Anderson's 10-K gem leaves no doubt with Halos: 'He’s our All-Star'

CHICAGO -- After his performance against the Cubs on Saturday, it would be hard to leave lefty Tyler Anderson off the American League squad for the 2024 All-Star Game in Texas.

Anderson registered his best start of the season, tying a career high with 10 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings to lift the Angels to a 7-0 win at Wrigley Field. Anderson scattered just three hits and lowered his ERA to 2.81 in 112 innings over 18 starts. Anderson, an All-Star in 2022 with the Dodgers, will find out on Sunday if he’ll be selected to participate in another Midsummer Classic. But manager Ron Washington believes it’s a no-brainer.

“He’s our All-Star,” Washington said. “Our other All-Star, [Luis Rengifo], is hurt right now. But he’s been the guy doing a good job for us on the mound consistently. Even in games where he hasn’t been very good, he’s kept us in them.”

Anderson threw 98 pitches but didn’t get the chance to go for his first career shutout, as hard-throwing rookie Ben Joyce replaced him in the ninth. But Anderson was OK with the decision to go with Joyce in the ninth, as he was starting to feel some fatigue.

Anderson also added he’s not worried about being named an All-Star for the second time in his career because that wasn’t his goal coming into the year.

“Honestly, it's not a big deal,” Anderson said. “It's a cool honor if you can get it. This year I felt like my goal was trying to go out and compete and give guys a chance. I feel like last year, I didn't do that very well.”

The Angels entered on a five-game losing streak but drew some inspiration from veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar, who reached 10 years of service time and gave his teammates a speech during a special pregame ceremony in the clubhouse. The Angels have a young club, so it was particularly important to hear Pillar’s message of what he went through to get to the 10-year mark.

Anderson said Pillar’s speech also gave him some extra motivation heading into his outing, as he could relate to Pillar battling through adversity to reach the milestone. Anderson, who remains under contract in 2025 at $13 million, has a big month ahead of him, as he could also be a candidate to be moved before the Trade Deadline.

“He talked a little bit before the game and his mentality is what kept him in the big leagues,” Anderson said. “It’s something I could relate to. I felt like the last few starts I had gotten away from that, so I wanted to get back to the way I am normally and compete.”

The Angels scored early and often despite making a few outs in the bases in the early innings. They took an early lead in the first, when Logan O’Hoppe was hit by a pitch from Kyle Hendricks with the bases loaded. Keston Hiura, who was called up Friday to replace Rengifo, provided an RBI single in the second inning.

Hendricks departed after two innings with lower back tightness and the Angels took advantage of Chicago’s bullpen. The Angels broke it open with three runs in the third, as O’Hoppe and Zach Neto both provided RBI singles before O'Hoppe scored on an error on a stolen base from Neto.

“We were smart today,” Washington said. “We had some weak contact but it was out of reach for them.”

They scored again in the fourth on a double play grounder from O’Hoppe and again in the fifth on a solo shot from Jo Adell. Adell got all of his 14th homer of the year, as it left the bat at 110.2 mph and went a Statcast-projected 431 feet to left-center field. He embraced Pillar with a long hug in the dugout after his solo blast.

“He’s an unbelievable teammate,” Adell said. “We had a heart-to-heart about my approach at the plate and my setup [after my first at-bat]. And shortly after, I hit the homer. It was a cool moment to take a little bit of his experience and his advice and be able to go and produce.”

The offensive output was more than enough for Anderson, whom Adell believes should be an All-Star.

“He’s a guy where, every time he goes out, you expect seven or eight innings,” Adell said. “I don’t see any reason why he’s not [an All-Star]. Unbelievable stuff today. You saw him compete and make them beat themselves. I’m so excited to continue to watch him pitch.”