Monday’s MLB schedule featured just 10 games, but three separate teams scored 15 runs, the D’backs, the Marlins and the Twins. It was the first time in 70 years that three teams had scored at least 15 runs in a game on the same day with 10 or fewer major league games played. The last time was July 25, 1936!
My free play for Tuesday is Tor/NYY Over at 7:05 ET. I’m not waiting to play my one and only Oddsmaker Error in August, I’ll be releasing it today. Also, don’t miss my 15* NL Blowout of the Month. Get them BOTH, right now!
While the previous three teams were scoring all those runs, the Rockies beat the Brewers 4-2 at Coors Field. The match lasted just two hours and six minutes, the fastest match in the history of that stadium. The Rockies are averaging just 4.7 runs per game at home this year, after averaging 6.7 runs per game at Coors from 1995-2005!
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Rockies are the biggest ‘under’ team in MLB in 2006, going 39-59-7. That’s 20 more unders than overs. Only Detroit comes close to that mark (42-59-4), as it leads the league in runs allowed with 418 (3.98/game). In the National League, only the Houston Astros, and for just one game going 49-50-6, have played more low than high!
Chase Utley batted in his 32nd straight game in the Phillies’ 15–2 loss to the Marlins, giving him the second-longest hitting streak in team history. Jimmy Rollins had a 38-game streak snapped in Philadelphia’s third game this year, after ending 2005 with one hit in his last 36 games. Utley has entered rarefied air as since 1901, there have been only 16 streaks longer than the current one, with Joe D’s 56-game streak in 1941 leading the way.
The Giants lost 10-7 at home to the Nationals last night, keeping alive the longest active losing streak in MLB. San Fran has now lost eight straight games and last night’s three run loss could be considered a blowout as the Giants had lost their previous seven games by a total of just 10 runs! The Pirates have the longest active winning streak in MLB with five in a row, but they were inactive last night.
The schedule begins today in August and this marks the first time in Major League history that rookies lead both leagues in ERA at the end of July. The Marlins’ Josh Johnson leads the National League in earned run average (2.52) and the Twins’ Francisco Liriano leads the American League with a 1.96 mark.
Eight rookies before Liriano and Johnson have led their leagues going into August: Mark Gardner, Expos (2.34 in 1990); Mark Fidrych, Tigers (1.80 in 1976); Dennis Eckersley, Indians (2.20 in 1975); Gary Peters, White Sox (2.04 in 1963); Spec Shea, Yankees (2.07 in 1947); Atley Donald, Yankees (2.30 in 1939); Lou Fette, Boston Bees (2.46 in 1937); and Wilcy Moore, Yankees (2.35 in 1927). Come back tomorrow and I’ll reveal if any held on to win the ERA title.
It’s the full 15-game schedule tonight. The Giants will try to avoid a ninth straight loss tonight at 10:15 ET when they host the Nationals. The Nationals send Liván Hernández to the mound and the Giants counter with Matt Cain. The Nationals have won the last six times Hernandez has started, despite his 5.88 ERA. However, his ERA is a bit misleading, as he allowed seven ERs in one start while he allowed exactly three ERs in each of the other five.
The Pirates will try to make it to six straight wins when they host the Braves at 7:05 ET. John Smoltz is going for Atlanta and is 4-0 in his last five outings, while Ian Snell plays with his feet for the Pirates. Snell is 2-0 in his last four outings, with the Pirates winning all four. His movement from him!
In other notable games, the A’s and Angels resume their three-game series in Anaheim ((10:05 ET), after Oakland won 3-1 last night (now 3-0 in Anaheim this year). with a team ERA of 2.83, but tonight’s starter (Joe Blanton) is 0-4 in five career starts against the Angels.The Angels go with Joe Saunders, who is making just his fourth career start He won again on July 18 against Cleveland, but had a 7.71 ERA in two starts for the Angels last year.
In San Diego, it’s Andy Pettitte vs. Jake Peavy (10:15 ET). Pettitte was 17-9 with a 2.39 ERA last year, but this year he is 9-11 with a 5.18 ERA, allowing 173 hits in 139 innings. Peavy, who went 15-6, 2.27 in 2004 and 13-7, 2.88 in 2005, is just 5-10, 5.01 this year (the team is 8-12 in its starts), despite a ratio from strikeouts to walks of 139. -19. Peavy has the highest ERA among the top 30 in the majors in strikeouts.
NFL ratings
Each day this week, I anticipate some of the topics I’ll cover over the next month with my NFL Countdown to the 2006 season.
The 2005 NFL regular season ended with 11 teams finishing with at least 11 wins, the most in a single year since the league adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978. The Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) They became the fourth 10-win team not to make the playoffs since 1990, the year the NFL expanded to its current 12-team postseason format.
The Philadelphia Eagles became the fifth straight Super Bowl loser to finish the following season with a losing record (6-10) and the team’s failure to reach the postseason in 2005 ended the current playoff streak more longest in the NFL (five) of any franchise. Green Bay finished just 4-12, ending the second-longest streak in the league (four). The Colts, who finished with a league-best 14-2 mark, now own the league’s longest current postseason run in four consecutive years.
The Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North with a 11-5 mark, ending the league’s longest current playoff drought in 14 consecutive non-playoff seasons. The new ‘leader’ in that department is the Arizona Cardinals, who have failed to make the playoffs for seven straight years.
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