StreakingJered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels (10-1, 1.96 ERA)Weaver is making sure he’s not passed up for the AL Cy Young this season, stringing together four straight wins and going 5-0 in his last seven appearances. The Halos’ hurler gave up just one earned run in his 27 2-3 innings heading into the break.
A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates (10-2, 3.68 ERA)Burnett’s tenure with the Bucs got off to a rough start, breaking his face during spring training and then going 1-2 in his first three starts for Pittsburgh. Since then, the veteran righty is 9-0 in his last dozen trips to the mound. However, while Burnett has been superb at PNC Park (6-0, 2.10 ERA), he’s not as sharp on the road (4-2, 6.55 ERA).
Slumping Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (9-4, 2.82 ERA)The Nationals are sticking to their guns when it comes to the innings limit for Strasburg, which doesn’t sit well with the budding ace. The right-hander has dropped three straight decisions after winning six in row, but that skid has more to do with a lack of run support and bad bullpen than Strasburg.
Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox (4-7, 4.43 ERA)Beckett hasn’t picked up a “W” since May 20, going 0-3 in the following six starts. The BoSox ace has traditionally suffered a dip in performance after the break, which doesn’t bode well for Red Sox Nation. Luckily, he owns the Rays with a 10-4 career record and 2.82 ERA versus Tampa Bay.