Scoring in the first half of the Major League Baseball season dropped to its lowest level in 19 years and the game's batting average shrunk to its smallest midseason figure since 1985. There were 8.4 runs per game prior to the All-Star break, down 6 percent from last year's 8.9 at the midpoint and 20 percent from the peak of 10.5 in 2000. "The pitchers in the National League -- it's crazy," San Francisco's Pedro Sandoval said. "We've got Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee." Many offensive measures dipped during the first three months of the regular season. The major league batting average of .253 was down from .259 at last year's All-Star break. It hasn't been this low since at midseason in 26 years, since it sunk to .252 in 1985.