Don't look now, but Nick Markakis has a 16 game hit streak going.
Tomorrow night Nick the Stick goes up against Roy "Doc" Halladay, against whom he is 7-30 lifetime, good for a not-so-good .233 average. On the season Markakis is hitting .381, good for a very good third best in the American League.
No doubt, Markakis is enjoying the best season of his career. He has three years of experience under his belt and has the added benefit of having dangerous hitters (Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora) hitting behind him, as well as two players who excel at getting on base hitting ahead of him (Adam Jones and Brian Roberts).
As a result, he has become one of the most complete, albeit dangerous hitters in the game. His 22 RBI on the season are good for third in the AL and his 23 runs scored are second best in the league.
In addition, his 13 walks are good for 10th in the league, making his on base percentage the third best in the AL.
On defense he has also made his mark. He does have two errors on the season, but his three outfield assists rank second in all of baseball, a category he led the league in last year.
Back to the streak, though. If Markakis can manage to knock a hit off of Halladay, he gets to face David Purcey (2 for 2, 1.000 avg).
If he gets through Purcey he's looking at a matchup with Scott Richmond (1 for 3, .333 avg). If he manages through that game, he gets his shot at 20 against Rays lefty Scott Kazmir who he hits .467 against (7 for 15).
No pressure Nick, and I hope I didn't just jinx it.
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