As long as Tim Anderson is limited, so are White Sox lineups

Terry Francona might’ve left Logan Allen in one batter too long on Tuesday night, but spiritually, it’s more that he went to a right-handed reliever one batter too late.

In isolation, there’s nothing weird about having Logan Allen face Romy González, because there’s nothing objectionable about having any pitcher face Romy González, lefty or righty. González isn’t particularly dangerous in any form at the moment.

González just wasn’t the only factor. With nobody out, the Guardians were going to have to face at least one more batter beyond González, and the next three were right-handed. With the bases loaded, strikeouts were at a premium, and De Los Santos was a better bet than Allen for whiffs the third/fourth time through.

Sure enough, González stung Allen for a two-run double that put the Sox ahead, after which De Los Santos entered and struck out Tim Anderson, Jake Burger and Luis Robert Jr. to prevent further damage.

(Good for González, who defended Hunter Gaddis’ honor by saying that “everyone has their day in this game,” and then went out and proved that for the second time in three days.)

The sequence highlighted Francona’s mistake, but it also helped clarify why I haven’t thought Pedro Grifol was being obstinate or obtuse for batting Burger toward the bottom of the White Sox lineup despite all the crowd-pleasing success.

In theory, it makes perfect sense to want Burger batting as high as possible, because Robert is the only other White Sox hitter offering comparable production. But Burger also has the team’s highest strikeout rate at 32.4 percent, and given that he’s right-handed, there’s a chance that his flaws may be exacerbated by who is hitting around him.

In this case, he had Anderson in front of him and Robert behind him, which can help the opposing manager stop the bleeding if he has a right arm at the ready. Here’s how those three lined up against right-handed pitching before the game:

• Anderson: .224/.276/.255, 7 BB, 24 K over 105 PA
• Burger: .260/.304/.616, 4 BB, 25 K over 78 PA
• Robert: .245/.283/.517, 3 BB, 42 K over 157 PA

This feels easier to say after watching Burger wear the platinum sombrero, but we’ve watched opposing relievers shut down the White Sox all season, and the sameyness of the White Sox lineup is part of the problem.

It’s reminiscent of the 2017 Brewers, who led the National League in homers, yet finished 10th in the league in runs because they had too many high-strikeout righties in the lineup, which made them a little bit too easy to attack in late-game situations. They, too, finished near the bottom of the league in late-inning production.

This may not be a Jake Burger Problem. It’s probably just as much a Tim Anderson Problem, because Anderson is hitting .212/.259/.212 since returning from his knee injury, yet Grifol insists on batting him at the top of the order.

Anderson maintains that he should be producing better than he has, but I thought these paragraphs in James Fegan’s story were key.

Certainly narrowing his focus to what he can drive will make everything look smoother for Anderson. But there’s likely a physical component to his struggles, as seen in his effort to return from injury, on-field play that seems to lack his usual electricity, and just the behind-the-scenes view of him getting his knee treated before and after games. Sox manager Pedro Grifol mentioned that Anderson rediscovering his full leg stride in his swing post-injury has been a process and part of his struggles.

“That is part of it,” Anderson conceded on that last point, before quickly putting it on himself to be more disciplined. “I can say (my knee is a factor) somewhat, but don’t nobody want to hear that s—. They just want to see me go out and do what I normally do. That’s what I’m trying to get back to, plus be able to do more. Once I get back into my groove, once I get going, the sky is the limit. I’ve just got to keep believing in my work, trusting in my work.”

I’d respectfully disagree with Anderson and say that after all the injuries the White Sox mismanaged last season, people do want to hear that s—. Anderson and White Sox fans shared the frustration of a lower-body injury interrupting a hot start last season. He was hitting .359/.393/.503 before he strained his groin ranging for a grounder, and he hit .249/.287/.290 after he returned.

The same can be said this time around. Anderson was hitting .298/.327/.404 before Matt Wallner knocked his knee, and he’s hitting that empty .212 since. He’s trying for mind over matter, but leg injuries have defined him, because he’s hitting .252/.288/.293 over the last calendar year. That decent start covered only 11 games.

This is probably the most forgiving situation possible for Anderson. He has to play because the White Sox are in crisis mode, and everybody who could replace him would likely be worse. If he can play sound defense — with the occasional gem like he pulled off in the fourth inning — he’ll be doing what he can, and most reasonable people will realize that.

Anderson doesn’t have to consume the most plate appearances on a daily basis when he’s not physically capable of maximizing those opportunities. It’s especially costly when it limits the kind of batter who can hit near him. As long as a physically limited version of Anderson is entrenched in the leadoff spot, then the White Sox can’t stack whiff-prone righties behind him. Andrew Benintendi is batting second this afternoon, and that’s probably the way forward for the foreseeable future.

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