Tyler Anderson looks to get back on track against the Red Sox

Tyler Anderson opened up the 2021 season with 25 straight starts of 5 or more innings. It’s an incredible stretch, made even more so by the fact that last year was the shortened season, and you would expect a hiccup somewhere along the line.

It was an unlikely culprit that did him in, as he was unable to go five innings against the Astros. No, it wasn’t the Astros that were the culprit, but walks. Anderson had walked one or less in 16 of 25 starts, and hadn’t walked more than two all season. In fact, he only had five walks in his last 51 innings. He would walk three against Houston, throwing just 49 of 80 pitches for strikes before being pulled after 4.2 innings.

Tyler Anderson will look to start his streak back up against Boston

Since the Mariners acquired Tyler Anderson at the deadline from the Pirates, he has been one of the quietest and most consistent pitchers in baseball. There isn’t anything flashy about him. He’s struck out 6.75 per 9 since joining Seattle, giving up three runs three times, two runs twice, and one run twice. The Houston game definitely seems like an outlier, as the command just wasn’t quite there.

He will look to get back on track against Boston and Nathan Eovaldi tonight in the second game of the series. Boston can be a tough team to face with their ability to quickly put runs on the board. There is something that Anderson has going for him that could be a big help.

Unfamiliarity.

Even though Anderson has 108 starts, he has never seen Boston in his career. Sure, there are some players on the team that may have seen him before, but those at-bats are very limited. Knowing a pitcher’s tendencies and what his delivery looks like can be a big advantage to a hitter, which is something that Boston doesn’t have.

All signs point towards a low-scoring game. Nathan Eovaldi has a 3.57 ERA, but more importantly, a 2.86 FIP on the season. He eats innings as well, having thrown 163.2 on the season, good for 12th in all of baseball. If it’s 2-1 in the 7th inning, no one should be surprised. It’s good news for both starters, and they should be able to go deep into the ballgame.

That being said, it’s September baseball. I’m ready for anything. It’s up to Tyler Anderson to keep the Red Sox in check and continue the Mariners push for the playoffs as they chase the Red Sox in the wild card race.