White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson continued his assault on the month of April with his sixth home run Monday.
He continues to do so with flair.
‘‘Definitely. Keep it from being boring,’’ Anderson said before the Sox’ 5-3 victory against the Orioles at Guaranteed Rate Field. ‘‘A lot of people don’t watch baseball. You have to do something to draw that crowd, whether it’s bat flips or whatever. That’s going to get the kids into it. I think the kids like that stuff, so going to keep doing it.’’
But Anderson won’t flip his bat every time, and he put it down gently after connecting for a two-run shot against Orioles left-hander John Means to give the Sox a 4-1 lead in the third inning.
Aside from the homer, Anderson didn’t do much. He went 1-for-5 but still leads the American League with a .375 batting average.
According to STATS, Anderson’s .385 batting average entering the game was the sixth-highest by a Sox player after 25 team games since at least 1913. His homer was the 73rd allowed by the Orioles, the most in history yielded by a team in March/April.
Designated hitter Yonder Alonso, batting .190, hit his fifth homer to give the Sox a 2-0 lead in the second. Catcher James McCann had three hits, including two doubles, in five at-bats to raise his average to .357. He’s 11-for-19 in his last four games.
The Sox (12-14) have won a season-high three consecutive games.
Two in a row for Banuelos
Left-hander Manny Banuelos, firming his grip on a spot in the starting rotation, pitched 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball for his second consecutive good start, both against the Orioles.
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Banuelos (2-0, 2.70 ERA) struck out six and walked three after pitching four innings of scoreless ball last Monday in Baltimore. He threw a career-high 93 pitches.
‘‘I tried to go as deep as possible in the game,’’ Banuelos said. ‘‘More than five innings was enough. I was happy with it.’’
Covey recalled
The Sox recalled right-hander Dylan Covey from Class AAA Charlotte, a day after relievers Nate Jones (elbow) and Ryan Burr (shoulder) landed on the injured list. Covey had a 2.51 ERA in five games (three starts) with Charlotte.
With Banuelos assuming right-hander Ervin Santana’s place in the rotation and right-hander Lucas Giolito expected back this week from a hamstring injury, Covey is expected to pitch out of the bullpen as a middle or long reliever.
Giolito close
Giolito (strained hamstring) threw a 50-pitch bullpen session, said he ‘‘felt great’’ and could come off the injured list and rejoin the rotation Thursday.
‘‘I’m ready to go,’’ he said.
Savings on Santana
Santana, who was designated for assignment Friday, declined his outright assignment to Charlotte and became a
free agent.
The decision relieves the Sox of further financial obligation to Santana, who posted a 9.45 ERA in three starts after signing a minor-league deal that called for him to make $4.3 million if he reached the majors.
This and that
Outfield prospect Micker Adolfo went on the injured list at Class AA Birmingham with soreness in his right elbow. He had Tommy John surgery on the joint last year.
• Outfield prospect Luis Robert went 4-for-5 with his third triple and eighth homer for Class A Winston-Salem.
