Marlins had a good stretch

The Florida Marlins’ four-hit game Thursday at Houston ended a stretch of 15 games with at least 10 hits, a feat not achieved in either league since 1937 (St. Louis Browns) and in the NL since 1929 (New York Giants). The 1925 Indians had and ’22 Browns hold the record at 18. Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan (a rookie-of-the-year candidate) were the hottest Marlins during that stretch. . . . The Chicago Cubs were 27th in spending on their first 10 draft picks of the draft, ahead of only the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers and New York Mets. The Chicago White Sox, according to Baseball America, were 19th on the list but the third-most compliant in staying within MLB’s slotting guidelines. Only the cash-strapped Rangers (43%) and Toronto Blue Jays (81%) stayed under the slot recommendations more than the White Sox (84%). . . . The biggest spenders, compared to slots, were the Detroit Tigers (214%), Boston Red Sox (191%), Oakland Athletics (190%) and New York Yankees (177%). Look for firm slotting guidelines to be an issue in the next labor negotiations. . . . Ubaldo Jimenez remains the biggest pitcher with an undersized reputation. He has worked at least six innings in 21 consecutive starts, helping the Colorado Rockies make their run into playoff position. Don’t count them out of catching the Dodgers. . . . Albert Pujols’ latest distinction: If he stays above .300, he will equal Lou Gehrig’s big league record by posting nine seasons in which he has batted .300, hit 30 doubles and 30 homers and driven in 100 runs. . . . In his two most recent starts for triple-A Charlotte, White Sox prospect Daniel Hudson has beaten hyped Baltimore Orioles prospect Jake Arrieta and Andy Sonnanstine, who won 15 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last year, including two in the playoffs. . . . It’s almost unfair that the Phillies were able to trade for Cliff Lee. He’s 4-0 with an 0.82 earned-run average since the deal, giving up only 18 hits and six walks in 33 NL innings.

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