Robert leads the way as White Sox win third straight
Losing Tim Anderson Saturday was a bad thing for the White Sox.
Before they played the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Anderson landed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.
"It's nothing," said the Sox's shortstop, who led the majors with a .335 batting average last year. "It's mild, I would say. I don't see it being too much crazy of a time."
Having Luis Robert on the roster has been a great thing for the White Sox in the early going.
With Anderson on the shelf, the rookie center fielder moved to the vacated leadoff spot and sparked the Sox to an 11-5 win over Kansas City.
Through the first seven games of the season, Robert batted No. 7 six times and No. 6 once as the White Sox tried to ease him into the majors.
Robert hit first last season in the minor leagues en route to being named USA Today's Player of the Year, so the move to the top of the order was a welcome development.
"I was a leadoff in Cuba and I was a leadoff last year all season and that's my spot," Robert said through a translator. "I feel very comfortable."
Robert was 4-for-6 with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 2 RBI in the win over the Royals. It was the third straight for the Sox, who improved their record to 4-4.
Left fielder Eloy Jimenez and fill-in shortstop Leury Garcia also had 4-hit nights. Jimenez keyed the White Sox's 4-run first inning with a 3-run homer that bounced out of center fielder Bubba Starling's glove and over the fence.
Gio Gonzalez made his first start for the Sox, replacing the injured Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder strain).
The veteran left-handed pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings and had 6 strikeouts. Making his first major-league appearance after joining the White Sox from Schaumburg, Matt Foster pitched 1 scoreless inning and got the win.
• According to Elias, the Sox on Saturday became the first team in major-league history to bat four Cuba-born players at the top of the order - Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu and Yasmani Grandal.
• After placing Tim Anderson on the IL, the White Sox recalled catcher Yermin Mercedes from their Schaumburg training facility.