Anderson refuses to lose: 'He's so clutch'

When the White Sox felt flat late in the game on Friday night, Tim Anderson was there to lift them. When the game went to extras, Anderson came up clutch again, delivering the go-ahead knock in the 11th inning of a 7-5 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field.

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Anderson’s do-it-all evening included three hits, four runs and two RBIs. Like the bona fide leadoff hitter he is, Anderson scored all four times when he was the first batter of an inning.

“He's so clutch,” White Sox starter Lucas Giolito said. “We can always count on him in any situation. … Get Tim up there, and he's going to make something happen.”

Anderson cashed the game’s first run in the opening inning and contorted past a tag at home to score again in the fifth. But his ninth-inning solo blast was the run the White Sox needed most, as it reset a game that had been slipping through their fingers.

Chicago carried a two-run lead into the eighth thanks in part to Giolito, who fanned eight Rays over seven innings of two-run ball. Then came the bullpen, though, and things got messy in a snap.

Craig Kimbrel and Aaron Bummer combined to allow three runs on a pair of hits and three walks, handing the lead over to a Rays team that leads the Majors in comeback wins.

Enter Anderson, who launched a spinning slider out of the yard on a full count. Tie game. Ask Anderson how he felt digging in for that at-bat, and he’ll tell you it went exactly as planned.

“I believe in my work and, in those moments, it’s not pressure,” he said. “The confidence is at an all-time high, always. From the work that you guys don’t see. All you guys do is see me play; you guys don’t see the work that we put in every day. That’s definitely a huge confidence builder. So in those moments, man, it’s game on. The moment is never too big.”

Neither side scored in the 10th, providing Anderson with the chance at another sizable moment in the 11th. And he delivered, punching a single through the right side to score automatic runner Zack Collins. Anderson scored later in the inning for good measure.

Anderson’s 10-game hitting streak includes 19 hits (.388 average), four homers, 12 runs scored and 10 RBIs. His epic walk-off winner at the Field of Dreams Game might be the signature moment of his All-Star season, but Friday’s game was another reminder of how special No. 7 is.

“There’s nobody in the league, either league, that’s better than he is when you look at the whole game,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “You might think, ‘Oh, what are you talking about?’ Show ‘em this game today. … Watch this game and you’ll know all you need to know about him and his greatness.”

For as great as Anderson’s performance was, the White Sox still carried a bit of a sour taste from the heart-pumping win. Afterward, La Russa expressed great regret for pulling Kimbrel in a one-on, two-out situation in the eighth.

Kimbrel, pitching for the first time since Monday, walked his first batter on four pitches. He got to 3-0 on his second before lucking into a lineout. After striking out Mike Zunino, Kimbrel had a chance to escape unscathed, but that’s when La Russa made his move: Kimbrel out, Aaron Bummer in.

“When I look back at it, thinking about the potential Hall of Fame closer that he is, I sent him the wrong message,” La Russa said.

Bummer did allow the tying and go-ahead runs, but the results were secondary for La Russa. No matter how that situation had played out, he wished he’d given Kimbrel the opportunity to finish what he started.

Anderson’s night of heroics is important to note, but so is the White Sox situation at the back of the bullpen. Kimbrel will have more high-leverage chances -- in the regular season, and presumably in October -- and his ability to tackle them will be critical to the team’s success.

“He earned that challenge, and I took it away,” La Russa said. “I’d be hard-pressed to think about winning a great game and enjoying it less than I do right now.”