Dan Uggla’s Hit Streak Reaches 30 Games, Even As He Struggles To Stay Above Mendoza Line

One of the strangest streaks in recent baseball history continued on Tuesday, as Dan Uggla's fifth-inning infield single extended his hitting streak to 30 games in the Atlanta Braves' 11-inning, 4-3 win over the Florida Marlins. With two down and nobody on in the fifth, Uggla hit a chopper into the hole at short, easily beating out the throw from Emilio Bonifacia to extend the streak. He finished the game 1-for-6 with two strikeouts.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Uggla's 30-game streak is one short of the Atlanta Braves record, which was set by Rico Carty in 1970. (Tommy Holmes had a 37-game streak for the Braves in 1945, but that was when the franchise was in Boston.) It also ties the longest hitting streak in baseball so far this year - the Dodgers' Andre Ethier had a 30-game streak that ended in early May. The Journal-Constitution points out that Uggla's streak is the 13th streak of 30-plus games since 1990.

Uggla's hitting streak has been remarkable for a player whose greatest strength is his power relative to other second basemen. He has never hit much for average, and that's remained true this year despite the streak - in fact, he's still batting just .220. His average has climbed almost 50 points since his hitting streak began with a 2-for-2 game against the Rockies on July 5, but he's still among the worst major-league regulars in terms of batting average. The Associated Press notes that his .173 average when his hitting streak started was the lowest average at the beginning of a 30-game hitting streak for any batter with over 10 at-bats.