Beat the Streak is back for the 2022 season — and the $5.6 million prize is still up for grabs.
The idea is simple — pick one player (or two) every day who you think will get a hit. The objective — surpass Joe DiMaggio’s record-long 56-game hitting streak — is a bit more challenging.
Let’s take a closer at the action from yesterday and today:
Longest active streak: 37 (Matthew3116)
Longest season streak: 45 (kiyoshilotus26)
Longest streak all-time: 51
Most popular picks (yesterday)
1. Manny Machado, Padres (26.8%)*
2. Trea Turner, Dodgers (17%)*
3. Tim Anderson, White Sox (8.8%)*
4. Juan Soto, Nationals (4.5%)*
5. DJ LeMahieu, Yankees (3.3%)*
* – Recorded a hit
Most popular picks (this season)
1. Trea Turner, Dodgers (9.2%)
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (6.4%)
3. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox (5.4%)
4. Manny Machado, Padres (4.8%)
5. Michael Brantley, Astros (3.3%)
C.J. Cron, Rockies (vs. Padres)
Cron is a viable option pretty much anytime the Rockies are playing at home. He’s hitting .350 with a 1.064 OPS at Coors Field this season (compared to hitting just .229 with a .695 OPS on the road). Cron also has a favorable matchup against Padres starter Blake Snell, who has a 6.50 ERA in four career starts at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Cron has also done well in previous head-to-head meetings, going 7-for-15 (.467) with a home run against Snell.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves (vs. Nationals)
Acuña has cooled off a bit over the past month, seeing his batting average drop from a season-high .320 on June 7 to .275 entering tonight’s game against the Nationals. Still, he gets a favorable matchup here against Aníbal Sánchez, who will be making his 2022 season debut after being sidelined by a cervical nerve impingement since Spring Training. Sánchez also sat out the entire ’21 season — and he had a 6.62 ERA over 11 starts in ’20.
Manny Machado, Padres (at Rockies)
We’re going back to the well on Machado once more before he leaves Coors Field. Many of you may have been burned by his 0-for-5 performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Rockies, but it’s hard to ignore the favorable situation he finds himself in once again today. Tuesday’s hitless game aside, Machado had a pair of hits in Monday’s series opener and a single and a walk on Wednesday. He also gets a matchup this time around with Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, against whom Machado is a .313 career hitter with six of his 10 hits going for extra bases. Freeland, meanwhile, is allowing opponents to hit .300 with an .869 OPS in nine home starts this season (.243 average and .683 OPS on the road).
Giants (vs. Brewers — Corbin Burnes)
Burnes has looked every bit like the Cy Young-winning pitcher he was last season, posting a 2.20 ERA while racking up 134 strikeouts in just 106 1/3 innings this season. He’s been particularly dominant of late, going 4-0 with a 1.60 ERA over his past five starts, all while holding opponents to a .142 average during that span.
Angels (vs. Astros — Framber Valdez)
Valdez is holding opponents to a .206 average this season, allowing just 81 hits over 109 innings. He also racked up 13 strikeouts against these same Angels on July 3 — and he’s fared extremely well against the Halos’ superstar duo.
Cardinals (vs. Dodgers — Tyler Anderson)
Anderson is 6-1 with a 2.59 ERA over his past 10 starts, and he’s holding opponents to a .226 average during that span.
NOTABLE BATTER VS. PITCHER MATCHUPS
C.J. Cron (Rockies): 7-for-15 (.467), 1 HR vs. Blake Snell
Manny Machado (Padres): 10-for-32 (.313), 6 XBH vs. Kyle Freeland
Charlie Culberson (Rangers): 8-for-16 (.500), 2 XBH vs. Marco Gonzales
Anthony Rizzo (Yankees): 5-for-26 (.196), 6 K vs. Luis Castillo
Shohei Ohtani (Angels): 3-for-23 (.130), 8 K vs. Framber Valdez
Mike Trout (Angels): 1-for-12 (.083), 6 K vs. Valdez
José Abreu (White Sox): 3-for-20 (.150), 8 K vs. Sonny Gray
Tim Anderson (White Sox): 1-for-12 (.083), 4 K vs. Gray