Tagged: beat the streak report
Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, June 11-13
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)
Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, June 10
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
Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, June 9
One day after getting taken to the slaughterhouse by Ichiro Suzuki’s 0-fer, 20 percent of our streakers regrouped and put all their eggs in the Robinson Cano basket; a fantastic basket to be in.
On cue, Cano delivered in spades, going 3-for-4 off Kevin Millwod and the Orioles, just as predicted right here yesterday.
Unfortunately, not everyone was so sagacious, as a combined 13.8 percent of streakers did not pass Go or collect $200, thanks to hit-free performances from Ryan Braun, Ichiro and Miguel Cabrera — the day’s second, third and fifth most popular choices, respectively.
Now, at this point, I’d like to address the bevy of e-mails that have rampaged through my inbox:
No, you cannot select Stephen Strasburg in Beat the Streak.
In other streak news, “brentandcam” upped their Survivor run to 21 games after correctly picking the Rays, who downed the Blue Jays 9-0 behind Jeff Niemann’s complete-game shutout.
16 more correct selections and “brentandcam” will be $10,000 richer and will be joyriding all the way to the the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, Ariz.
I’m just so happy for him/her/them.
Time for Wednesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Billy Butler: .435 AVG (10-for-23) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano
? Russell Martin: .438 AVG (7-for-14) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright
? Jose Lopez: .538 AVG (7-for-13) lifetime vs. Rangers starter C.J. Wilson
? Matt Holliday: .500 AVG (7-for-14) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda
? Erick Aybar: .381 AVG (8-for-21) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Dallas Braden
? Jason Kubel: .412 AVG (7-for-17) lifetime vs. Royals starter Kyle Davies
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Yuniesky Betancourt: .385 AVG (5-for-13) lifetime vs. Twins starter Carl Pavano. Ya know, I’ll give Betancourt the Feldmania stamp of approval on this one. He’s batting .285 on the year and has hit safely in six of his last seven games. Ahthankyou.
You’ll thank me later …
? Justin Morneau: .063 AVG (1-for-16) lifetime vs. Royals starter Kyle Davies
? Kurt Suzuki: .083 AVG (2-for-24) lifetime vs. Angels starter Joe Saunders
? Jorge Cantu: .150 AVG (3-for-20) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Roy Halladay
? Carl Crawford: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum
Leaderboard time!
Dustin Pedroia’s 0-fer put the kibosh on “SLaGFYmanny”‘s 26-game game streak, which means our leaderboard is down to three:
BsblGeenus
dyno11mike
ecurryjmp2
Best of luck. May your Wednesday be chalk full of Justin Masterson implosions, John Lannan hit fiestas and Kenshin Kawakami breakdowns.
Top MLB streakers
? Elvis Andrus: 13 games
? Martin Prado: 12 games
? Jeff Francoeur: 11 games
? Brandon Phillips: 11 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
? Jeff Keppinger: 10 games
Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, June 8
Let’s pretend Monday never happened, OK?
In the biggest single-handed slaughterfest of the season, Ichiro Suzuki’s 0-for-3 performance against Scott Feldman and the Rangers, ransacked the streaks of 20.3 percent of the universe.
Why such an astounding amount of streakers would pick Ichiro when he entered Monday a career .272 hitter against (cousin?) Scott is beyond me, even considering Suzuki’s .462 clip for June.
And just to pour molten lava on our pulsating wounds, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Michael Bourn, Kevin Youkilis and Alfonso Soriano — the day’s third, fifth, seventh, ninth and 10th most popular selections, respectively — each went hitless to snap a combined 16.5 percent of streaks.
This is not a good thing.
I’m not sure when, but some how, some way, I know we can get past this.
Hey look, Kevin Millwood is pitching tonight!
There, I feel better already …
In other streak news, “holidave” made it seven in a row by selecting Mark Reynolds in Home Run Beat the Streak.
Seven days, seven correct homer predictions. That’s pretty incredible.
Four more days of correct selections and “holidave” wins $10,000.
Not too shabby.
Also, we have some excitement going on in Survivor, as “brentandcam” and “charfdorn” each have 20-game streaks going, marking the highest streaks of the season.
17 more correct selections to win $10,000 AND a trip to the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, Ariz.
Very exciting stuff.
Time for Tuesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Ryan Braun: .491 AVG (8-for-19) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Ted Lilly
? Ryan Howard: .444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad)
? Ichiro Suzuki: .414 AVG (12-for-29) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Colby Lewis
(other picks)
? Matt Holliday: .500 AVG (7-for-14) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda
? Jorge Cantu: .500 AVG (6-for-12) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick
? Alberto Callaspo: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. Twins starter Kevin Slowey
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Luke Scott: .600 AVG (6-for-10) lifetime vs. Yankees starter Phil Hughes. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Scott is hitless in four of his last eight games. Check please!
You’ll thank me later …
? Billy Butler: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Twins starter Kevin Slowey
? Chase Utley: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Chris Volstad
? Justin Morneau: .192 AVG (5-for-26) lifetime vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke
? Hanley Ramirez: .222 AVG (4-for-18) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick
Leaderboard time!
Yeah, you know all those users who were tied atop the leaderboard with 30-game streaks yesterday? They all picked Ichiro. Whoops!
That means that our new leaders are a foursome carrying still-pretty-stellar 26-game streaks:
BsblGeenus
SLaGFYmanny
dyno11mike
ecurryjmp2
Best of luck. May your Tuesday be rich with a Kevin Millwood shellacking, a Brian Moehler hit buffet and a Vin Mazarro meltdown.
Top MLB streakers
? Vernon Wells: 14 games
? Elvis Andrus: 12 games
? Martin Prado: 12 games
? Freddy Sanchez: 11 games
? Jeff Francoeur: 10 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
? Brandon Phillips: 10 games
Beat the Streak Report: Monday, June 7 — Draft Day!
With the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft set for Monday night, it’s time for an all-Draft edition of the Beat the Streak Report.
Why not, right?
I mean, I know as aspiring multi-millionaires you’ve been doing your due diligence on Bryce Harper for years, just to see how viable of a BTS option he’ll be in 2013, right?
And I double-know you’re all jonesin’ to see if there’s any correlation between being a top Draft pick and being a top BTS pick, right?
Exactly.
Time for Monday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? 2005 No. 1 Pick Justin Upton: .625 AVG (5-for-8) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe (1991 No. 214 Pick)
? 2000 No. 1 Pick Adrian Gonzalez: .294 AVG (5-for-17) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels (2002 No. 17 Pick)
? 1999 No. 1 Pick Josh Hamilton: .308 AVG (4-for-13) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Cliff Lee (2000 No. 105 Pick)
(other picks)
? 1999 No. 57 Pick Brandon Phillips: .400 AVG (4-for-13) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito (1999 No. 9 Pick)
? 2004 No. 15 Pick Stephen Drew: .484 AVG (15-for-31) lifetime vs. Braves starter Lowe.
? 1995 No. 8 Pick Todd Helton: .500 AVG (11-for-22) lifetime vs. Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez*
Feeling kinda spicy?
? 1990 No. 1 Pick Chipper Jones: .300 AVG (3-for-10) lifetime vs. D-backs starter Dan Haren (2001 No. 72 pick). That’s a 71-pick difference! Come on!
? 1992 No. 1 Pick Pat Burrell: Zero at-bats lifetime vs. Reds starter Johnny Cueto*. Cueto wasn’t even drafted! How good could this guy possibly be …?
* = International free agent
Ohhhhh …
You’ll thank me later …
? 2004 No. 64 Pick Dustin Pedroia: .167 AVG (1-for-6) lifetime vs. Indians starter Fausto Carmona*
? Vladimir Guerrero*: .167 AVG (4-for-24) since ’05 vs. Mariners starter Lee
? Orlando Cabrera*: .103 AVG (3-for-29) lifetime vs. Giants starter Zito
Leaderboard time!
Sunday’s top six options each laced hits to help extend the streaks of about 35 percent of the BTS universe combined.
Robinson Cano, who saw his 17-game streak snap on Friday, was back in his just-ate-a-star, now-I’m-sparkling Invincible Mario mode, going 3-for-4 to advance 10 percent of our aspiring entrepreneurs to the next level; perhaps Bowser’s castle.
Anyway, we headed into the weekend with a six-way battle atop the leaderboard. We said auf wiedersehen to “lisaacco17” on Friday, but the rest survived, leaving the following fivesome atop our leaderboard with stellar 30-game streaks:
? bathetruth
? jshoreyinsurance
? khouryboysan
? scan15
? steveellis24
Each of these villagers of Streakville are officially 52.6 percent on their way to the big bucks! Big bucks! No whammies!
Top MLB streakers
? Vernon Wells: 14 games
? Elvis Andrus: 12 games
? Martin Prado: 11 games
Five players tied with 10-game streaks.
Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, June 4-6
Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Residents of Streakville are either getting smarter or baseball hitters are just getting better, because the Beat the Streak gravy train was flying down the speedway in top gear yesterday.
Thanks to hits from each of the top eight selections, an approximate 55 percent of our residents extended their streaks, making their truffled lobster tail dreams all the more realistic.
Can you even put truffles on lobster tail? I don’t know, but I’m guessing if you had $3,000,000 you could find out pretty easily.
Anyway, Robinson Cano extended his streak to 17 games with a first-inning double off Kevin Millwood. Cano will look to keep it rollin’ tonight against Brett Cecil and the Blue Jays bullpen.
Oh, did I mention Cano is 4-for-5 lifetime against Cecil?
Who said this game wasn’t easy?
On to the weekend picks.
Oh, hello there …
Friday
? Robinson Cano: 17-game hitting streak; .800 AVG (4-for-5) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil
? Johnny Damon: .563 AVG (9-for-16) lifetime vs. Royals starter Bruce Chen
? Stephen Drew: .462 AVG (13-for-32) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Aaron Cook
? Carlos Lee: .382 AVG (21-for-55) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano
Saturday
? Miguel Cabrera: .571 AVG (8-for-14) lifetime vs. Royals starter Luke Hochevar
? Billy Butler: .414 AVG (12-for-19) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Justin Verlander
? Ichiro Suzuki: .340 AVG (17-for-50) lifetime vs. Angels starter Ervin Santana
Sunday
? Derrek Lee: .517 AVG (15-for-29) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brett Myers
? Jose Reyes: .400 AVG (14-for-35) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco
? Matt Holliday: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Dave Bush
Feeling kinda spicy?
Friday
? Chris Snyder: .591 AVG (13-for-22) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Aaron Cook
Saturday
? Ryan Doumit: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Giants starter Todd Wellemeyer
Sunday
? Yuniesky Betancourt: .474 AVG (9-for-19) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman
You’ll thank me later …
Friday
? Lance Berkman: .147 AVG (10-for-68) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano
? Ryan Braun: .226 AVG (7-for-31) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright
Saturday
? Brian McCann: .111 AVG (1-for-9) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley
? Nick Markakis: .211 AVG (8-for-38) lifetime vs. Rex Sox starter Jon Lester
Sunday
? Derek Jeter: .125 AVG (1-for-8) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow
? Josh Hamilton: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Rays starter Matt Garza
Leaderboard time!
All six of our leaders are walking with a hop in their steps today, as each of their selections collected hits.
27-game streaks are nothing to scoff at, folks. I have a feeling one of these six will be around for a long time …
? bathetruth
? jshoreyinsurance
? khouryboysan
? lisacco17
? scan15
? steveellis24
May the best streaker win.
Top MLB streakers
? Robinson Cano: 17 games
? Vernon Wells: 11 games
? Daric Barton: 10 games
? Jose Lopez: 10 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
Beat the Streak Report: Thursday, June 3
The roughly 25 percent of streakers who selected Robinson Cano, Ichiro Suzuki or Michael Young feasted like kings yesterday, as each of these sure-swinging batsmen collected hits last night.
Cano is currently riding high with a 16-game streak and is one away from tying Jorge Cantu for the season’s longest run. This leads us to perhaps the biggest dilemma that an aspiring Beat the Streak entrepreneur can face:
Do you keep dancing with the guy/girl you took to the prom, or do you scavenge for other options before your date turns into a pumpkin?
Clearly, Cano is beyond locked in right now, batting .525 over his last 10 games and an absurd .373 for the season. But in all likelihood, he isn’t going to last you the entire 57-game run …right?
So when do you cut bait and look at other options?
I’m not exactly sure, but I can tell you that it won’t be today with Kevin Millwood on the mound.
Gravy train all around! Who’s with me?
Also, if you haven’t already, take a look at yesterday’s Beat the Streak mailbag. I posted it in the late afternoon so there is a pretty decent chance you missed it.
As always, keep the e-mails coming at david.feldman@mlb.com.
Time for Thursday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Robinson Cano: 16-game hitting streak; .381 AVG (8-for-21) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood
? Joe Mauer: .526 AVG (10-for-19) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez
? Ryan Zimmerman: .500 AVG (6-for-12) lifetime vs. Astros starter Brian Moehler
? Jose Guillen: .444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Angels starter Jered Weaver
? Nick Swisher: .355 AVG (11-for-31) lifetime vs. Orioles starter Kevin Millwood
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Garrett Atkins: .636 AVG (7-for-11) lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia. Is this even possible?
? Erick Aybar: .455 AVG (5-for-11) lifetime vs. Royals starter Zack Greinke. Yeah, I think I’ll pass.
You’ll thank me later …
? Kevin Youkilis: .111 AVG (1-for-) lifetime vs. Athletics starter Brett Anderson
? Shin-Soo Choo: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Tigers starter Rick Porcello
? Hanley Ramirez: .000 AVG (0-for-9) lifetime vs. Brewers starter Chris Capuano
Justin Morneau: .143 AVG (3-for-21) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez
Leaderboard time!
Another one bites the dust, as Adrian Beltre’s 0-fer pushed the reset button on “agentstjohn”‘s 28-game streak last night.
This means we now have a six-way tie for the BTS leaderboard, as each of the following villagers of Streakville are rocking 26-game streaks:
? bathetruth
? jshoreyinsurance
? khouryboysan
? lisacco17
? scan15
? steveellis24
May the best streaker win.
Top MLB streakers
? Robinson Cano: 16 games
? Vernon Wells: 11 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
? Daric Barton: 9 games
? Casey Blake: 9 games
? Jose Lopez: 9 games
Beat the Streak Report: Mail time!
If there is one thing I learned from asking for some Beat the Streak-related comments, it’s that ohmygütness do you people really really love this little fantasy game. I mean, you people love Beat the Streak more than the Real Housewives of New York love being insane. Or more than I loved busting out that u with the two dots on top of it.
Ü
How spectacular is that? It’s like a smiley face with an oversized mouth and no nose. Or like some strange math symbol you’ve never seen before that just appears on your Calculus final exam and immediately punches you in the stomach and makes you cross-eyed.
I love those.
Anyway, here are real e-mails sent from real villagers of Streakville:
Hello. Since you invited questions, there are a couple of things I’ve been wondering. First, when someone does get to 57, what happens to Beat the Streak? Will it end there? Be replaced with something else? Also, as long as no one gets it, will the prize money continue to increase year by year (if you have any idea)?
-Daniel M
Interesante. Daniel, I like your style. I’ll be totally honest – I have no idea as to the answer of either of these pointed questions. What I do like is Daniel’s unabashed confidencehere. Asking what happens to Beat the Streak when someone actually beats the streak and gets to 57 is like asking a nuclear scientist, “So, once you solve cold fusion, are you going to tackle human teleporting next?” Maybe it’s just me and it’s because it’s my job to monitor the game up close on a day-to-day basis, but let’s not count our chickens before they hatch, ya know? We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. And I’ll stop using nonsensical clichés …NOW.
As for Part II, I also don’t know. Glad, I’m here. We’re at $3 million now. Last year we were at $1 million and upped that to $1,500,000. So we are currently on pace so that in the year 2025, the Beat the Streak prize money will be somewhere around $85 billion, also known as the opposite of what MacGruber took down at the box office last week; we’re the anti-MacGruber.
What is the longest non-hitting streak in the game?
-Jeff J.
Love this. This is actually an idea we have toyed around with for some time – creating Beat the Streak: Bizarro Edition. It’d become a game where research entails:
Well, I don’t know if I can take Jason Kendall, his .184 average against Ian Snell is just too high! Snell’s ERA is ONLY 5.28?? Anyone know who Roy Halladay is facing? Is anyone playing a tripleheader?
And while we’re here, here’s my Bizarro Beat the Streak starting lineup:
C: Gerald Laird (.162 AVG)
1B: Carlos Pena (.176)
2B: Luis Valbuena (.134(!))
SS: Adam Everett* (.189)
3B: Brandon Wood (.156)
RF: Willie Harris (.179)
CF: Nate McLouth (.179)
LF: Kyle Blanks (.157)
DH : Ken Griffey Jr. (.184 )
* = Captain
And don’t think it was easy leaving Garrett Atkins off this list.
It wasn’t.
Hi Dave – I think you’re doing an AWESOME job with the report – keep up the great work!! The reports are entertaining as well as informative and I look forward to reading them.
– Carol-Ann S. (nardberg)
Oh, well, hello to you …
Oh, wait, there’s more …
One question that I’ve heard a lot (and I wonder as well) is….how many active players are there???
Thanks for the compliments, Carol, and thanks even more for the excess question marks, I can’t ever get enough of those.
I’ll be real. I don’t have an exact number, but I will say that there are a lot of Beat the Streak active players. Tons, really. At least double the highest number kids ever count to when they see if they can count to a million.
And that’s pretty high.
As far as doubleheaders go, I think that you should be credited with 2 games if your player
gets a hit in each game, rather than needing hits in both games to just get credit for 1 game.
-David S.
Couldn’t agree with you more, David. In fact, I’m pretty sure “lavolpe” is still writing his Beat the Streak Ph. D dissertation, “Doubleheaders: Double the fun, but double the risk” on the BTS blog as we speak. I kid, “lavolpe,” I love the enthusiasm.
Anyway, I too think that if your player gets a hit in each of the doubleheader games you should get credited with two hits for the price of one. It’s a fun all-or-nothing strategy and an easy way to get your streak up to a respectable number in a hurry. It’s like going for the special video bonus round on “Cash Cab”. Who wouldn’t risk it all and go for the special video bonus round on “Cash Cab”? And furthermore, would you ever want to be friends with somebody that didn’t go for the special video bonus round?
Exactly. And here at Beat the Streak, we want to be your friend.
In short, I’ll see what we can do for next year.
Hi David,
Can you get this done?
Add Carlos Zambrano to Chi Cubs list hitters to pick from in HR BTS. He swings a mean bat and now that he is returning to the starting rotation he will be batting again. As tough as HR BTS is he would be someone I would take as my streak is usually at zero anyway!
–dragbunt104
Why not, right? My question is, why limit it to Home Run Beat the Streak?
If you have the audacity to risk everything and bank on a pitcher getting a hit in one of our games, you should not only be saluted, but you should be rewarded exponentially. I’d actually be in favor of crediting you with a +7 on your streak. In fact, I think it’s time we vary up the rewards for your player getting a hit into tiers.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
If you select a pitcher, say Carlos Zambrano, and he gets a hit, that’s +7 onto your streak.
If you select a backup catcher, say Alex Avila, you get +5.
If you select someone that should be a backup catcher, say Matt Treanor, you get +3.
And, of course, if you select a Molina brother, you get +2.
How is this not an incredible idea?
What happens if a player is removed after 2 at bats with no hits? (2 strikeouts) Is the streak over?
Thanks!
Brian Gelman
Yes. And while we’re here, I’d like to address the exclamation mark (!) at the end of “Thanks!” issue. It’s a problem we all deal with every day. We e-mail a co-worker, co-worker does a favor for us, we are appreciative that said favor has been completed, we want to show appreciation for the completed favor and we end up panicking and drop the (!) at the end of thanks. This happens to us all.
Not that it wakes me up at night in a pool of sweat, but I think it’s time we pump the brakes on this little procedure; I just always feel like a five-year-old whenever I toss around !s.
I refuse to believe I’m alone here.
And I understand the lack of alternatives – you don’t want to come off as rude and you don’t want to go with an all-caps “THANKS” since it looks like you are yelling at the guy.
I don’t have an easy solution. A period (.) somewhat gets the job done, but doesn’t hammer the point home strong enough.
Which brings us back to Ü.
Perfect.
Thanks Ü
Anyway, thanks for all the e-mails. Feel free to drop be a line at david.feldman@mlb.com whenever you desire.
Also, please start following our new Twitter account: @Beat_the_Streak
-Dave
Beat the Streak Report: Wednesday, June 2
Hi-fives all around Streakland yesterday, as an incredible 13 of the top 15 selections for the day each laced hits, combining to extend the streaks of about 45 percent of the universe.
Magglio Ordonez was the day’s biggest Debbie Downer, going 0-for-4 against the Indians and disproving the common misnomer that despite what most think, Beat the Streak is not like the SATs — you don’t automatically get a hit by just writing in your name and selecting a batter vs. the Indians.
Anyway, my mailbox was incredibly flooded yesterday with e-mails from you folks with stellar ideas, questions and changes you’d like to see with the BTS Report and the BTS game in general. I’ll post a full mailbag edition on the Beat the Streak blog update later in the day, so there is still time for you to send in your splendid and definitely way-smarter-than-anything-I-could-dream-of ideas to me, just drop me a line at david.feldman@mlb.com.
Time for Wednesday’s picks
Oh, hello there …
? Robinson Cano: 15-game hitting streak; 0-2 lifetime vs. Orioles starter Brad Bergesen. But, come on, it’s Brad Bergesen.
? Chase Utley: .444 AVG (12-for-27) lifetime vs. Braves starter Derek Lowe
? Chipper Jones: .438 AVG (7-for-16) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick
? Ryan Doumit: .471 AVG (8-for-17) lifetime vs. Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano
? Denard Span: .462 AVG (6-for-13) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Cliff Lee
? Nick Markakis: .353 AVG (6-for-17) lifetime vs. Yankees starter Phil Hughes
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Ryan Theriot: .359 AVG (14-for-39) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Zach Duke. I could not be more confident in The Riot in this one.
You’ll thank me later …
? Brandon Phillips: .167 AVG (4-for-24) lifetime vs. Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter
? Brad Hawpe: .107 AVG (3-for-28) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain
? Carlos Gonzalez: .000 AVG (0-for-11) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain
Leaderboard time!
Well, there goes the whole 27-game streak jinx.
“agentstjohn” rode Derek Jeter’s 2-for-3 performance to extend his BTS journey to 28 games.
“agentstjohn” is now officially 49.1 percent on his way to kingdom come.
Top MLB streakers
? Robinson Cano: 15 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
? Vernon Wells: 10 games
? Derek Jeter: 9 games
? Reed Johnson: 8 games
? Daric Barton: 8 games
? Casey Blake: 8 games
? Jose Lopez: 8 games
Beat the Streak Report: Tuesday, June 1
I don’t know what’s better news: The fact that the top six player selections each laced hits to extend the streaks of about 35 percent of Streakland combined, or that I keep thinking it’s Monday only to repeatedly hover my mouse over the clock thing on the bottom right corner of my monitor and it reads “Tuesday, June 1, 2010.”
That clock is so wise and just the bearer of the bestest news.
And what better way to celebrate a great start to a shortened Beat the Streak workweek then to reach out to the BTS world for a little Q&A?
That’s right, I’m asking all of you fantasy game multi-million-dollar entrepreneurs out there to send in any questions, comments, qualms or just incredible ideas that have anything to do with Beat the Streak to david.feldman@mlb.com.
Think the Beat the Streak Report needs a little face lift? Some lipo? One of those sounds-amazingly-painful gastric band surgeries?
Let me know and drop me a line at david.feldman@mlb.com.
I will post them in tomorrow’s Beat the Streak Report and we can all get wiser together.
Just like the clock thing.
Time for Monday’s picks
Wait a second …
Time for Tuesday’s picks
So wise!
Oh, hello there …
? Manny Ramirez: .548 AVG (17-for-31) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren
? Chone Figgins: .563 AVG (9-for-16) lifetime vs. Twins starter Nick Blackburn
? Carl Crawford: .467 AVG (7-for-15) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet
? Chipper Jones: .409 AVG (9-for-22) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels
? Ty Wigginton: .355 AVG (11-for-31) lifetime vs. Yankees starter Javier Vazquez
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Casey Blake: .351 AVG (13-for-37) lifetime vs. Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren. It’s pretty much Octoberfest when it comes to Dan Haren these days.
You’ll thank me later …
? Troy Tulowitzki: .152 AVG (5-for-33) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito
? Bobby Abreu: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Royals starter Brian Bannister
? Albert Pujols: .182 AVG (2-for-11) lifetime vs. Reds starter Johnny Cueto
Leaderboard time!
“kneetgm”, our leader entering the weekend, saw his/her streak bite the dust at 27 games to become the fifth BTSer who was KO’d at the 27-game mark.
Anybody else find this a smidgen interesting? Just me? Alright, just checking …
Anyway, let’s see if our new leader, “agentstjohn” can buck the trend and eclipse the 27-game mark tonight.
Top MLB streakers
? Robinson Cano: 14 games
? Jeff Mathis: 10 games (DL)
? Jose Reyes: 9 games
? Vernon Wells: 9 games
? Derek Jeter: 8 games
? Reed Johnson: 8 games
? David Ortiz: 8 games
? Denard Span: 8 games
Beat the Streak Report 