The number of supporters in Brian Anderson's camp continues to grow as he gets that ever-important one hit per ballgame. Today's was a laser of a double that drove in two runs, and he also got on base via an error and a walk.
While his line won't put him in Rookie of the Year contention (.174/.269/.308), his hits have been coming at a more regular rate. He hasn't gone hitless in two straight games since June 9-10. Considering he's had two slumps of 0-for-10+ this season, even a hit every couple days should do more for his confidence.
Here's a look at his ever-incremental improvement:
| Month | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | K |
| April | .161
| .264 | .290 | 62
| 22 |
| May | .167 | .281 | .292 | 48
| 14 |
| June | .196 | .268 | .333 | 51 | 10 |
He's getting there, and the people who matter seem to realize it. A quote
from Ozzie Guillen:
"I don't remember losing one game because of Brian. He
swings the bat a lot better and hits the ball hard with no luck. I like
the way his approach at the plate is right now. But when we talk about holes, I don't think we lose games
because of our center fielder. We didn't expect Brian to hit .200, but
we also didn't expect him to hit .350. We have to bring this kid little
by little, step by step. What he does is good for me. I'm happy where
he is right now."
And from Kenny Williams:
"We don't expect him to be hitting .175 by the playoffs, and even if he is, it's our business on who we want to go to
battle with. I know it's easy for people on the outside to say that we
can't go to the playoffs with a .175 hitter, but you know what? It's
mostly the same people that were dogging us late last year anyways. Honestly, we don't put too much stock in opinion outside of our
clubhouse. I'm not saying that to sound arrogant, but if we would have
listened to what people outside the clubhouse were saying, we wouldn't
have had our second baseman, our right fielder, the left fielder, the
center fielder, shortstop, half the pitching staff and the catcher. So,
sorry, we believe in what we believe in, and that's the way we'll sink
or swim.''
That's maybe the best thing he's ever said. Even if he's indirectly telling people like me where I can cram my advice.