The Rangers concluded a flawless six-game homestand, bringing immense satisfaction to both the team and standout starter Andrew Heaney. The Sunday clash against the Marlins culminated in a resounding 6-0 victory, sealing an undefeated run at Globe Life Field.
Andrew Heaney played a pivotal role, orchestrating the bookends of this impressive six-game winning spree, a feat that stands as the Rangers’ longest in the current season. His mastery began with a triumphant outing against the White Sox on August 1. In the span of these two dominant starts, the left-handed pitcher astonishingly held his opponents scoreless for a combined 11 2/3 innings, including a remarkable 5 2/3 innings against the Marlins on Sunday.
Notably, both of the Rangers’ six-game winning streaks this season materialized entirely on their home turf. The team boasts an MLB-leading home record of 40-20 (.667) and has maintained a remarkable 13-2 (.867) record since the All-Star break. A compelling display of prowess was witnessed as they swept the Indians and Rays in consecutive three-game series from July 14 to 19.
Manager Bruce Bochy expressed his elation, affirming, “We’ve had a couple really good homestands, but this one I’d say was right up there at the top just because of how well we pitched and swung the bats, key hits and the defense,”
The timing of this achievement proved serendipitous. The Rangers endured a challenging phase, registering a 2-7 record in the previous nine games and a discouraging 1-5 record on the preceding road trip. The team grappled with defeats against their American League West rivals, the Astros, and experienced a sweep by the Padres in San Diego.
“We weren’t clicking on that road trip and had some tough games. To come back and have a homestand like this — I love the way they responded and came back. They just played with high energy — very upbeat, crisp baseball. These guys just did a terrific job of bouncing back off that tough road trip,” Bochy said.
Heaney experienced a welcome boost in run support compared to his previous outing, where the Rangers narrowly clinched a 2-0 victory against the White Sox. Against the Marlins, Mitch Garver’s well-timed RBI single in the second inning and Nathaniel Lowe’s impressive two-run homer in the third inning provided Heaney with a more comfortable cushion.
Impressively, Heaney has now attained a career-best 15 2/3 innings without conceding a single run, securing victories in each of his last three starts, beginning with the July 26 showdown against the Astros.
Heaney shared his insights into his recent success, revealing, “In Houston, I kind of felt something mechanically and thought-wise that freed me up a little bit. Ever since then I feel like I’m trying to maintain that confidence and kind of imprint that in my visuals and stay with that.”
The later innings witnessed a display of power, as Marcus Semien, Ezequiel Duran, and Adolis García each launched solo home runs, alleviating pressure from the Rangers’ bullpen, which had been slightly taxed.
A remarkable trend emerged during this homestand, as the Rangers achieved multiple home runs in each of the past six games at Globe Life Field, setting a new club record in this regard across any ballpark.
“The ball is flying out of here,” Semien said. “Earlier when this ballpark was first built, everyone talked about it being a pitchers’ park. It’s definitely been a hitters’ park, at least most of the time, for us.”
The bullpen’s contribution was noteworthy as well, with Aroldis Chapman and Will Smith, who had pitched thrice during the homestand, getting a well-deserved rest on Sunday. Chris Stratton, José Leclerc, and Martín Pérez teamed up to secure 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Bochy concluded, “Not just the starters, but the bullpen did a really nice job [during the homestand].”