Fading Mr. Anderson

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And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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MLB Wed, Aug 4, 2004
Fading Mr. Anderson
Jason Lake


Nothing says “money in the bank” like Brian Anderson.

It’s not that the veteran Kansas City Royals southpaw has been enjoying a Cy Young season. Quite the opposite. His atrocious 6.94 ERA has led the Royals to just three wins in 15 starts, and also earned Anderson a six-week trip to the bullpen.

No, it’s those hearty souls willing to swallow some big chalk that have seen their bankrolls swell by fading Anderson at every opportunity. That policy has earned the anti-Andersons 9.4 units thus far.

It must have been music to bettors’ ears when Anderson was put back into the Kansas City rotation last month. He had posted just one quality start in his first 11 trips to the mound, and he’s duly given up the cash in each of his three appearances since his return.

Even an excellent six-inning shutout performance against Cleveland went for naught, as the bullpen promptly gave the enemy a 4-3 win.

The Royals are folding their tents for the 2004 season. Juan Gonzalez is out for the year, Carlos Beltran and Jason Grimsley have been traded, and Joe Randa could be next depending on the waiver wire. Jimmy Gobble has been sent down to AAA-Omaha rather than suffer the shell shock of pitching for the parent club. But Anderson will continue to be rolled out to the mound every fifth day.

It wasn’t always like this for Anderson. He was a key part of Arizona’s 2001 World Series championship run, and just last year he posted a career-best 3.71 ERA for a young Cleveland team before Kansas City picked him up as part of their playoff drive in the AL Central.

That will seem like ancient history when Anderson faces the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Despite his failure to reach the pay window, the Royals opened as mere +115 home dogs against Chicago. That line had already climbed to +125 early this morning.

Oddsmakers have also pegged a total of 10 1/2 for this matchup.
 

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