.

It was a dark day in Surivovr, as our fearless leader(s),
“brentandcam” saw a 29-game streak go down in flames courtesy of the
Yankees’ loss to the Phillies.

Well, that was fun while it lasted. “brentandcam” is/are still in play
for tickets to the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, if the 29-game streak
turns out to be the longest of the season. So all is not lost just yet.

Top MLB streakers

? Vladimir Guerrero: 13 games

? Josh Hamilton: 13 games

? Jose Guillen: 12 games

? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (no more DL!)

? Robinson Cano: 10 games 

Dear Kevin Kouzmanoff,

Thank you for going 0-for-3 last night after I lauded you as a can’t-miss pick in yesterday’s Beat the Streak Report.

It must have been really tough to eschew all the sparkling stats and
momentum you had going, just to eliminate the small ounce of
respect I once trotted around Streakland with.

You demonstrated incredible discipline in each of your hit-free
at-bats, conveniently forgetting the swing that brought you a 15-game
hitting streak, the hunger that resulted in a 21-for-42 10-game span,
and the infallible memory which triggered a 5-for-10 lifetime average
vs. opposing pitcher Ryan Dempster, just so that I now have less street
cred than the Jonas Brothers.

Much thanks. I look forward to you hitting for the cycle tonight against Randy Wells.

Sincerely,

Dave

Time for Thursday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Josh Hamilton: 12-game hitting streak, .458 AVG (27-for-58) for June; has never faced opposing Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco.

? Andre Ethier: .368 AVG (7-for-19) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo

? Adrian Beltre: .429 AVG (15-for-35) last 5 seasons vs. D-backs starter Dan Haren

? Marlon Byrd: .375 AVG (6-for-16) since ’05 vs. A’s starter Dallas Braden

? James Loney: .471 AVG (8-for-17) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo

? Matt Kemp: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo

? Ichiro Suzuki: Has hit safely in 20-straight Interleague games; the longest active Interleague hitting streak.

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Delmon Young: 1.000 AVG (3-for-3) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez.

I double-dog dare you.

You’ll thank me later …

? Dustin Pedroa: .000 AVG (0-for-7) lifetime vs. D-backs starter Dan Haren

? Raul Ibanez: .154 AVG (2-for-13) since ’05 vs. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte

? Chase Utley: .142 AVG (1-for-7) since ’05 vs. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte

Leaderboard time!

“fromomma”‘s status as this game’s bee’s knees is well intact, as our
fearless leader upped his/her streak to 34 games last night thanks to
Alex Rios’ 2-for-4 performance.

“fromomma” is officially 59.6 percent on the way to the $3 million dollar grand prize, and you know what that means …30,000 MEGA tickets! Woo-hoo!

Not far behind “fromomma” is “dick.george”, who also rode Rios
to a 33-game streak. So it looks like we’re in a good place here,
people.

In Survivor news, a 6-2 Red Sox win over the D-backs last night
resulted in “brentandcam” upping his/her/their streak to an incredible
29 games.

Eight more successful consecutive picks and “brentandcam” will become
eligible to win $10,000 and a trip to the 2011 All-Star Game (assuming
no one else passes him/her/them).

But with Dan Haren taking the mound tonight for the D-backs,
I’m thinking “brentandcam” look outside of Beantown for the sure
victory.

Top MLB streakers

? Vladimir Guerrero: 12 games

? Josh Hamilton: 12 games

? Jose Guillen: 11 games

? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)

? Robinson Cano: 9 games 

Streakers successfully went back to the well once again yesterday,
as Ichiro Suzuki (10.5 percent) and Albert Pujols (7.3 percent) were
Tuesday’s most popular selections for the second consecutive day.

After a couple tumultuous months, we’re really starting to look like a family once again.

Anyway, Justin Morneau was the day’s biggest Debbie Downer,
uppercutting 3.9 percent of our users’ streaks and watching them make
fatalistic plunges onto a bed of spikes with an 0-for-4 night.

And with that said, I’d like to officially announce that I am fully on
board with whatever Kevin Kouzmanoff has got going on right now.

Kouz is currently rocking a 15-game streak, is batting a cool
.500 (21-for-42) over his last 10 games, is 4-for-8 lifetime vs.
tonight’s opposing pitcher Ryan Dempster, and arguably has the coolest
nickname (Krushin’ Russian) over any athlete not named Siphiwe
Tshabalala (ya know, the guy who scored for South Africa last week vs.
Mexico).

I know it may be reckless, but I’m putting my one-game streak on the line with the Kouz. Please don’t try to stop me.

Who’s with me?

Time for Wednesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 15-game hitting streak, .500 AVG (4-for-8) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ryan Dempster

? Placido Polanco: .500 AVG (4-for-8) since ’05 vs. Yankees starter A.J. Burnett

? Casey McGehee: .429 AVG (3-for-7) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel Pineiro

? Miguel Cabrera: .344 AVG (11-for-32) since ’05 vs. Nationals starter Livan Hernandez

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Jason Kendall:
.308 AVG (4-for-13) since ’05 vs. Astros starter Roy Oswalt. I’d
potentially touch this one but for the fact I took a lifetime oath to
never select Jason Kendall in BTS upon taking this job. Whoops.

You’ll thank me later …

? Jayson Werth: .143 AVG (1-for-7) lifetime vs. Yankees starter A.J. Burnett

? Adrian Beltre: .222 AVG (4-for-18) since ’05 vs. Diamondbacks starter Rodrigo Lopez

? Prince Fielder: .235 AVG (4-for-17) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel Pineiro

Leaderboard time!

A rare Michael Young 0-fer dashed the hopes and dreams of “Raysball8455”, whose 32-game streak was vaporized.

This means that “fromomma” stands alone atop the leaderboard
with a swanky 33-game streak, tying “olifante” with the longest streak
of the season behind BTS heartthrob “cruj” (36).

As predicted yesterday, “brentandcam” picked the Red Sox to defeat the
D-backs in Survivor. After an Ian Kennedy AL East meltdown (where have
we seen that one before?), our leader now stands strong with a 28-game
streak.

Nine more successful consecutive picks and
“brentandcam” will become eligible to win $10,000 and a trip to the 2011
All-Star Game (assuming no one else passes them).

That doesn’t sound too awful.

Top MLB streakers

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 15 games

? Sean Rodriguez: 15 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 12 games

? Josh Hamilton: 11 games

? Delmon Young: 11 games 

Sometimes there’s just nothing like good old fashioned home cooking.

After weeks of consistently getting burned by former Beat the Streak stalwarts, Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols, streakers worldwide went back to the hand that used to feed them for Monday’s Interleague, four-game schedule of doom.

Pujols (26.0 percent) and Suzuki(13.9 percent) were far and away the two most popular selections for the dreaded slate, and rewarded their old faithful by each lacing hits in spades, combining to go 5-for-7 for the evening.

Albert, Ichiro, it’s just so nice to have you two back and playing nice with the others. We’ve missed you both just so, so much.

But now, things get more interesting. Our two leaders entering the night, “BsblGeenus” and “ecurryjmp2”, each put their hopes and dreams in the hands of …Aubrey Huff, who was who we thought he was, and went 0-for-2 to snap both of our leaders’ streaks.

How each of our two leaders put their $3 million meal tickets in the hands of a guy who hit .241 last season and was slated to bat against a pitcher (Chris Tillman) who he had never faced before is absolutely, positively beyond me.

I know Ichiro and Pujols have burned streakers all season long, but I know I’d sleep better at night knowing that one of those two future Hall of Famers snapped my multi-million-dollar hopes, and not Aubrey Huff.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

Time for Tuesday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Manny Ramirez: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Reds starter Aaron Harang

? Russell Martin: .545 AVG (6-for-11) lifetime vs. Reds starter Aaron Harang

? Marlon Byrd: .400 AVG (4-for-10) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Trevor Cahill

? Curtis Granderson: .417 AVG (5-for-12) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Halladay

? Placido Polanco: .326 AVG (14-for-43) lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Rafael Furcal: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Reds starter Aaron Harang. The moral of the story is, I like picking against Aaron Harang.

You’ll thank me later …

? Torii Hunter: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush

? Austin Kearns: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Mets starter Johan Santana

? Robinson Cano: .208 AVG (10-for-48) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Halladay

Leaderboard time!

Our new leaders are “Raysball8445” and “fromomma”, who each have 32-game streaks and are 56.1 percent on their way to buying enough Silly Bandz to cover the entire state of Texas.

Just because they can.

Moving on to Survivor, “brentandcam” are/is now at 27 games thanks to Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals.

And with Roy Halladay and CC Sabathia facing off against each other, basically squashing the chances of a Yankees or Phillies selection, and David Price facing a Braves squad that sits 10 games over .500, tonight’s choice will not be easy. I’m thinking Red Sox (Clay Buchholz) vs. D-backs (Ian Kennedy) might be the top choice.

Top MLB streakers

? Brandon Phillips: 15 games

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 14 games

? Sean Rodriguez: 14 games

? Jorge Cantu: 12 games

? Julio Borbon: 11 games

? Shin-Soo Choo: 11 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 11 games

Top selection Robinson Cano’s 1-for-3 afternoon pushed the fast forward button on 15.1 percent of streaks nationwide on a crazy, not-so-lazy Sunday that saw seven players launch two home runs a piece, which I’m pretty sure is the final sign of the apocalypse for all Home Run Beat the Streak players.

But enough with the small talk, we have some serious business to address.

Today we are faced with perhaps the most challenging Beat the Streak day on the 2010 calendar.

Not only are we still in the midst of Interleague Play, where hitters are facing unfamiliar opposing pitchers (advantage pitchers), but there are only four games scheduled, slicing away almost three quarters of our player pool.

And while former BTS stalwarts Albert Pujols and, gulp, Ichiro Suzuki are primed for the taking, 2010 BTS reliables like Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Vlad Guerrero each have the day off.

I’m fully aware that the picks below are not for the weak minded.

Today is the day we separate the double decker tacos from the hard shelled.

Time for Monday’s picks

Oh, hello there …

? Adam Jones: Eight-game hitting streak; .302 AVG for June.

? Aaron Hill: .364 AVG (4-for-11) lifetime vs. Padres starter Jon Garland

? Carlos Gomez: .500 AVG (4-for-8) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joe Saunders

? Erick Aybar: .422 AVG (19-for-45) over last 10 games.

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Juan Rivera: .364 AVG (4-for-11) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Randy Wolf. Last two starts for Wolf: 0-2, 13 ER, 15 H, 10.32 ERA. Don’t mind if I do …

You’ll thank me later …

? Miguel Tejada: .000 AVG (0-for-7) lifetime vs. Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez

? Matt Wieters: .167 AVG (6-for-36) for June; .235 season AVG;

Leaderboard time!

“BsblGeenus” and “ecurryjmp2” each survived the weekend and are now riding stellar 32-game streaks.

That means that they are officially 56.1 percent on their way to buying (roughly) 84 billion of those insanely annoying World Cup vuvuzelas thingies and obliterating mankind ’til kingdom come.

In Survivor news, “brentandcam” are still at it, upping his/her/their streak to 26 games by correctly predicting a Yankees win over the Orioles. Apparently, there is no rule voiding any picks when a team faces Kevin Millwood (0-9, 5.16 ERA).

This needs to change.

Top MLB streakers

? Brandon Phillips: 15 games

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 14 games

? Sean Rodriguez: 14 games

? Jorge Cantu: 12 games

? Julio Borbon: 11 games

? Shin-Soo Choo: 11 games

? Vladimir Guerrero: 11 games

And now I eat humble pie.

In yesterday’s BTS Report, I eschewed my instincts and soliloquized how Ichiro Suzuki was a primo selection for Thursday’s action despite a recent 1-for-11 stretch.

I wiped the slate clean with the Mariners catalyst. I forgave the man for all his previous transgressions and 0-fers and put together some stats that on paper made him look as pristine as ever.

I even put my modest five-game streak on the line and I like to think I had something to do with Ichiro being the day’s most popular selection, as 12.4 percent of all users also came along for the ride.

So how does my metaphorical olive branch get rewarded?

With a cold-blooded 0-for-4 performance against the new Legion of Doom tag team that is Tommy Hunter and Darren Oliver, that’s how.

Sometimes this game just makes you want to cry.

Let’s just get to the weekend picks, OK?

Oh, hello there …

Friday

? Hanley Ramirez: .421 AVG (8-for-19) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields

? Jason Bay: .500 AVG (6-for-12) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie

? Alfonso Soriano: .444 AVG (6-for-16) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Jake Peavy

Saturday

? Matt Holliday: .357 AVG (5-for-14) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren

? Fred Lewis: .857 AVG (6-for-7) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Jason Hammel

? Adrian Gonzalez: .714 AVG (5-for-7) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Cliff Lee

Sunday

? Paul Konerko: .571 AVG (4-for-7) since ’05 vs. Cubs starter Ted Lilly

? Kelly Johnson: .444 AVG (4-for-9) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter

? Orlando Cabrera: .348 AVG (8-for-23) since ’05 vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke

Feeling kinda spicy?

Friday

? Casey Blake: .450 AVG (9-for-20) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joel Pineiro. Blake is 0-for-6 since returning from a five-game absence with back spasms. Next!

Saturday

? David Eckstein: .333 AVG (4-for-12) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Cliff Lee. Yes, the same Cliff Lee who has a 2.77 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Next!

Sunday

? Russell Martin: .412 AVG (7-for-23) lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver. Weaver was blasted for 12 hits and six earned runs vs. an unimposing A’s lineup last time out. We have a winner! Show the great people what they’ve won …

You’ll thank me later …

Friday

? Torii Hunter: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley

? Prince Fielder: .111 AVG (1-for-9) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Rich Harden

Saturday

? Dustin Pedroia: .188 AVG (3-for-16) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Joe Blanton

? Manny Ramirez: .159 AVG (7-for-44) lifetime vs. Rays starter Scott Kazmir

Sunday

? Andre Ethier: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver

? Placido Polanco: .067 AVG (1-for-15) lifetime vs. Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield

Leaderboard time!

The three streakers atop our leaderboard — ya know, the people who actually know what they are doing — guffawed at my Ichiro selection and went with Vlad Guerrero, who’s bat has been made of molten lava lately.

On cue, Vlad rocketed two hits and our leaderboard remains in tact.

So the following threesome now possess 29-game streaks and are 50.9 percent on their way to buying a college athlete for USC:

? BsblGeenus

? dyno11Mike

? ecurryjmp2

Meanwhile, in “Survivor”, “brentandcam” continued to roll by correctly predicting a Reds victory over the Giants.

“Brent” and “Cam”‘s 22-game streak looked to be in serious jeopardy until the Reds put up a three-spot in the bottom of the eighth to win their 12th game of the season in their final at-bats.

Incredible.

Top MLB streakers

? Brandon Phillips: 13 games

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 11 games

? Sean Rodriguez: 11 games

? Chris Coghlan: 10 games

? David DeJesus: 10 games

? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)

It was Gravy Train Wednesday in Streakland, as each of the Top 10 most popular selections laced hits to extend the streaks of about 55 percent of the universe combined.

Robinson Cano was once again the master of this hit ceremony, going 3-for-4 against Chris Tillman and the Orioles bullpen to single-handedly push forward 16.8 percent of all streaks.

Who will our walking-on-sunshine Streakers be banking on for Thursday?

Dare I say I will be selecting Ichiro, Mr. Harbinger of Doom?

That’s right, I’m going with Ichiro for tonight, hear me out.

Despite his recent back-to-back 0-fers which obliterated streaks across the nation and destroyed friendships everywhere, he’s still batting a blistering .382 (13-for-34) on the month.

Furthermore, he’s flashed incredible bounce-back ability, responding to his previous two-game hitless streaks on the year by putting together streaks of six, three and ten.

Oh, and he’s a lifetime .462 hitter against opposing pitcher Tommy Hunter.

Who’s with me?

Viva la Ichiro!

Time for Thursday’s picks

? Ichiro Suzuki: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Tommy Hunter

? Kosuke Fukudome: .500 AVG (12-for-22) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush

? Vladimir Guerrero: .500 AVG (5-for-10) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith

? Carlos Guillen: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. White Sox starter John Danks

? Ryan Theriot: .355 AVG (11-for-31) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush

? Evan Longoria: .571 AVG (4-for-7) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil

Feeling kinda spicy?

? Ryan Sweeney: .533 AVG (8-for-15) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana. I’m not messing with Santana. Not now.

You’ll thank me later …

? Billy Butler: .080 AVG (2-for-25) lifetime vs. Twins starter Scott Baker

? Brandon Phillips: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Giants starter Todd Wellemeyer

? Bobby Abreu: .100 AVG (1-for-10) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Trevor Cahill

Leaderboard time!

Robinson Cano and Joe Mauer each laced hits last night, which means our the following three BTSers remain atop our leaderboard with 28-game streaks:

BsblGeenus

dyno11mike

ecurryjmp2

Only 29 more to go. Yeah, uh, good luck with that …

Top MLB streakers

? Brandon Phillips: 12 games

? Jeff Francoeur: 11 games

? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)

? Kevin Kouzmanoff: 10 games

? Sean Rodriguez: 10 games

? Carlos Lee: 10 games