Going streaking in baseball can change your season

By Jimmie Searfoss

Streaks bring about some of the most exciting moments in baseball. Whether it’s a win streak or a hitting streak, the act of consistently being successful always manages to draw the eye of fans. Right now, all eyes lay upon the St. Louis Cardinals, who won 17 straight games as they look to lock up the second Wild Card spot.

It hasn’t been easy either. They’ve faced teams like the Reds, Mets, and Brewers throughout the streak. Each of those teams was also competing for a spot in the playoffs. Still, their squad has held strong as their bats have sprung to life. Their pitching staff led by a 40-year-old Adam Wainwright has kept their opponents to a .238 average in September.

The Cardinals streak was impressive, yet there are five other teams in history that boast a longer win streak than 17. Here are the five longest win streaks in baseball.

1947 New York Yankees/1906 Chicago White Sox (19 Games)

The 1906 White Sox were nicknamed the “Hitless Wonders” after their lack of offense. However, what they lacked in offense, they made up for in pitching and baserunning.  Pitchers Frank Owen, Nick Altrock, and Ed Walsh all won 20 games that year. Their offense found ways to get on base through walks and hit batters. The combination of getting on base and elite pitching led them to an, at the time league record 19 wins in a row, at the end of July.

The 1947 Yankees were a force. With a lineup featuring Yogi Berra and Joe Dimaggio, this first place team won the Yankees 11th World Series. They had been on a six-game win streak only a few games before they began their 19-game dominance. The Yanks faced a tough schedule as well. The team had little breaks, and most of their wins came on the road. They played through six-double headers in pursuit of their streak. Sports writers began to compare them to the Yankees teams of the 20’s, though many determined the Ruth led teams were superior. 

2002 Oakland A’s (20 Games)

Everyone knows this story, or they at least should. Featured in the movie MoneyBall, the Oakland A’s put together a team based purely off statistics in a cost-effective way to find success on the field. 

And success was found.

The Athletics were already a good team before 2002. They had lost in the ALDS the previous two years, and were looking to finally get past the Divisional series.

For most of the 2002 season the A’s sat in 3rd place in the division. They wouldn’t solidify themselves into first place until the 7th win of their streak. The 20th win was won in walk off fashion. After blowing an 11-0 lead, the Athletics found themselves with their backs against the wall as Scott Hatteberg stepped into the box to pinch hit for Eric Byrnes. Hatteberg would take the second pitch he saw over the right-centerfield wall, and the A’s won an AL record 20 games in a row.

In the postseason they again found themselves in the ALDS, this time against the Minnesota Twins. They wouldn’t advance, and fell three games to two. 

Their moneyball strategy changed baseball. Because of the 2002 Athletics, analytics have become the sole focus on analyzing players. It changed the way front offices viewed players. Rather than an eye test, they use advanced metrics and numbers to determine the players they want. The statcast era wouldn’t have happened without the 2002 A’s.

1935 Chicago Cubs (21 Games)

The Cubs did not win the World Series in 1935, but they came close, about as close as they would until 2016. The 1935 Cubs were a very good team. They sat atop the MLB with the best record in the league going into the postseason. The Cubs roster featured Hall of Fame players including Billy Herman, Gabby Hartnett, and Chuck Klein.

“The Cubs we put together in 1935, when they won 100 games to take the pennant, were the best group I ever managed,” manager Charlie Grimm said.

They would actually go on two other long win streaks throughout the season. One eight game win streak was shortly followed by an 11 game win streak. Then, the Cubs caught fire with 23 games left in the season, winning 21 in a row. Their streak nearly took them into the postseason. It ended just two games before the season did. 

The Cubs would go on to lose the 1938 World Series, as well as the 1945 World Series. They wouldn’t see another World Series until winning it in 2016.

2017 Cleveland Indians (22 Games)

Fans might remember this one. Having lost to the Cubs in they World Series the year before, the Indians were looking to end their season hot. From games 127-147 the Indians wouldn’t lose. Their monstrous pitching staff of Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber, and Carlos Carassco took them on a streak that would break a 15-year AL record, set previously by the Oakland A’s. 

Win number 22 was one of the most exciting of the streak. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and a man on first, Francisco Lindor delivered a game tying double off the wall after getting down to his last strike. They would go on to walk it off in the 10th after a Jay Bruce double. 

Cleveland went into a craze. Fans held signs implying they may never lose again, and the teams Twitter account added a W onto their name after every win. Eventually, they had so many W’s the name would be cut off on most phone screens.

1916 New York Giants (26 Games)

This one counts, technically. The then New York Giants won 26 games in a row in 1916, however some don’t feel that way. Midway through their streak they played a double header against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants won the first game, then tied the second. They then went on to win 13 more games totaling their win, or not lost, streak up to 26 games. 

Regardless of how it counted it is still a feat no other team has been able to duplicate. 

Although their streak was impressive, this team missed the playoffs. They never even saw first place in their division. The Giants would finish 4th by the end of the season, seven games out of first.

Anything can happen

Anything can truly happen in baseball. A team that never got close enough to sniff first place in their division set the record for the most wins in a row in MLB history. It’s just one of the things that couldn’t be found in any other sport. 

The best way to describe this was said in a 2011 press conference with then Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington.

“That’s the way baseball go.” – Ron Washington

Daly Dose 09-29-21 The dumbest Dallas Cowboy

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, an NFL player makes a really dumb move, the NFL Playoffs will be stretched to Monday night, and we have a wild story in soccer that we are hoping becomes a trend throughout the world!

Daly Doses 09-28-21: Thoughts, reflections, and derision from the Mile High City

The Denver Broncos are now 3-0 for the first time since 2016, after posting their first shutout since 2019. Denver blanked the New York Jets on Sunday 26-0.

While those sound like historic numbers, the fact is you can make a pretty strong case that the Broncos have played the three worst teams in the NFL in the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets.

But you know what is worse than starting 3-0 against three really bad teams?

NOT starting 3-0 against three really bad teams.

Yes the Broncos have played bully to three patsies, but they have also beat those bad teams by a combined score of 76-26.

So of course, many fans in the Mile High region are getting way too excited, and booking their trips for Super Bowl Sunday.

It’s hard to blame them. After four or five seasons of watching Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, and Drew Lock this feels like a monumental change.

Teddy Bridgewater actually looks like a bona fide NFL quarterback.

We haven’t seen that in awhile.

Forgive our overenthusiasm.

If you were starving in the woods for five years, and someone offered you a Salisbury steak microwave dinner, you would swear that steak was a filet mignon.

Maybe Teddy is a filet, we will soon find out, but the injuries are really beginning to stack up, and that won’t help.

Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Josey Jewell, Bradley Chubb, and Ronald Darby are all missing significant time, and we are still waiting to hear the final word on Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow.

I’m not sure this team has the depth to overcome many more of these losses.

The month of October is going to look very different from a schedule standpoint.

Next up for this team are games versus the Baltimore Ravens, at the Pittsburgh Steelers, hosting the Las Vegas Raiders, home against the Cleveland Browns, and at the Washington Football Team.

No it isn’t exactly murderer’s row, but that is a massive upgrade from what they have faced so far.

Just look at the difference in quarterbacks.

So far the Broncos have beaten Daniel Jones, Trevor Lawrence, and Zack Wilson.

By the end of October they will have possibly faced Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger, Derek Carr, Baker Mayfield, and Taylor Heinicke.

Those two groups are very very different.

We thought the preseason was over back in August.

The preseason is over now.

Let the regular season truly begin.

Daly Dose 09-22-21 Our Daly Dose Power Rankings for CFB, MLB, and the NFL

This week on the Daly Dose, we are celebrating the first day of fall! 

The NFL is seeing far too many injuries early, and we have a theory as to why that might be happening. The USC Trojans had a wild weekend, and we look at whether their big win over Washington State is actually a good thing. 

Then, we are bringing back our Daly Dose Power Rankings! With the playoffs approaching quickly, who are the best teams in Major League Baseball right now? We also look at the best teams in College Football, and we rank the Top 5 teams right now in the NFL!

Then, this week our Daly Dose Top 5 counts down the college football programs that used to be considered among the elite in the country, but have now fallen on very hard times!

What went wrong with the San Diego Padres?

By Jimmie Searfoss

This was supposed to be their year. The Padres had done everything right coming into the season. They had made moves for Cy Young contenders Yu Darvish and Blake Snell in the off season, their star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr was an MVP favorite, and they were picked by many to win the World Series. Now, they sit only two games over .500, they’re arguing in the dugout, and they sit five games out of a wild card spot.

What happened?

Having a Padres team disappoint after an exciting offseason is nothing new. They did it in 2014. This team was supposed to be different. The 2021 Padres have generational talent in Tatis Jr. Their starting pitching was elite. This team was supposed to be taking the NL West for the first time since 2006. That didn’t happen. Here’s why:

Starting Pitching

Moving into the 2021 season the Padres had assembled a starting rotation featuring Mike Clevinger, Joe Musgrove, as well as Darvish and Snell. Right off the bat, they faced issues when it was announced Clevinger was going to miss the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery.

While this was a blow to their starting rotation, their other stars were supposed to be more than

capable of getting the job done without him. They have not.

Their star starters simply have not gotten the job done, specifically Snell and Darvish, who have severely regressed since last season. Snell, who is currently injured, has a 4.20 ERA while Darvish’s is 4.13. Darvish has struggled significantly since the ban of sticky substances went into effect in June. Each month since he has had an ERA above six. The Padres starting pitching sits at the bottom half of the league when it comes to ERA. Their 4.41 has left them scrambling to find alternatives. They’ve used young talent, as well as experimented with older talent such as Jake Arrieta, to attempt to get something solid on the mound. They’ve been throwing seemingly everything at the wall, but nothing has stuck.

Eric Hosmer

Eric Hosmer has been a 21-million-dollar hole in the infield since he came to San Diego in 2018. This year, the first baseman has hit .266, which is relatively fine when it comes to first basemen. Players like Max Muncy and Pete Alonso have lower averages than that. But if a player is going to have a low average, they better provide something else. With a first baseman, that’s usually in the form of power. Muncy and Alonso each have 34 home runs, Hosmer has 11. In fact, Hosmer doesn’t bring much power to the table at all. He’s slugging only .388. He doesn’t get on base much either, his percentage is at .335. Hosmer was among the league’s best first baseman when he came to the west coast. Since then, he has been below average. It isn’t going to get better either. Eric Hosmer signed an eight-year $144,000,000 contract with the Padres. It would be hard to convince another team to pick that up. So the Padres are stuck with him.

Tension

The recently leaked footage of the dugout argument between Machado and Tatis Jr is said to be resolved. “We’ve got a team that’s trying to compete and get to the World Series. We haven’t been playing such great baseball, so emotions get involved, and it gets the better of us,” Machado told AJ Casavell. Machado is known to express his emotions on the field, but getting into yelling matches with your own team is always a bad look. This is a reminder that this is still a young team that is learning to deal with adversity. Throwing in a personality like Machado is like pouring gasoline on a fire. However, if this is happening in the dugout, what is happening in the locker room? How long have tensions run high among the team? Are there more problems than what the outside world knows? This could be signs of cracks in the foundation for the team.

Runs (Not) Batted In

All season long, the Padres haven’t had issues getting on base. They’re among the best when it comes to on-base percentage as well as walks. However, they struggle getting those people on-base back home. As a team, the Padres have been incredibly mediocre when it comes to batting with runners on base. When it comes to batting average, slugging, and on-base plus slugging, they hover right around the middle of the league. In fact, when it comes to scoring runs, they are 16th in the league. They haven’t been great on the long ball either. Only 168 home runs have been hit by the Padres,  just 24th in baseball.The Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers all rank in the top half of the league in scoring. With those opponents making up most of their games, their lack of runs has been a serious issue, leading them to where they are today. Late in close games, they’ve lacked even more. Their slash line in late and close games is among the worst in baseball at .201/.309/.348. That tells us when needed most, the Padres simply haven’t been able to produce.

Conclusion

With this year’s showing of what this team can do, is it time to start worrying about the Padres future?

No, not even close.

This team is still ridiculously young. They had a very strong first half. For quite a few of the young players on this team, this is one of their first full seasons. Last year’s schedule was only 60 games, and it can be a rough adjustment for young players getting back to a full 162 games. Experience brings consistent productivity throughout the season. Unless some miracle happens and they make it to the playoffs this year, expect the Padres to be dangerous in 2022.

Daly Dose 09-22-21 Our Daly Dose College Football Power Rankings

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we are bringing back the Daly Dose power rankings!

With the college football season nearly a month old, we are ranking the Top 5 CFB teams in the country right now!

Which teams are passing the eye test to make our list?

Daly Doses 09-21-21: Thoughts, reflections, and derision from the Mile High City

With the Colorado Buffaloes getting blown out by Minnesota, the Colorado State Rams sitting at 1-2, and the Air Force Falcons losing a shootout to Utah State, I think it’s safe to say that we will be skipping the local college scene this week.

Once again, college football flounders in the Rocky Mountain region.

I wonder why.

Note of interest: According to USA Today in 2019, the last full season before covid, Colorado spent $98 million dollars on their athletic programs. Colorado State and Air Force each spent around $54 million.

Just for perspective, Alabama spent $185 million, Oklahoma spent $159 million, and even Nebraska spent $124 million on their athletic programs.

I think we have solved that little mystery.

So while we might not have much to cheer about on Saturdays in this region, at least the Denver Broncos are now 2-0, after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-13 on Sunday.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been better than anyone could imagine, throwing for nearly 600 yards, and five touchdowns, in two games.

And no turnovers.

Let me repeat that for the stubborn Drew Lock supporters.

Zero turnovers.

As good as Teddy and the Broncos have looked in their two wins, there are a few reasons for caution.

The competition hasn’t been strong.

The New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars look like two of the worst teams in the league.

I mean, you can’t blame the Broncos for that. They just play who the schedule tells them to play. The New York Jets shouldn’t offer much more resistance in Week 3.

After that, we will find out who these Broncos really are.

I am also a little worried that in the first two games, the running game has struggled to find consistency.

The 70 yard Melvin Gordon run against the Giants may skew the stats a little, but take that away, and the Broncos are averaging just 95 yards per game on the ground.

Improving that number would help both Bridgewater, and the Denver defense.

Speaking of that Denver defense, yes I like the final result. However, there are times that I am growing concerned with the lack of an inside pass rush.

We have seen that good quarterbacks are more than capable of evading that edge pass rush, stepping up in the pocket, and making a play downfield.

Maybe you can beat Daniel Jones, Trevor Lawrence, and possibly Zack Wilson without getting up in their face by means of a middle pass rush.

But Derek Carr, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes are coming.

They won’t be nearly as kind.

Head coach Vic Fangio has quieted his critics for the time being.

If he wants to keep them quiet, he will have to find a way to upgrade his pass rush. When it is good, this defense is going to be a handful.

When it isn’t, even Daniel Jones and Trevor Lawrence have been able to find open receivers.

Can the Broncos make the playoffs? Who knows? But they have won two games that they SHOULD have won.

It is a long season. The Broncos will take whatever win they can get.

The only thing better than 2-0, would be 3-0.

Daly Dose 09-15-21 The biggest overreactions from NFL Week 1

This week on the Daly Dose, it is National Online Learning Day, and we discuss the best ways to bring some attention to this important day. 

Major League Baseball announced last week that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not be returning any time soon, and we explain why. 

The USC Trojans have already fired their head coach, and we couldn’t get enough of Peyton and Eli Manning on Monday Night Football. Plus, Cam Newton let everyone know last week why the New England Patriots decided to release him. We discussed his interesting theory. 

Then, with College Football finishing up their second full week of the season, and the NFL completing Week 1, we take a look at some of the biggest overreactions for the young season. Is the Pac 12 back? Are the Dallas Cowboys a true contender? What should we make of the New Orleans Saints impressive Week 1 performance?

Finally, with the NFL’s opening week in the books, we countdown the Top 5 most memorable Week 1 games in history!

My experience from the University of Colorado student section

By Jimmie Searfoss

CU student section gets involved with a chant. (Max Sassaman/CU Independent)

Before this year I had never attended a college football game from the student section. After Saturday, September 11, I have had the full experience.

By full experience, I mean I saw two very different student sections from two very different schools.

On September 11, the University of Colorado was hosting fifth ranked Texas A&M at Empower Field at Mile High. It was a game of two teams that hadn’t seen each other since 2009, where Colorado hung on to beat the Aggies 35-34.

A lot has changed since then. Texas A&M spent its 2010’s having some of the best football their programs had ever seen. Names like Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans brought the Aggies to the center of college football as they sat atop the SEC.

Colorado on the other hand, has not seen the same success.

The Buffaloes have struggled to win for the past decade. They’ve gone through four head coaches since 2010, with only two bowl appearances, both losses. While they had a decent season in 2020, they are still seen by college football as an overall below average team.

With the betting line favoring Texas A&M by 17 points, Colorado was a severe underdog. It was supposed to be a blowout and the fans knew it.

These were two very different football teams, but their fans differed even more.

Texas A&M’s fans, the self-proclaimed “12th Man”, put a lot of work into showing their spirit. It is common to see an Aggie fan sporting a collared shirt tucked into their shorts on gameday.

Colorado fans tend to wear whatever is comfortable at the moment.

Texas A&M fans unify their chants based on specifically choreographed dances done by their “Yell Leaders” who are found on the field directing the crowd.

Colorado fans yell whatever they feel like.

Texas A&M prides itself on sportsmanship, and hisses at referees rather than yelling, when they don’t agree with a call.

Colorado fans…don’t.

With the vast differences in these two fanbases the game was already going to be interesting. The fact that the game was close only heightened tensions.

Mile High was rocking. The crowd was packed with Aggies, perhaps even more than Buffaloes. The entire east side of the stadium was filled with maroon and white. Nevertheless, the Colorado fans let the Aggies know exactly how they felt about them all game long.

Chants about Texas, Colorado, cousins, and even Joe Biden were yelled around the stadium. Nothing was off limits.

At some points the student section wasn’t even facing the field, rather they were all turned towards the Texas A&M side, focusing their energy on them.

In the third quarter, one section ended up needing security after bottles of some sort of drink, hopefully water, was thrown from the Colorado side into the Texas A&M side. The fans began to yell at one another and even began getting a little physical before security stepped in.

The tension between the crowds of fans made an even more entertaining game more electric. Both team’s defenses weren’t letting hardly any ball movement happen. Although Colorado had the lead throughout the game, Texas A&M pulled out a late victory in the closing minutes of the game.

Texas A&M edged Colorado 10-7.

The game ended with chants of “SEC” with no response, for the first time all game, from the Colorado side.

After the game, the Colorado Barstool Instagram account tweeted out a post from a Texas A&M fan, summarizing the game from their point of view.

“If this wasn’t one of the most satisfying wins for you as an Aggie football fan, you weren’t here. As a group, these were the most obnoxious profane young people I have ever encountered. The boys were unshowered and smelled like weed. Half the girls were dressed like hookers. The other half like strippers. They chanted “F—A&M!” at least 10 times which certainly put last week’s BS chant over blown officiating into perspective. They threw things at our fans throughout the game. Their section was absolutely trashed at the end. Their entire student body appears to be unemployable,” said the post by @barstoolbuffs.

Clearly, not all enjoyed Colorado’s antics.

Regardless, I still enjoyed myself. Sko Buffs.

Daly Dose 09-15-21 The importance of National Online Learning Day!

This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, it is National Online Learning Day, and we discuss the best ways to bring some attention to this important day!