Today, I’ve got a couple of things from last night’s game and then a bunch of stuff from around the majors. Enjoy, feel free to comment, and have a great weekend!

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* – Thursday night’s meltdown by Manny Delcarmen was the 10th time since the start of the 2005 season that a Red Sox relief  pitcher has faced 4+ batters and failed to retire any of them. 6 of those 10 have come in 2009 or 2010. It was the 2nd time this season and the 3rd time since last September 19 that it’s been Delcarmen. Only one reliever in Red Sox history has had more such appearances than Delcarmen: Bob Stanley had 4.

The all-time leaders in appearances where 4+ batters were faced and no outs recorded are Heathcliff Slocumb (no surprise there) and Arthur Rhodes, with 6 apiece. Fifteen others, including Lee Smith, Tom Burgmeier, Mike Myers, and Alan Embree, have had 5 such outings.

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* - Including Thursday’s 6-4 win in 13 innings, the Red Sox last six games have been decided by 2 or fewer runs. It’s the 3rd time this season that they have had a streak of 6+ such games (two of those streaks went to seven games and ended there).

Here’s the thing: Boston only had ONE streak of six consecutive games decided by one or two runs during the entire period from 2001 through 2009.

The Mets have the longest such streak this season (10) and the Diamondbacks’ 11-game streak in 2008 is MLB’s longest since 2004.

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* – Since allowing a HR to Ian Stewart in Colorado on June 23, Jonathan Papelbon has retired the first batter that he’s faced in his last 9 appearances, with 5 coming on swinging strikeouts. Of course, and apropos to Thursday night, the SECOND batters that Papelbon has faced have gone 6 for 17 (.353) with 3 doubles and a HR since May 18.

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* – Yeah, I wish Bill Hall had turned that double play, too. But it seems that Jonathan Papelbon almost NEVER throws a double play ball. He last got one on April 23 (now 31 appearances and counting) and the one before that came on August 22, 2008, snapping a streak of 86 consecutive appearances without a GIDP.

Another way to look at it:  Papelbon holds two of the three longest streaks of consecutive appearances (min. 3+ batters faced) without inducing a GIDP in Red Sox history:

90 – Keith Foulke, 2004-2005
83 – Jonathan Papelbon, 2008-2010
81 – Jonathan Papelbon, 2006-2007

The longest such streak ever? 140 straight outings of 3+ batters faced without a GIDP by Troy Percival from 1996-1999 covering 143 innings.

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* – The Yankees’ Derek Jeter has hit 224 groundballs this year and 52 flyballs. That groundball percentage (81.2%) is the highest in the AL since 1994. Add in the fact that he’s hitting just .226 on grounders this year (his lowest since a .205 mark in 2002) and you’ve got a recipe for a Jeter hitting just .272 (his lowest average in any season since he got just 51 PA and hit .250 in 1995). Here’s the weird part: Against pitchers considered to be “groundballers”, Jeter is hitting .291 (his 3rd straight season of improvement against this group). Against “flyball” pitchers, he’s hitting .279, and .256 against “neutral” hurlers (on the heels of .378 last season).

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* – Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki is well on his way toward leading the AL in infield hits for the 8th time in his 10 seasons:

30 – Ichiro Suzuki, SEA
28 – Erick Aybar, LAA
22 – Juan Pierre, CHW

The last Red Sox player to lead the AL in infield hits was Otis “My Man” Nixon, who had 35 in 1994.

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* – The Angels’ Torii Hunter is 6-6 this season with the bases loaded. He has raised his career bases loaded average from .295 at the start of the season to .323 now.

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* – The Red Sox are hitting just .225 with the sacks full this season (including Kevin Cash’s GIDP last night). Since 1974, only the 1980 Red Sox team has hit for a lower average with the bases loaded (.204).

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* – St. Louis’ Ryan Ludwick is hitting .446 this season with runners in scoring position and is among some pretty select company on the all-time (since 1974) leaderboards (minimum 100 such PA or on pace for 100+ in 2010):

.469 – George Brett, KC, 1980
.459 – Tony Gwynn, SD, 1997
.449 – Paul Molitor, MIL, 1987
.446 – Ryan Ludwick, STL, 2010
.445 – Ichiro Suzuki, SEA, 2001

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* – Currently there are 8 different players in the majors hitting .380 or better against lefthanded pitchers this season, including Victor Martinez (.431) and Kevin Youkilis (.383). The only other season with that many such hitters was 1994. No season since 1997 has featured more than 5 different hitters with a .380+ average versus southpaws (min. 125 such PA or on pace for that many in 2010).

Detroit’s Brendan Boesch (.448) leads the majors so far this year versus lefties.

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* – Toronto teammates Adam Lind (.118) and Aaron Hill (.135) have been just dreadful against lefties this season. Those would be two of the three lowest averages versus lefthanders in the AL since 1974 (min. 125 PA):

.108 – Benji Gil, TEX, 1995
.118 – Adam Lind, TOR, 2010
.135 – Aaron Hill, TOR, 2010
.140 – Jack Howell, CAL, 1989

Last season, Hill hit .298 versus lefties and Lind hit .275 against them.

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* – Did You Know? David Ortiz holds the single season record for fewest AB per RBI (1.50) by any opposing player AGAINST the Red Sox (since 1952; min. 25 PA):

1.50 – David Ortiz, MIN, 2000 (16 RBI in 24 AB)
1.88 – Kirby Puckett, MIN, 1994 (16 RBI in 30 AB)
2.00 – Victor Martinez, CLE, 2004 (12 RBI in 24 AB)

Not qualified (yet): 2.00 – Marcus Thames, NYY, 2010 (6 RBI in 12 AB)

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* – Texas’ Chris Davis has come to bat 30 times against the Red Sox this season and has yet to score or drive in a run. It’s the most plate appearances by a Red Sox opponent without a run or an RBI since the Angels’ Garrett Anderson had 32 in 1995.

The all-time single season “whitewash” mark against Boston is 52 PA, set in 1989 by Cleveland’s Felix Fermin. Oakland’s Cliff Pennington is well on his way as he has no runs or RBI against the Sox in 23 plate appearances this season.

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* – David Ortiz is hitting .181 this season (15-83) from the 7th inning on, including 2 for his last 12 with 7 strikeouts. Narrow it to 7th inning or later while tied or with the Sox trailing by one run and Ortiz’ is 3-21 (.143) with 1 RBI (which came back on May 18).

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* – Daniel Bard has allowed just a .353 OPS to lefthanded hitters this season as they are just 9 for 78 (.115; 8 singles and 1 double) against him. If that figure holds and he faces at least 11 more lefties, it would be the 2nd lowest figure in the AL since they tracked the stat in 1974 (min. 100 LHB faced or on pace for 100+ in 2010):

.286 – CJ Wilson, TEX, 2010 (.093 average allowed)
.353 – Daniel Bard, BOS, 2010
.365 – Mariano Rivera, NYY, 1999
.367 – Mariano Rivera, NYY, 2008

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