Hogs in the Bigs, Week 9 Review

One more week of the regular season, and all five active Pro Hogs are on teams with legitimate shots at the Fall Ball, beginning next Tuesday. Okay, that’s made much easier with all the extra wild card spots, but STILL PRETTY COOL. Go White Sox. Go Marlins. Go Giants. Keep it rolling.

Brian Anderson (Miami Marlins) – .269 BA, 9 HR, 22 R, 35 RBI

Heyyy. Brian Anderson went and did a thing Friday night.

Hang on. Being told Brian Anderson kept doing a thing Friday night.

Wait a minute, I’m hearing that the thing that Brian Anderson did has been stamped permanently onto the Nationals.

Previous Week: Brian’s been raking as of late, and he’s tied for the team-high in home runs and is near the top in most other offensive categories. But he’s got to lead the team in absolutely absurd plays on defense.

Jalen Beeks (Tampa Bay Rays) – 1-1, 3.26 ERA, 26 K, 1 Save

Bad news struck Jalen pretty hard, when he tore his ulnar collateral ligament. He’s done for the year and will undergo Tommy John surgery. So he’s done for 2021, too. May he keep his head up, get after recovery, and come back stronger than ever.

Andrew Benintendi (Boston Red Sox) – .103 BA, 4 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB

They made it official: Benny’s done for the year. This was shaping up to be a lost year for Benintendi, at any rate, before he went on the Injured List. The goal now is to get ready to completely own 2021.

Logan Forsythe (Miami Marlins) – .118 BA, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; 0-0, 9.00 ERA

Forsythe went down with an oblique strain and was placed on the 60-day IL. He’s done for the year.

Dallas Keuchel (Chicago White Sox) – 6-2, 2.04 ERA, 39 K

Keuchel did fantastically in his first start back from the IL. He shut out the Reds and struck out seven in four innings of work. Clearly, he could have gone deeper, but he was on a pitch count. No need to reaggravate a bad back when your team’s already clinched the postseason. He’ll have one more start against Cleveland before the playoffs begin for the Sox.

Previous Week: Dallas missed his start last week, to rest his back. It sounds like the White Sox were just being ultra-cautious, and he should be ready to go as soon as he is able to be activated from the Injured List. That looks to be Thursday against the Twins, their biggest competition for the division crown. Should be epic.

James McCann (Chicago White Sox) – .302 BA, 6 HR, 17 R, 14 RBI

James had another big night against the Twins on Tuesday, smoking one out to left field. A few innings before that, he notched a double that scored a run and gave the White Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Keep an eye on Chicago in the playoffs, because I expect McCann is going to go off.

Previous Week: McCann had a NIGHT on Wednesday, against the Pirates. James McCann is gonna get paaaaiiiidddd this off-season. In the meantime, he and Keuchel are chasing a ring together.

Drew Smyly (San Francisco Giants) – 0-0, 3.94 ERA, 27 K

Smyly didn’t quite have the night he’d envisioned in his first start (and second appearance) after coming off the Injured List, exiting the game in the fourth inning. His eight strikeouts in a short night is absurd, and we can only imagine what he’d done if he hadn’t run into trouble so quickly. He’s got another chance coming up Tuesday, against the Rockies.

Previous Week: Smiles finally got back on the mound on Thursday, going four innings in relief and giving up two runs (one earned). His eight strikeouts were eye-catching. He’s going to be an important piece for the Giants as they try to get one of the final wild card spots.

Ryne Stanek (Miami Marlins) – 0-0, 7.11 ERA, 5 K

Stanek sandwiched giving up a two-run dinger in a blow-out win between two solid scoreless efforts last week. Ryne and the Marlins have a huge opportunity starting today, challenging the Braves in a four-game set for the division crown.

Previous Week: Ryne pitched really well this week, not giving up a single run in three mop-up duty appearances. That ERA that was stuck in double digits since July has gone down significantly. Look for him to get involved in tighter games as he shakes the rust off.

Thanks for reading. Go ahead and follow @ArkansasFight on Twitter. For Hog reactions and tips on growing and maintaining Keuchel-level facial hair, follow @lukecdavis.