Swinging at the first pitch he saw Sunday like the days of yore, Tim Anderson lifted a first-inning double that one-hopped the left-field wall and became the 19th player in history to collect 1,000 hits in a White Sox uniform.
“A proud moment,” Anderson said, with the ball saved in his locker. “Not a lot of people get to 1,000. To be able to accomplish that, definitely huge.”
An inning later, Anderson was already up to 1,001. In a 3-2 loss, his two hits with a run scored represented a disproportionate amount of the Sox’ offense as the Tigers completed a three-game sweep in front of a sparse crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Anderson has been improved since the All-Star break, batting .278/.333/.368. But he was too good from 2019-2022 for anyone, least of all Anderson himself, to confuse this with the genuine article. But a more studious hitter will emerge from this year.
“Learned a lot,” Anderson said. “Understanding how the body works. The body definitely don’t feel like it did a few years ago, so you are trying to learn a whole lot of different things and try to get back to where I was.”
Kopech struggles again
With five walks Sunday, Sox starter Michael Kopech is tied with Padres pitcher Blake Snell for the most walks issued (89) in Major League Baseball. With a 2.50 ERA, Snell has remained effective despite wildness.
Kopech is a different story. He was pulled after recording five outs, and has a 7.49 ERA since the All-Star break while averaging less than four innings per start.
“There’s adjustments that need to be made that I’m not finding at game speed right now,” Kopech said. “Having a short leash today was exactly because of that.”
Sox manager Pedro Grifol batted away any suggestion of Kopech being demoted to the bullpen now or in the future. The Sox are not exactly flush with options, but Grifol didn’t totally dismiss the idea of a mental break as Kopech’s struggles persist.
“Can’t begin to describe the disappointment I have in myself,” Kopech said.
Bumps and bruises
At 128 games played, with 25 games left, Luis Robert Jr.’s goal to make it to 150 is getting dicey. The All-Star center fielder was scratched before the game for the second consecutive day with right quadriceps cramping.
That there’s very little left to salvage this season is part of the calculus.
“He feels better but not enough to be in there today,” Grifol said before the game. “We’re always going to err on the side of caution, especially where we’re at right now.”
Grifol also revealed that Yoan Moncada felt knee discomfort after trying to beat out a third-inning groundout Sunday. Moncada finished the game wearing a knee brace and was noticeably slowed on a ninth-inning single where he represented a potential tying run.
Right-hander Jimmy Lambert also left his relief appearance in the fifth with right ankle soreness, an issue that landed him on the injured list earlier this season.
Extra time for Ramos
Like fellow top prospect Colson Montgomery, Double-A third baseman Bryan Ramos missed substantial development time this season with injury. Like Montgomery, the 21-year-old Ramos is expected to play in the Arizona Fall League after the season. After not debuting until late May, Ramos found his stride in August, hitting .306/.370/.510 for the month.
