Play Beat the Streak now -- starting with these hitters
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.
But we are here to help with that. We'll provide BTS leaderboard updates and daily insights on favorable matchups in this space, as well as every weekday on the new “Beat the Streak Daily: Inside the Hits” podcast.
Let's take a closer at the action from yesterday and today:
LEADERBOARD DATA
Longest active streak: 26 (rod666)
Longest season streak: 28 (two participants)
Longest streak all-time: 51
Most popular picks (yesterday)
1. José Iglesias, Rockies (23.7%)
2. Trea Turner, Dodgers (6.1%)
3. DJ LeMahieu, Yankees (5.0%) *
4. Rafael Devers, Red Sox (4.7%) *
5. Mike Trout, Angels (3.9%) *
* - Recorded a hit
Most popular picks (this season)
1. Trea Turner, Dodgers (9.9%)
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (6.8%)
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (4.4%)
4. Michael Brantley, Astros (3.5%)
5. Nick Castellanos, Phillies (3.3%)
HITTERS TO TARGET TODAY
Ty France, Mariners
France is one of the better options on this limited eight-game Monday slate. Though he's cooled off a bit after going 8-for-11 over a two-game stretch from April 23-24, he still has at least one hit in seven of his past eight games -- and his 29 hits this season are tied for the third most in the big leagues. This is also a favorable matchup against Astros starter Jake Odorizzi, who -- despite throwing six innings of one-hit ball his last time out -- has really struggled in the early going. Odorizzi gave up 14 hits over 8 1/3 innings in his first two outings (including eight hits in 4 1/3 vs. the Mariners on April 15), then failed to even make it out of the first inning in his April 20 start against the Angels. He was sharp against the Rangers on Tuesday, but we'll still consider this a good matchup for France until Odorizzi proves he can do it again.
Michael Brantley, Astros
On the other side of that same matchup, we're comfortable rolling with Brantley. Typically, we wouldn't recommend a left-handed batter against a left-handed pitcher, but hear us out on this one. Gonzales has nearly identical numbers against righties and lefties in his career, with left-handed batters actually hitting for a slightly average (.263) than right-handers (.259). Brantley has certainly taken advantage of that in the past, going 10-for-24 (.417) with only one strikeout in their previous meetings.
Luis Arraez, Twins
Arraez has been in a bit of a funk of late, going just 1-for-15 (.067) over the past four games, but this should be a good spot for him to get back on track. For starters, Arraez doesn't have a single strikeout during that 1-for-15 stretch -- and he has only four on the season (none since April 21). That means there's a good chance he'll be putting the ball in play against Orioles starter Tyler Wells, who's allowed a 14.3% barrel rate in his four starts this season. That's tied for the fourth-highest among all pitchers to have at least 40 balls put in play. Arraez's high contact rate paired with Wells' hard-contact rate is a perfect combo.
OFFENSE(S) TO AVOID
D-backs (vs. Marlins -- Pablo López)
Pretty simple one here: López has a 0.39 ERA through four starts and is holding opponents to a .160 average, while the D-backs have an MLB-worst .181 batting average as a team.
Angels (vs. White Sox -- Dylan Cease)
It's hard to tell you to avoid the likes of Mike Trout (1.247 OPS, second in MLB) or the scorching-hot Taylor Ward (MLB-best 1.271 OPS). And honestly, nobody will blame you if you decide to roll with either one of those guys. That said, there are better matchups out there than facing White Sox starter Dylan Cease, who has racked up 28 strikeouts over 22 innings while allowing only 16 hits in four starts.
NOTABLE BATTER VS. PITCHER MATCHUPS
Favorable
Michael Brantley (Astros): 10-for-24 (.417), 1 K vs. Marco Gonzales
Unfavorable
Carlos Santana (Royals): 2-for-17 (.118), 3 K's vs. Steven Matz
J.P. Crawford (Mariners): 2-for-14 (.143), 3 K's vs. Jake Odorizzi