Kuzul

Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Michael Fulmer saw his historic run come to an end in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals, just barely missing out on a 10th consecutive start allowing either one or zero earned runs, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Only seven pitchers have pieced together streaks longer than Fulmer’s nine-gamer, and there have only been 11 instances since 1913 (including Fulmer) of a pitcher going nine or more consecutive starts with one or fewer earned runs allowed, per baseball-reference.com’s play index.

The rookie barely missed out on becoming the eighth pitcher with a 10-start streak, as he held the Royals to two runs (both earned) over eight innings in Sunday’s affair, eventually forced to settle for a tough-luck no-decision that still left his record at a sterling 9-2.

A supplemental first-round pick (44th overall) of the New York Mets in the 2011 June Amateur Draft, Fulmer joined the Detroit organization as the centerpiece of last summer’s blockbuster deal that sent star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets.

Although Cespedes struggled during last season’s playoffs, the trade appears to be working out just fine for both sides, as the 30-year-old Cuban outfielder has produced 38 home runs, a .294 batting average, .356 on-base percentage and .589 slugging percentage in 138 regular-season games for the Mets.

Despite being the young centerpiece in a trade for a highly-regarded veteran, the 23-year-old Fulmer has already given Detroit every reason to be pleased with the deal, sporting a 2.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 14 career starts (all this season), with 78 strikeouts and just 28 walks and six homers allowed through 84.2 innings (6.05 innings per start).

After allowing 14 earned runs in just 19.1 innings through his first four MLB outings, the right-hander has been dominant in his subsequent 10 starts, posting a ridiculous 0.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 7-1 record over 65.1 innings (6.53 per outing), albeit with a somewhat modest (but still strong) 55-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that span.

While Fulmer’s rate numbers might seem to hint at Cy Young candidacy, it will be all but impossible to overcome the reality that he spent his first three weeks of the season in the minor leagues.

His 2.13 ERA would lead all American League starters if he had enough innings to qualify, but his 84.2-inning workload still pales in comparison to those handled by the likes of Chicago White Sox lefty Chris Sale (125 innings, 3.38 ERA, 123 Ks), Boston Red Sox knuckle-baller Steven Wright (120 innings, 2.78 ERA) and Cleveland Indians fire-baller Danny Salazar (104.2 innings, 2.75 ERA, 118 Ks).

Fulmer might still have time to make up ground in a crowded AL Cy Young field that lacks an obvious favorite, if not for the general expectation that he’ll have his work scaled back even if Detroit (48-44) remains in contention, having never pitched more than 124.2 innings in a professional season (2015).

Including his 15.1-inning stint for Triple-A Toledo back in April, the 23-year-old power pitcher is already up to exactly 100 innings this year.

While the Cy Young Award may thus be pipe dream—at least for this season—Fulmer is undeniably building a nice case for AL Rookie of the Year honors, with his 1.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) putting him even with Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin (who only has 187 plate appearances) for the lead among AL rookies, per FanGraphs‘ measure of the statistic.

Other AL ROY candidates include Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara (1.1 WAR), Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim (1.1) and Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee (0.7). Fulmer may only need 150 or so innings to lock down the award.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols used a big game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday to move past Frank Robinson for sole possession of 10th place on MLB‘s all-time list for extra-base hits, per MLB Stat of the Day on Twitter.

Pujols entered the game just one shy of Robinson (1,186) with 1,185 career extra-base hits, and the 36-year-old slugger didn’t waste any time getting started, smashing a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning off White Sox starting pitcher Jacob Turner.

Although Turner did settle down for the next few frames, Pujols struck again with another two-run homer in his second at-bat, giving the Angels a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.

The advantage eventually grew to 8-1 in the fifth, with the Angels chasing Turner behind Pujols’ pair of homers in addition to a trio of RBI doubles.

Sunday’s outburst, while impressive, also happened to mark Pujols’ first extra-base hit since July 3 and his first home run since July 2.

Though his 17 homers and 64 RBI put him on pace to finish the year with 30 and 114, respectively, his rate stats are far below career norms for a fourth consecutive season.

Pujols’ current .429 slugging percentage would be the worst of his 16-year career, while his .248 batting average would be his second-worst, and his .325 on-base percentage would be third-worst.

Of course, he still has enough power and name recognition to stick in the middle of a weak Angels lineup, ensuring that he’ll continue to climb a number of all-time lists in the coming years.

Next up on the all-time extra-base hits list are ninth-place Lou Gehrig (1,190) and seventh-place Ken Griffey Jr. and Rafael Palmeiro (1,192 apiece)—all three of whom will presumably be passed by Pujols within the next few weeks. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Washington Nationals played an 18-inning marathon against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, marking the franchise’s longest regular-season game since 1989, back when the team was still known as the Montreal Expos, per ESPN Stats & Info.

With right-handed ace Max Scherzer taking the hill at home against Pirates rookie Chad Kuhl, it appeared the Nationals would have a significant advantage in Sunday’s contest as they tried to complete a three-game sweep coming out of the All-Star break.

However, Kuhl had different plans entirely, striking out five batters and allowing just one hit over six scoreless innings, eventually exiting with a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI double from outfielder Starling Marte in the top of the sixth.

Scherzer otherwise held the Pirates scoreless over his seven frames, as he struck out seven batters while allowing six hits, a walk and the one run.

Despite the excellent outing, Scherzer was in line to take his seventh loss of the season until Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy came through in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-out, pinch-hit solo home run off Pirates closer Mark Melancon, who blew a save for just the second time in 29 tries this season.

Following eight scoreless innings that took a heavy toll on both teams’ bullpens, Marte came up big for the Pirates once again, launching a solo home run in the top of the 18th off Nationals reliever Oliver Perez.

The Nationals did manage a pair of singles in the bottom of the inning, but Jon Niese then struck out infielder Danny Espinosa to end the rally and finish out a 2-1 victory.

Though Sunday’s game was the Nationals’ lengthiest regular-season affair since the franchise’s Montreal days, the team did play an 18-inning classic in the 2014 National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada held the Arizona Diamondbacks to two hits over six innings in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to record 11 consecutive starts with six or more innings pitched and five or fewer hits allowed, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks still managed to score three runs (all earned) off of Estrada, who struck out eight batters and allowed three walks.

Diamondbacks catcher Chris Herrmann had an RBI single in the third inning, and outfielder Yasmany Tomas added a two-run homer in the fourth.

Estrada thus saw his record drop to 5-3 despite setting a rather obscure MLB record.

The Blue Jays won each of his previous six starts but have won only seven of the 11 games during the ongoing streak.

Even with the modest record, Estrada could emerge as somewhat of a dark-horse Cy Young candidate, boasting a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 84 strikeouts and 37 walks through 93.1 innings (14 starts).

Granted, it’s a real long shot, as Estrada has never posted a sub-3.00 ERA in his career, often struggling with the long ball due to his fly-ball tendencies as a pitcher.

For the time being, the Blue Jays are just happy to have a de facto ace, as Marcus Stroman (5.23 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (4.08 ERA) have both been inconsistent.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Chicago Cubs starting rotation enters Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a cumulative 2.34 ERA, which would be the lowest combined mark by any team’s starters since 1919, per MLB Stat of the Day.

No starting rotation has finished a season with an ERA below 2.50 since 1981, when the Houston Astros rotation posted a 2.43 mark during a strike-shortened season, per Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago. 

Good health has been a large part of the equation, with Chicago using just five starters all season, as Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel have each started either 13 or 14 games.

Arrieta leads the way in terms of record (11-1), ERA (1.74), WHIP (0.95) and strikeouts (101), with Lackey holding the lead for innings pitched (94.0), just a smidge ahead of Arrieta‘s 93.0 and Lester’s 91.2.

Each of the five starters own a sub-3.00 ERA and sub-1.10 WHIP, and they’ve combined for 49 quality starts in 68 tries, helping the team to a 47-21 record.

The starting rotation has a cumulative 39-15 record, with the also-sturdy bullpen chipping in an 8-6 mark.

If not for the presence of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw—who is enjoying one of the finest seasons by a starter in MLB history—Arrieta and Lester would both look like strong candidates for the National League Cy Young Award.

As is, Arrieta still has time to make a run at a repeat, but it does appear an injury is the only thing that could truly stand in Kershaw‘s way.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins played an interesting contest Monday night, setting an MLB record for most home runs (eight) in a game in which all the runs were scored on solo homers, per MLB.com.

The Rockies—led by a pair of blasts from first baseman Mark Reynolds and one apiece from outfielder Charlie Blackmon, shortstop Trevor Story and catcher Nick Hundley—pulled out a 5-3 victory.

Story, Reynolds and Hundley all went deep off of Marlins starter Paul Clemens in the second inning, with the latter two going back-to-back.

This was after the Marlins hit a pair of homers in the bottom of the first, meaning there were five solo home runs within the first inning-and-a-half.

Although the pace slowed down from there, neither team managed a run that didn’t come from a solo homer.

For Miami, it was the heart of its order doing the damage, with outfielder Marcell Ozuna hitting a pair of homers and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton adding another.

Stanton’s long ball in the first inning brought an end to his 15-game streak without any homers, which represented his longest such streak since June-July 2014, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Meanwhile, Story’s homer was his 18th of the season, making him just the sixth rookie in the last 25 years to record 18 or more prior to the All-Star break, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen earned his 162nd career save in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals, and he passed Eric Gagne to take sole possession of first place atop the franchise’s all-time saves list, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Monday’s game was expected to feature a duel between Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw and Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, but the latter was scratched from his start due to an upper back strain, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

Yusmeiro Petit replaced Strasburg, and the 31-year-old Venezuelan struck out five batters and allowed three runs over six innings to notch a quality start, yet he was unsurprisingly outdueled by Kershaw.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner tossed seven strong innings, fanning eight batters while allowing one run on six hits.

Kershaw didn’t surrender any walks, which leaves him with an absurd 141-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season.

Jansen got one of his easier save opportunities of the year, as he entered for the bottom of the ninth with his team holding a 4-1 lead.

He proceeded to strike out first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and catcher Wilson Ramos, then he finished the game by inducing a groundout from third baseman Anthony Rendon.

The 28-year-old Jansen is enjoying arguably the finest season of his career, having converted 20 of his 23 save opportunities while posting a 1.53 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in 31 appearances (29.1 innings), with 35 strikeouts and only four walks.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera moved into the top 50 of MLB‘s all-time home runs list Monday night, hitting a two-run homer off of Seattle Mariners pitcher Nathan Karns in the first inning of an eventual 8-7 Tigers victory, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Cabrera did the deed with a mammoth 454-foot blast to center field, giving him 423 career home runs, tied with Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre for 49th place on the all-time homers list.

It was his third long ball in the last five games, which followed a 14-game stretch in which he didn’t have any homers, though he still managed to keep his batting average right around .300 during that time.

In light of the recent hot streak, Cabrera’s season-long numbers are starting to look more like what is typically expected, with the 33-year-old Venezuelan slugger boasting a .309 batting average, .382 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage through 70 games.

He has 15 homers, 43 RBI and 40 runs, putting him on pace to finish the year with 33 home runs, 100 RBI and 93 runs.

Each of those numbers, while impressive by the standards of nearly any other player, would actually represent modest production for Cabrera, who already has nine 30-homer seasons to his name.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen enters the week needing just one more save to pass Eric Gagne for sole possession of first place on the franchise’s all-time saves list, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Though only 28 years old and now in his seventh MLB season, Jansen is already set to hold a key record for one of MLB’s most storied franchises.

He had just four saves as a rookie in 2010 and only five more in 2011 before registering 25 in 2012 and 28 in 2013 despite working as a setup man for parts of both seasons.

Jansen has been the full-time closer the past three years, piling up 44 saves in 2014, 36 in 2015 and now 19 through the first two-and-a-half months of 2016.

His career total of 161 puts him even on the franchise leaderboard with Gagne, who collected 161 of his 187 career saves in a Dodgers uniform.

Gagne memorably won the National League Cy Young Award in 2003, remarkably converting each of his 55 save opportunities while posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 137 strikeouts and 20 walks in 82.1 innings (77 appearances).

Jansen has never approached that level of dominance, but he may end up having a superior career on the whole.

After oddly tossing exactly 82.1 innings in three straight seasons from 2002 to 2004, Gagne was never again the same pitcher, struggling with injuries and ineffectiveness while bouncing around from team to team.

Jansen did toss 76.2 innings back in 2013, but he’s otherwise fallen shy of 70 in every season, and he’s on pace for 64.1 innings (and 43 saves) this year.

Enjoying arguably his best season to date, the right-hander has converted 19 of his 22 save opportunities while posting a 1.59 ERA and 0.74 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and just four walks in 28.1 innings (30 appearances).

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Chicago Cubs enter Monday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 12.5-game lead in the National League Central, making them just one of four teams in the divisional era (since 1969) to hold a lead of 10 or more games by June 19, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

The 2001 Seattle Mariners had a whopping 19.5-game lead in the AL West at the same point in the year, while the 1999 Cleveland Indians (11 games) and 1986 New York Mets (10) also boasted double-digit advantages over their nearest divisional competitors.

The Cubs’ huge margin becomes all the more impressive when considering they play in a division that’s been one of baseball’s best the past few years.

The NL Central provided both of the National League’s wild-card teams last season, with the Cubs (97-65) and Pittsburgh Pirates (98-64) joining the division-champ Cardinals (100-62) in the postseason.

Since the addition of a second wild-card spot in 2012, the NL Central has accounted for at least one of those spots in each of the four seasons, even providing both teams in 2013 and 2015.

Granted, the division isn’t quite so strong this year, with the second-place Cardinals (35-33) and third-place Pittsburgh Pirates (33-36) likely already resigned to competing for the aforementioned wild-card spots.

Sitting at 47-20 following a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, the Cubs now have a chance to further extend their commanding lead as they prepare for a three-game series against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com