Anderson has rescued injured rotation
Players sometimes get their pride hurt in major league baseball, which can be a cold business. How they react tells you a lot about their character, not to mention determining their fit on a club going forward.
Such was the case last September for Brewers right-hander Chase Anderson. He had struggled through August (5.61 ERA in five starts) and was experiencing ongoing issues with home runs (he surrendered 30 during the season, most in the NL). With every Thursday a scheduled day off in that final month and the relief corps reinforced by expanded rosters, the Brewers decided to pare their rotation and “bullpen” the heck out games as they pushed for a playoff berth.
Anderson was a casualty of that plan, eventually losing his starting spot. He accepted the move without open complaint and then absorbed a bigger personal blow when the Brewers did not include him on their playoff roster after claiming the NL Central crown in a Game No. 163 showdown with the Cubs.
Some players would have popped off about being shoved aside at a key juncture, but Anderson was a good soldier, cheering on his teammates from the dugout, determined to prove he should be a member of the rotation when spring training began in 2019. But, once again, he found himself on the outside, looking in.
The decision was made to open the season with three young pitchers – Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta – in the starting rotation, joining Jhoulys, Chacín, the de facto staff ace in 2018, and Zach Davies, whose previous season was ruined by recurring injuries. That put Anderson at No. 6 on the depth chart, which meant another bullpen assignment.
Again, Anderson accepted his fate without creating a ruckus, vowing to stay ready should his services be required again in the rotation. And it didn't take too long for that to happen. Before April was done, Peralta and Burnes pitched their way into the bullpen, being replaced by Anderson and Gio Gonzalez, signed as a free agent after exercising an “out” clause with the Yankees.
“I embraced throwing in the bullpen,” Anderson said. “That's the only way to be successful when adversity happens. You embrace that role. You try not to think about negative things. You take the positive out of it.
“I've done that my whole life and it pays off.”
There has been no budging Anderson from the rotation since. In fact, with injuries ravaging the starting corps since the all-star break, the 31-year-old Texan has become the anchor of the dwindling group.
Woodruff – who emerged as by far the best starter (11-3, 3.75) – was felled by a strained left oblique, which will keep him out of action until sometime in September. Chacín, struggling mightily (3-10, 5.79) and was next to go down, with a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle. On the last road trip, Davies was sidelined with a lower back issue, which is not expected to keep him out for an extended period.
Faced with what became a starting pitching crisis, the Brewers traded for Jordan Lyles and moved Adrian Houser from the bullpen, where he was thriving, to the rotation. Thanks to a spate of days off this month, the team is skating by with four starters: Lyles, Houser, Gonzalez and, of course, Anderson.
When the Brewers needed Anderson most, he has delivered. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last nine starts, a remarkably consistent stretch. Primarily because of scant run support, Anderson was credited with victories just twice over that stretch, leaving him with a 5-2 record and 3.70 earned run average, noteworthy on a starting staff with a 4.73 ERA for the season, ranked 12th in the NL.
“That's a very impressive run, and very consistent,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday night after Anderson delivered 52⁄3 solid innings in a 4-3 victory in Pittsburgh. “That's what Chase has been for us. He has been very, very consistent.”
Anderson, a fly-ball pitcher who pays the price at hitter-friendly Miller Park, still is plagued occasionally by homerun pitches (14 in 992⁄3 innings). And he regularly struggles the third time through the batting order, a reason Counsell often gives him the hook after five innings, even if cruising with a manageable pitch count.
With an overworked relief corps and a “bullpen game” coming the next day, Counsell wanted to get Anderson through six innings, and perhaps even seven, against the Pirates. But Anderson found trouble in the sixth, some of it not really his fault – third baseman Mike Moustakas allowed a chopper by José Osuna down the third-base line to get by for an RBI double – and was removed with two outs.
Even minus deep outings, Anderson has been an invaluable resource for the Brewers, who saw their starting rotation torn apart by injuries and poor performance. Ever a good teammate with a positive attitude, he put behind him the disappointments of last fall and this spring to be ready when needed.
“For me, it's continuing to understand that I know what I can do when I'm on the mound,” Anderson said. “And keep my confidence level at a high, even when some outside sources don't think I'm able to be in the rotation. They had guys they wanted to try, and rightfully so.
“I continue to stay optimistic and give this team a chance to win. That's the most rewarding thing.”
Those “outside sources,” of course, were Anderson's bosses. And he certainly has the right to publicly say, “I told you so,” which he never would do. He is letting his performance do the talking.
Anderson, who is making $6 million this season on a two-year deal, has a club option for 2020 for $8.5 million, with a $500,000 buyout (he has another club option in 2021 for $9.5 million). At this point, considering what starting pitching costs these days, it would seem an easy decision for the Brewers to pick up that option.
Despite a few figurative slaps to the face, Anderson has proven this season to have value.