Tim Anderson exits White Sox’ 7-3 loss to Reds with cramp in hamstring

Anderson, who is chasing a second straight AL batting crown, exited the game Sunday with cramping in his right hamstring.

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Tim Anderson leaves the game Sunday with cramping in his right hamstring. (NBC Sports Chicago)

Shortstop Tim Anderson left the White Sox’ 7-3 loss Sunday to the Reds with cramping in his right hamstring and is day-to-day.

Seeing Anderson grab the back of his leg and leave a game was an ominous-looking development for the Sox, who are looking to clinch their first division title in 12 years and, perhaps more important, stay healthy as the playoffs approach next week.

That it was a cramp and nothing worse was something of a relief, but it will bear watching nonetheless. The Sox have seven games left, starting with a four-game series that begins Monday in Cleveland.

‘‘We’ll see how he’s doing on the flight from [Cincinnati] to [Cleveland] and see him in the afternoon [Monday],’’ manager Rick Renteria said. ‘‘If there’s any doubt, we’ll take a cautious approach with how we use him. If I’m 100 percent sure he’s good, he’ll be in there. If there’s any doubt, we’ll make an adjustment.’’

Anderson, who spent 10 days on the injured list with a strained groin in early August, grabbed the hamstring after he fouled off a pitch in the seventh inning. He tried talking Renteria and assistant trainer Josh Fallin into letting him finish his at-bat, but Renteria pointed to the dugout.

‘‘It was a cramp,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘It had loosened up, and we asked him to take a swing. He took it, then it spasmed again. So it was best to get him out of there.’’

Renteria said he didn’t think the hamstring was bad enough to require an MRI exam.

Chasing a second consecutive American League batting title, Anderson went 0-for-3 and saw his average drop to .360. The Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu also went 0-for-3 and leads the AL at .361.

Crochet’s encore

Left-hander Garrett Crochet, who made an impressive pro debut with two strikeouts and a grounder Friday against the Reds, made a second scoreless appearance Sunday. Crochet, 21 and a few months removed from his junior year at the University of Tennessee, touched 101 mph but did not record a strikeout.

‘‘It’s a pretty impressive arm and impressive in mound presence, impressive in composure and, obviously, impressive with his stuff,’’ Renteria said of Crochet, who is pushing for a spot in the postseason bullpen.

‘‘It’s been awesome to watch him, especially warming up,’’ rookie right-hander Matt Foster said. ‘‘You hear the ball hit the mitt, and it’s like a loud bang. You’re just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s crazy.’ ’’

Robert’s struggle

Center fielder Luis Robert going 0-for-2 but walking twice without striking out was viewed as progress. That’s how rough things have been going for the July/August AL Rookie of the Month, whose average is down to .232. Robert is hitless in his last 18 at-bats and is in a 6-for-60 swoon.

‘‘[Hitting coaches Frank Menechino and Scott Coolbaugh are] trying to get him to stay to the opposite side of the field, stay in the middle of the diamond a little bit more,’’ Renteria said.

‘‘We’re just trying to keep him confident. He’s got a lot of talent, so we’ve just got to keep encouraging him and keep working. Hopefully this starts to settle down sooner rather than later.’’

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