Anderson set to rejoin White Sox after missing 4 games with sore hamstrings
Tim Anderson had a good feeling about the White Sox Tuesday.
"I think tonight, we're going to play pretty good," he said.
Almost on cue, the Sox's offense came to life at Rogers Centre and erupted for 4 runs on 6 hits in the first inning while sending nine hitters to the plate.
They did all the early damage against Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios, who was acquired from the Twins at the July 30 trade deadline for two top prospects.
Coming in with a three-game losing streak and having scored just 1 run in their last two games, the White Sox finally got the bats going.
That should continue on Wednesday, when Anderson is due back after missing the last four games with sore hamstrings.
"It's a long season," Anderson said before Tuesday night's game against Toronto. "You want to be 100% and you want to go out there and give everything you've got. It's one of those just natural moments that things started tightening up on me. But overall, I feel great right now. I've been feeling great for the last two days, so hopefully everything continues to keep making progress and my body keeps getting better."
Anderson was 3-for-6 with a clutch home run and 4 runs in an 11-inning win at Tampa Bay Friday night.
The star shortstop has been out ever since, and his return will be welcomed by the Sox.
"I think he used good sense, being honest about what his legs felt like," White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. "We've missed him for three, now four days. We don't want to miss him for longer than that and that might have been what happened if he pushed it."
There's no need to push with the White Sox holding such a big lead in the AL Central.
"Just being smart," Anderson said. "We all know what the ultimate goal is, all our eyes on October. But you know man, it's tough, knowing the team's needing me out there. I want to be out there. The only way I'm not out there is if something is going on."
Anderson has been there for his teammates in the dugout the last four days, but it's not the same as being on the field. In addition to playing strong defense, he leads the Sox with a .303 batting average, 135 hits, 24 doubles, 78 runs and 17 stolen bases.
"I'll say that Tim was one of the guys early on that made the commitment to how far we could go," La Russa said. "And we've talked about it before, when your best players are the most committed, then everybody gets a boost. He's infectious. We're not celebrating anything yet, but we know we're in a good position."