Statistically, hitting for the cycle is almost as rare as a no-hitter (276 cycles before tonight, 258 no-hitters) Two players hitting for the cycle in the same day had only happened once before, as Bobby Veach and George Burns (not that George Burns ... settle down, Gracie) both hit for cycles on September 17th, 1920.

Almost 88 years later, we have two cycles in the same day once again. Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks did it against the Cardinals tonight in their 8-6 victory, and Adrian Beltre cycled against the Rangers tonight in Seattle's 12-6 victory over Texas. Beltre's cycle was particularly interesting because the final piece of the puzzle that Beltre needed was a triple, and Beltre hadn't hit a triple all season (Beltre only had 25 triples in his 10 major league seasons.) But triple he did off Josh Rupe, and thus history was made.

Both players also had five hits in five at-bats for their respective cycles.

If you're a baseball fan who likes surprises, then the 2008 season has been a special treat. The Rays are the most notable team that has exceeded expectations, but the Twins, White Sox and Marlins are also surprise contenders.

Of course, those pleasant surprises have come at the expense of several clubs expected to be much better this season. Whether because of a big free-agent signing last winter, a deep October run last season or the (hint, hint) crushing burden of a massive payroll, the baseball landscape is littered with flops as August comes to a close.

The following is a countdown of the seven most disappointing teams this season.

7. Padres: Mired in last place in the abysmal NL West, it's easy to forget that this team won 89 games last year and was a (phantom?) Matt Holliday slide away from a playoff spot. Even when they were winning division titles, the Padres operated on a thin margin. Injuries and underperformance are at the root of their struggles.

Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the only offensive regulars who have played more than 100 games. Ace Jake Peavy spent a month on the disabled list, while No. 2 starter Chris Young has made only 13 starts. Veteran closer Trevor Hoffman has also been extremely shaky.

Brandon Morrow, drafted in the first round in 2006 ahead of Joba Chamberlain, is now trying to follow in Joba's footsteps, so to speak.

Morrow pitched out of the bullpen the last two season, including a very successful stint as a closer earlier this year before being sent down the minors to stretch out as a starter. Unlike the Yankees approach, Morrow was sent down so he wasn't rushed and so they were certain he'd be stretched properly.

If things go as planned, Morrow would take the bump in the majors for the first time as a starter against those Yankees on September 5. Not everyone agrees with the move, apparently:

''He's a great late-inning reliever,'' one AL scout said this week. ''Why would you risk that to make him a starter? I don't see it.''

With all the problems the Mariners have in nearly every aspect of the team, it's hard for me to justify keeping that kind of a talent in a setup role. In 40 appearances this year he compiled a 1.47 ERA with 47 strikeouts. He earned ten saves, but that was when JJ Putz was the shelf.

Far be it for me to question a scout, but I believe this move is a no-brainer.

I said yesterday that I'm doing my best to ignore the Seattle Mariners right now, but darn it, those bad little baseball players in the Pacific Northwest just keep grabbing my attention. They are so prolific at losing, they're even on the brink of doing something no other baseball team has done before.

Remember back in 2001 when the Mariners won 116 games? That was a pretty good team, even if they didn't make it to the World Series, and to think it only cost Seattle ownership $75 million to pay that team. This year's payroll is over $100 million ($116.8 million to be exact), yet it's not working out so well. In fact, as The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker points out, the Mariners are on the verge of starting a new club.

There's a very realistic shot at a 100-loss season, from which the Mariners are now just 19 defeats away.

They are also within sight of the franchise record of 104 defeats, set back in the post-expansion season of 1978. And attaining both of those marks would automatically establish the Mariners as charter members of baseball's 100-100 club - the first team to lose 100 games while spending $100 million or more in payroll.

And you Mariners fans thought the team had nothing left to play for this season. I only hope you all realize that they won't be able to do it without your support, so get out there to SafeCo and root your team on to defeat!

Seeing as how the Mariners really suck this season, I've kind of stopped paying attention to them. Of course, because of that, I forgot just how bad the team really is. Thankfully the three games I just saw them play against the White Sox in Chicago this week reaffirmed everything I previously knew.

One of the reasons the Mariners are so horrible this season can be attributed to the Erik Bedard trade. The Mariners sent Adam Jones, George Sherrill, the Space Needle, and majority ownership in Starbucks to Baltimore for the southpaw. While a lot of people thought the addition of Bedard would help the Mariners win the AL West (I only had them as the wild card, so I guess that makes me slightly less stupid), thanks to his injuries and ineffectiveness, they're fighting just to avoid 100 losses this season.

Bedard cost the Mariners their season, and the jobs of John McLaren and Bill Bavasi. Fortunately for all involved, the odds of Erik returning this season to claim the livelihoods of others are slim at best.

Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and [Jim] Riggleman both say that Bedard did not come out of his last throwing session feeling well, as he had in previous outings.

To fans and the media, what a team does in the MLB Draft pales next to a big free-agent signing or blockbuster trade.

Part of that is the gaudy figures thrown around during the hot stove season. The Red Sox, this year's top spender in the draft, couldn't even buy one year of Gil Meche if they shifted their draft outlay to the open market. Most of it stems from immediacy, though. A big winter signing answers the question who will help me today? A big haul in the draft answers who will help me tomorrow, but in most cases tomorrow is years away, if it ever comes at all.

Still, as the cost of free agents escalates, the draft continues to become the most important way to ensure long-term success. With that in mind, and with the deadline to sign picks in the books, here's a look at three teams who won and three teams who lost in the 2008 draft

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Tampa Bay Rays last night, which is something they're quite good at this season. I mean, they do it with a precision that nobody else in baseball has been able to match in 2008, and call me crazy, but I think they ought to be commended for that. So congratulations, Mariners. You guys are better at losing than anybody else, and you should be proud.

Unfortunately, some folks on the Mariners feel differently about this situation. Instead of taking pride in their ability to lose, some of the guys find Seattle's amazing consistency to be aggravating. Take Carlos Silva for example, who doesn't appreciate his teammates attitudes this season, and he's not afraid to tell us about it.

"I don't care if we are 40 games behind, we should have played better than this," Silva said. "For me, every game is important. For me, if we are where we are right now, we should take it one game at a time and play one day at a time. Thinking, 'We've got to win this game.' And when the day is over, 'We've got to win the next one.'

"Maybe half of the team wants to do the best they can. Take the starting rotation ... every time we cross that line, we want to do our best. No matter how many games we are behind. But maybe half of the team doesn't have that mentality. They are only thinking of finishing strong. And to put up their numbers. That's great, but that affects us. As a team, that doesn't work out."

One would think that a recently fired baseball executive credited with helming what is generally established to be one of the worst run operations in baseball would be unemployed for a while after getting the ax from said operation. Unfortunately if you're a Reds fan, you would be wrong about that. Less than two months after getting the ax from the Mariners, a franchise he destroyed on almost a comical level, Bill Bavasi has been hired by the Reds. From their press release:

Bavasi, 50, will advise and assist [Reds' GM Walt] Jocketty in matters related to the front office, Major League field and support personnel and scouting.

"We're excited Bill has joined our organization," Jocketty said. "Over his career of more than 30 years, he has worked in almost every facet of baseball operations. We will benefit from his experience and insights."

Maybe Bavasi's one of those guys who works better in an assistant capacity than he does running the whole operation. I don't know. But I do know that when you cite 30 years of experience, you should probably check to make sure that the last three haven't resulted in the debacle that's taking place in Seattle right now.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

While they have had many chances to take over the AL Central lead from the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins had been faltering all summer to capitalize on Chicago's mistakes. They would get to within a half-game of the White Sox only to lose every time Chicago opened the door.

That is, until yesterday. After taking three of four from the Sox and two of three from the Indians over the weekend, the Twins are finally on top of the division (again) where nobody expected them to be (again). Now today the Twins will begin to find out that sometimes the only thing tougher than catching the team in front of you is staying ahead of them once you get there.

Is it a coincidence that on the day the Twins finally woke up and brought Francisco Liriano back from minor league purgatory that they gained control of the division? Probably, but his presence in the rotation will go a lot further in helping them hold onto it than Livan Hernandez would have.

Will they hold onto their lead, or let it slip through their grasp? It's still too early to tell but they will begin their quest to put some distance between themselves and the competition after the jump.