Anderson shows glimpse of vintage in win over division rivals

NEW YORK – While Tuesday night didn’t quite usher in vintage Tim Anderson, it was a step in the right direction for the former American League batting champion.

Anderson sparked a two-run rally with both his bat and wheels in his return from the bereavement list in the Marlins’ 4-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.

“I was feeling a little bit more free, allowing myself to just play and not think too much,” Anderson said. “Being able to make a few adjustments -- and also being able to go through fam over the little break that I had -- so just trying to get back to what I used to do.”

With Miami trailing, 2-1, Anderson led off the go-ahead fifth with a single up the middle on a two-strike changeup from right-hander Tylor Megill. When Nick Fortes followed suit with a chopper to third, Anderson rounded second, saw a vacated third base and beat shortstop Francisco Lindor’s tag with some heads-up baserunning. His 29 feet per second sprint speed was just shy of elite (30 ft/sec), but well above his season average (26.9 ft/sec).

Excluding plays on which there was an error, there have been three other instances this season where a player began a play on first and then reached third on a groundout. The other three Major Leaguers were Lindor, Nationals rookie Nasim Nuñez and Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

“I've got every tool,” said Anderson, who later scored on Bryan De La Cruz’s RBI double. “If I'm able to get on base, then I can attack you [from] all angles, and you saw it tonight. So being able to have my legs and being able to get on base, just being able to attack them at all angles, that's the type of game I want to play.”

Miami then took the lead when third baseman Mark Vientos snared Jake Burger’s hot-shot grounder (109.9 mph exit velocity) but threw the ball away.

In the second, Anderson drove in the game’s first run with a single to left. After Jesús Sánchez led off the inning with a double, he moved to third on Otto Lopez’s groundout to the pitcher. Following Nick Gordon’s strikeout, Anderson lined a two-strike slider for his first RBI since May 5.

Tuesday was Anderson’s first multi-hit game since May 21, and just his seventh of the season. Both knocks came with two strikes, a welcome sight after he had slashed .144/.198/.156 with two RBIs in those scenarios this season.

“To get him going is going to be huge for this club and for himself,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “Nobody wants to get going more than TA.”

The nine-year veteran’s struggles at the plate stem in large part from his propensity for hitting the ball into the ground.

Entering the series opener, Anderson’s launch angle was 0.9 degrees (MLB average 12.2 degrees). Among 251 Major Leaguers with 100-plus batted balls (excluding bunts), it was the second lowest, ahead of only Harold Ramírez. Both hits on Tuesday had a 15-degree launch angle.

Anderson "topped" the ball on 46.5 percent of his batted balls this season – the second-highest rate among that same group of 251 players. His 65.8 percent ground-ball rate was by far the highest.

Anderson not only spent his time away over the weekend with family, but also working on his swing. He wouldn’t reveal who helped him, but the early returns are positive.

“It was kind of one of those resets that I needed,” said Anderson, whose minus-1.1 WAR ranked last among MLB shortstops with at least 170 plate appearances. “I got a chance to really break down my swing and obviously I got a chance to go swing, and it showed tonight.”

Anderson also flashed the leather, making a play up the middle to retire Francisco Alvarez with a running throw in the second. In the fifth, he began a 6-4-3 double play to help left-hander Jesús Luzardo, who allowed just Vientos’ two-run double across 5 2/3 innings. Three relievers combined for the final 3 1/3 frames, including two from closer Tanner Scott.

Outside of his two-error game in San Diego on May 27, Anderson has been steady at shortstop.

“It was great,” said a freshly clean-shaven Luzardo, who bounced back after allowing a career-high nine earned runs his last time out. “Awesome for him. I'm glad to have him back. He had a great game offensively and defensively. He's a guy that, when he's going, we're going -- so just happy to have him back and pushing for that going forward.”