Best-Tim Anderson SS Chicago White Sox-4-5 3R 3RBI 1HR
Tim Anderson won the batting title last season but most people still do not give him the respect he deserves. The White Sox has long been in the shadow of the Cubs and, frankly, has not been a good team for a while now. But that should not detract from the performances that make Anderson one of the top SS in the league.
On Tuesday night’s game against the Tigers, Anderson was one hit away from a cycle, registered the ninth four-hit game of his career, and helped the White Sox get their third straight win in a row. Anderson (.379AVG 5HR 7RBI 19R 1SB) has followed up last year’s breakout season, when he won the batting title, with an even hotter start to this season.
When Anderson is on the field for the White Sox, they look like a much better team. The White Sox are now contenders instead of a cellar-dweller like the team has been for the past five years. With Anderson leading off and taking over as the offensive sparkplug for the White Sox, they might finally be back in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.
Other Notables: Kenta Maeda SP Twins-8IP 1H 1ER 2BB 12K; Nick Ahmed SS Diamondbacks-3-4 1R 5RBI 1HR; Zach Grienke SP Astros-8IP 3H 0ER 0BB 7K; Jose Abreu 1B White Sox-3-5 3RBI; Yu Darvish SP Cubs-6IP 8H 1ER 1BB 7K 1W.
Worst- Frankie Montas SP Athletics-1.2IP 6H 9ER 4BB 1K 1L
The Oakland Athletics are in first place with one of the best teams in all of baseball but the performance they just had from their supposed ace, Frankie Montas, might bring some concern going forward. The Athletics pitching staff as a whole has been kind of a let down with injuries hitting their younger arms, Jesus Luzardo and AJ Puk. They have also had issues with inconsistent pitching, like Tuesday’s start by Montas. Montas has been a far cry from what he was in 2019 (2-2 4.74ERA 1.34WHIP 23K 13BB) with every statistic becoming much worse this season.
Luckily, the Athletics have jumped out to a nice lead despite Montas. Only time will tell if Montas will be able to shake off this horrible performance and come back stronger his next start. The Athletics need Montas to be the leader of this talented but young staff otherwise they will never reach their true potential as a team.
Extra Trash: Ryan McMahon 1B Rockies-0-4 3K; Dylan Bundy SP Angels-4IP 4H 4ER 4BB 3K 1L; Eric Hosmer 1B Padres-0-5 3K; Mashiro Tanaka SP Yankees-4IP 8H 5ER 0BB 2K 1L; Wilson Contreras C Cubs-0-4 3K.