Andrew Heaney went into the game with four wins and thirteen losses. That’s far from what anyone would call a good won-lost record.
He hadn’t won a start since July 21, nine starts prior. At least he could take solace in knowing he had more wins in his twenty-seven starts (four) than Justin Foscue had hits in his twenty-eight at-bats (two).
But the thirty-three-year-old lefty Heaney wasn’t pitching like a guy who was 4-13. He was pitching like a guy stuck on a team that could not score runs.
In his last seven starts, and in eighteen of his twenty-seven starts, had received two-or-fewer runs of support. So, his thirteen losses were not indicative of how we was pitching. It was almost to the point where he was going to have a bake sale to raise money for run support.
The last Ranger with thirteen losses was Jordan Lyles, who did earn every one of those losses with his 5.15 ERA.
Heaney’s ERA is 3.84.
The Rangers scored five runs in the first two innings to give Heaney a rare lead, and rare breathing room. Even more rare, they did it with three home runs. Heaney gave back three of those runs in the fourth inning, but pitched six innings (coming out after the first batter in the seventh reached on a error and eventually scored), three earned runs, eight strikeouts.
And a win.
*****
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