The Sublime and the Ridiculous

White Sox leadoff man and shortstop Tim Anderson went 3-for-6 last night against the Rays at Tropicana Field, hitting a game-tying homerun in the top of the ninth before driving in what proved to be the winning run in the eleventh. Afterwards, manager Tony La Russa said there’s nobody “better than he is when you look at the whole game.” (team website) In that case, why is Anderson sitting today? The same could be asked of centerfielder Luis Robert, who contributed two hits and an RBI to go with what Anderson did. I’m not reading anything about injuries to either player, so what gives? For that matter, why in God’s name did La Russa walk Nelson Cruz with two out in the eighth, which not only loaded the bases but moved two Tampa runners into scoring position? To get the lefty-lefty matchup with Sox reliever Aaron Bummer vs. Austin Meadows? Too bad Meadows singled in two runs on the first pitch he saw. Truly, if the Sox do anything in the postseason, it will be in spite of La Russa, not because of him. Unless, of course, today’s leadoff hitter Cesar Hernandez actually does something in Anderson’s place. I’m not holding my breath.