big league chew

East Central Community College alumnus Tim Anderson celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday with a fine display of his multiple skills, slugging his 13th home run and stealing his 15th base for the Chicago White Sox. Anderson leads all Mississippians in the majors in homers and is tied with Billy Hamilton atop the steals chart. (Taylorsville’s Hamilton also got his 15th bag on Saturday for Cincinnati.) … Mitch Moreland, the ex-Mississippi State star from Amory, extended his hitting streak to six games with a 2-for-4 day for Boston that included his fourth triple of the year. He is 11-for-23 during the streak and has lifted is average to .300 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs. … Hunter Renfroe, former State standout from Crystal Springs, belted his fourth homer of 2018 for San Diego. Renfroe returned to the big league club from an injury-induced stint in the minors in late May but has just two homers since he got back. He hit 26 last season. … Meridian CC alum Corey Dickerson returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup after being away for three days on family leave and went 1-for-3. Dickerson is batting .303 with five homers but hasn’t gone deep since May 4. He hit 27 bombs for Tampa Bay in 2017. … Dickerson’s return to the Pirates’ active roster meant a return to the minors for State alum Adam Frazier. P.S. Worth noting from the minors: Zack Shannon, who hit 50 homers the past two seasons for Delta State, hit his first pro round-tripper on Friday for rookie-level Missoula in the Arizona organization.