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: 34 (GmanJones)
Longest season streak: 45 (kiyoshilotus26)
Longest streak all-time: 51
Most popular picks (yesterday)
1. Manny Machado, Padres (38.5%)
2. Nomar Mazara, Padres (3.8%)*
3. Jake Cronenworth, Padres (3.7%)*
4. Eric Hosmer, Padres (3.2%)
5. Trea Turner, Dodgers (3.2%)*
* – Recorded a hit
Most popular picks (this season)
1. Trea Turner, Dodgers (7.8%)
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (6.7%)
3. J.D. Martinez, Red Sox (5.9%)
4. Manny Machado, Padres (4.4%)
5. Michael Brantley, Astros (3.9%)
Mike Trout, Angels (vs. Royals)
Trout has followed up the worst slump of his career with an absolutely blazing stretch at the plate. He’s homered in three straight games and has five home runs in his past five contests. He’s hitting .368 with a 1.495 OPS over his past 11 games after going 0-for-26 in the seven games preceding this stretch. Trout has a good shot to keep that going in a matchup against Royals starter Kris Bubic, who enters with an 8.36 ERA and a .302 opponents’ batting average. Bubic ranks in the bottom-10 percentile in hard-hit rate, xBA, xSLG, xERA, chase rate and whiff percentage.
Francisco Lindor, Mets (vs. Marlins)
Lindor has had a bit of an up-and-down season at the plate, hitting just .243 with a .744 OPS. He’s also hitting just .170 over his last 12 games — and he doesn’t have a single multihit game during that span. Still, he gets a solid matchup in this one against Marlins lefty Trevor Rogers, who enters with a 5.87 ERA and .279 opponents’ batting average. Rogers has struggled a bit more of late, posting an 8.02 ERA and a .311 opponents’ batting average (and 1.010 opponents’ OPS) over his past five starts.
Yankees/Rays (vs. Shane McClanahan/Gerrit Cole)
It’s tough to stay away from the Yankees’ potent lineup, but they get a tough draw here against McClanahan, who who will be facing New York for the third time in his last five starts. He’s allowed just two earned runs over 12 innings (1.50 ERA) while racking up 14 strikeouts in those previous two meetings. Overall, McClanahn has a 1.84 ERA this season while holding opponents to a .185 average and striking out 105 batters in just 78 1/3 innings. Similarly, Cole has faced the Rays twice in his past four starts — and he’s held Tampa Bay to just one run over 12 innings while striking out 17 hitters.
Giants (vs. Braves — Max Fried)
Fried has a 2.90 ERA this season while holding opponents to a .236 average. After a pair of rocky outings to open the season, he’s 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA and .220 opponents’ batting average over his past 11 starts.
Cardinals (vs. Brewers — Corbin Burnes)
Don’t let Burnes’ 4-4 record fool you — he’s still plenty dominant on the mound. He’s racked up 100 strikeouts in just 78 2/3 innings, all while allowing just 58 hits. Overall, he’s holding opponents to a .201 average this season.
D-backs (vs. Padres — Yu Darvish)
Darvish has settled in of late, putting up a 1.98 ERA and .184 opponents’ batting average over his past five starts. He’s also been particularly dominant at home this season, posting a 1.35 ERA and holding opponents to a .134 average.
NOTABLE BATTER VS. PITCHER MATCHUPS
Ji-Man Choi (Rays): 9-for-19 (.474), 3 HR vs. Gerrit Cole
José Abreu (White Sox): 16-for-53 (.302), 3 HR vs. José Berríos
Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals): 9-for-21 (.381), 1 HR vs. Corbin Burnes
Pete Alonso (Mets): 0-for-10, 4 K vs. Trevor Rogers
Manuel Margot (Rays): 5-for-29 (.172), 6 K vs. Cole
Matt Chapman (Blue Jays): 2-for-15 (.133), 8 K vs. Lance Lynn
Teoscar Hernández (Blue Jays): 1-for-13 (.077), 4 K vs. Lynn