Andrew Heaney helps Rangers shutout the weekend - June 3, 2024

Walmart Plus members save on meeting up with friends save on having them over for dinner with free delivery with no hidden fees or markups that's groceries plus napkins plus that vegetable chopper to make things a bit easier plus memb save on gas to go meet them in their neck of the woods plus when you're ready for the ultimate sign of friendship start a show together with your included Paramount Plus subscription Walmart Plus members save on this plus so much more start a 30day free trial at Walmart plus.com Paramount plus ESS Central plan only separate registration required see Walmart plus terms and conditions every team every topic everywhere this is [Applause] believed last year it's happened they went and took it he struck him out looking this year the Texas Rangers win the World Series they're here to run it back it's over this is believe in Texas Rangers hosted by Mitch falis don't think you could have asked for for a more encouraging weekend out of the Texas Rangers welcome into today's episode of Believe in Texas Rangers be sure if you like what you're listening to you turn on that Bell so that you're always notified when new episodes drop you can listen to us on Apple podcast or Spotify you can find every visual episode on YouTube just look for believe in Texas Rangers or look for my name Mitch verdis and you'll find every episode there as well but when we went into this particular episode so ending the last episode we emphasized that the Rangers could get back to 500 but best case scenario if they finish this weekend a game under 500 that would have meant that they took two out of three games and they did exactly that they took two out of three games against the Miami Orleans who is a team that as we mentioned they have already sold off their best player at the beginning of May so they're calling it a season now so pum all them into the into the ground and figured after Friday's game that oh God this could be a rough weekend again where high expectations coming in should be simple enough for the Rangers to manage and instead they absolutely get blown out in the first game 8 to2 two and you're thinking um well spit this is going to be a rough weekend isn't it and as a matter of fact it turned into exactly the opposite thanks to 13 to nothing in the combined Saturday and Sunday games which is about as perfect a way as you can end a weekend in Miami is to shut out the team that scored eight on you in the first game that um that pair of shutouts by the way from Michael Lorenzen starting and Andrew Heeney starting but shout out to the bullpen as well because you can't get a you can't get a shut out unless every pitcher is on board as far as the back-to-back shutouts is concerned con ered it's the first time the Rangers have done that since September of 2016 and the two pitchers that were pitching in that backto back were Hugh Darvish and Cole haml so slight difference this time around that it's Michael lorensen and Andrew Heeney not to disparage the two of them by any means because they pitched excellent in their two outings but U Darvish and Cole Hamil that was that was one two back in the day right right that was that was the best of the best when it came to the Rangers rotation in that year in that era the year before they decided to ship you off to the Dodgers etc etc um very encouraging weekend the fact that it ended on two shutouts the fact that that was how they responded after getting beat by six runs in the day before was to not only show up in great form offensively there were a lot of great things that happened offensively um the pitching was excellent as well and we're gonna start with Andrew Heeney because he's the one that capped off this weekend and he's the one that by far had the best the better of the two starts not that Michael lorenzza didn't have a great start because he did but this was about as perfect a game as you could have asked for for Andrew heene six Innings four hits seven strikeouts on 94 pitches and he forced 17 swing in strikes he was he was dominant and I tell you what there was the sixth inning his last inning of work where he just threw the back foot slider three consecutive times for strikeouts against the three batters that he faced he had everything working for him in every possible way because he was able to be efficient which is something that has been a major issue for Andrew right like thinking back to some of his earlier starts and how he would have to labor just to get through three Innings and by that point he'd already been up to 70 pitches because he'd be allowing a lot of walks and his location wasn't working this was about as perfect a start that Andrew Heeney could have given because he kept the strikeout numbers up he walked nobody he was able to get the swing and Miss stuff which is encouraging if you're a strikeout pitcher and he was able to keep the pitch count low enough that he was go was able excuse me to go deep into a game that didn't necessitate some of your best relievers I mean I know David Robertson pitched and Jose L cler pitched but the way the game ended it was a large enough lead that kirby8 was not needed for that outing right like there was there was no pressure on Kirby yesterday and for he to be able to solidify his spot in the rotation and solidify this week really he had two really good outings this week coming in relief for Nathan valdi against the Diamondbacks and then this Sunday start yesterday he's been everything and more that you could have hoped that Andrew could have provided given the state of this Rangers rotation and the state of the Rangers rotation is something we've talked about all year long because it has been injury after injury after injury and we're gonna have an update on a few guys in particular uh little bit but Andrew heimi has been one of the consistent ones in this rotation because he hasn't missed a ton of time he has been kind of that dual threat guy where oh they could use him out of the bullpen in a short load and he'll be great or they could use him as a starter and you never know what you're going to get it's going to be kind of a coin flip because it's you know as we've learned Andrew heene has not been that dominant pitcher that we saw a few years ago when he was with the angels he's far removed from that but when you get starts like this it's very encouraging and it's a very positive sign for the rest of the team because it keeps the rest of them enthused and en courage moving forward especially when the schedule is going to start to get tougher or you're going to face a lot of similar competition like the tigers are coming up the uh Giants are going to be coming in at the end of the week like there's a lot of teams coming up on the schedule that are kind of in that similar uh record range that the uh Rangers are right now if you could get positive starts out of your four and your Five Guys in your rotation then you're G to be in a good spot moving forward uh Michael Lorenzen we could talk about his start too uh the line just wasn't as pretty as um as he but he was still he still threw a shut out against a guy that was throwing pretty quality stuff for the most part like his opponent Ryan weather struck out the Rangers 11 times it's ridiculous but lorensen got through six and a third at five hits struck out seven walked two was able to force 15 swinging misses which is up there in the category of Heeney and he was able to keep his pitch count relatively low getting into as late of the game as he did 98 pitches through six and the third Innings and more importantly was able to shut out the Marlins who look with all due respect to the fact that they're clearly given up on the season they had played very well the last couple of weeks last stretch of baseball or so started to slow down now after uh a visit to San Diego and then getting back home and losing two out of three to the Rangers but you know the as we've emphasized before you you have to beat the teams that you're better than and the Rangers are very much better than the Miami Marlins and so to go out there to take two out three it's exactly what you would have hoped for and it's exactly what they did but it wasn't just pitching that helped them it was also the offense and Cory Seager and the fact that he's now on a 15 game hitting streak and has been on base in 25 consecutive games uh sadly no he did not Homer uh and he of the games against Miami uh but that doesn't mean we're not still very thrilled with the progress that Cory Seager has been making uh thinking all the way back to how this year started to now he's now hitting 268 he's got a 358 on base percentage and a 478 slugging percentage after the weekend it was punctuated by a three for four game against Miami on Saturday where he collected a double he was able to walk scored a run he didn't drive anybody in this weekend which is interesting given the way he pummeled Arizona and pummeled the twins and got home runs against the Angels but he was still able to put make back to ball contact and get on base and you know look like Cory Seager which was something that we had been hoping for for a long time so his stock is continuing to climb at a steady rate and I I don't think there's any sign of it slowing right now the way that he's playing like going into the of June just two days in there's a chance that he stays at this level of consistency for a while it'll just be curious to see how long it lasts and what happens when other guys start to step up to the plate as well and start to contribute because then it'll only complement how well Cory Seager has played the last month plus and that can only mean more wins for Texas especially as we've said against teams that are within the relative same range of you as far as the record is concerned other stock that's continuing to climb uh he had down stock for a while uh at the beginning of May but now he's starting to climb upward again and that's Josh Smith uh this weekend alone Josh Smith was five and 13 against Miami uh one of those hits was a double another one of those hits was a home run and he scored three times Josh Smith is also working on a modest uh six-game hitting streak right now where he has collected a total of nine hits in the six game hitting streak so positive signs from Josh as his average has now climbed back to 287 his on base at 377 and his slugging percentage 425 he drove in the first rangers run in the game on Friday with his home run uh but no one else was able to contribute much after that and this is encouraging because at one point his a dropped all the way to 271 and now he's got it back in the 280s and Josh has continually been a guy that we've pointed to ever since Josh Young went down with injury as someone who needs to be consistent offense in the lineup I mean he was hitting as high as third in the order some of these games he's he's moved back down in the order now because uh bo is messing around with the order right he likes to put Robbie Gman high up there against lefties you know um so Josh was seeing a lot of time in the lower part of the order but that's okay because he was still contributing clearly this was something that benefited Josh um but they're going to need him as much as possible because there's no clear sign that um Josh Young is going to be returning anytime soon and as long as Josh Smith keeps producing at this level then the Rangers are going to be in good shape as far as third base is concerned and it's less reliant on Ezekiel Duran who can now just kind of platoon with Nathaniel low at first base I know Nathaniel got a couple of games here and there off uh because of the lefties um but if you can keep Josh Smith in the lineup even against left-handed pitching and he could still produce uh at the level that he's producing then the Rangers are going to be in good shape offensively Excuse me while they wait for Josh Young 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20122 and may 2023 potential savings will vary not available in all states Walmart Plus members save on meeting up with friends save on having them over for dinner with free delivery with no hidden fees or markups that's groceries plus napkins plus that vegetable chopper to make things a bit easier Plus members save on gas to go meet them in their neck of the woods plus when you're ready for the ultimate sign of friendship start a show together with your included Paramount Plus subscription Walmart Plus members save on this plus so much more start a 30-day free trial at Walmart plus.com Paramount plus is Central plan only separate registration required see Walmart plus terms and conditions one other guy we got to check in as far as the offense is concerned and he had a really good game against the Marlins on Saturday but it is time for w watch so looking at how Wyatt has done just since he returned from the injured list his four hits they're all singles he's scored twice he's driven in four he struck out five times and that's over the course of 19 at bats the Breakout game for him was against Miami where in a similar vein to how he played against Arizona in the Wednesday game uh Wyatt against Miami on S on Saturday was two for five with a run scored and drove in two and unfortunately the other three at bats he struck out um that was about as encouraging as a sign that Wyatt feels more comfortable at the plate even though he's just coming off an injury that I've seen since before he got injured because I think the first month there was it was really like the first couple of weeks that we were really high on Wyatt and rightfully so and he was contributing in key places and he was hitting his highest fifth in the order as high as third in the order in some cases and then it the numbers started to dip a little bit right the the stock started to go down a tad um he's still finding ways to contribute even with the numbers being as low as they are and I know it's only been five games back from the injured list but I mean if he could put together two separate two hit games he looks healthy enough to continue to compete for them and they're probably going to need him a few times in the Outfield as opposed to just as their designated hitter with Evan Carter on the shelf and it it goes back to what we've said about Josh but the difference is that Wyatt is an expected starter he's like the expected replacement for Mitch Garver who left in the off season if Wyatt can contribute in ways like this but also find ways to contribute on defense then like I said the Rangers are going to be in good shape I do still wonder in the back of my mind if finding a way to make him more comfortable at the plate is an option is that something you could do at the major league level is that something you could do with just coaching I'm not sure but I do know that he's a valuable part of this organization's future and the now not just the now but also of the future as I should have said and as long as the weight is off him as far as the idea of like oh you're the best hitter in the order and we need you to contribute right now as long as that weight is off his shoulders I think it'll actually be a positive because then he's less stressed about oh gosh I have to contribute right now there's a lot of expectation on me because think about what the lineup should have been going into this year you have Marcus semian really darn good Cory Seager as we know adoli Garcia is a key contributor if Josh Young was healthy that's another key contributor in the order and then you've got day in day out Nathaniel low Jonah Heim guys that can contribute I mean that's already six guys in the order if those six guys can be constant contributors you don't have to worry about Wyatt's production or is that five that's five guys in the order sorry my ma my short math isof rough but like to my point if Wyatt Langford is the sixth guy in the order to help contribute or even the seventh guy when Evan Carter is healthy if Wyatt langford's just the seventh best guy in the team's order they're already in good shape they're good enough to make a run again and hopefully a run that gets them back into playoff contention because right now the record's not saying as much some of the performances have not been saying as much but this has been a very encouraging turnaround for the Rangers who with the win against the twins the two wins against the Dbacks and the two wins against the Marlins that's five wins in their last six games which sets them up nicely for a weekend where they get to return home against a team against a couple of teams I should say with similar records to them all right let's get a pitching injuries update and then we'll start to look ahead to this weekend against the Tigers so Evan Grant reported yesterday that Tyler Mali as well as Kumar rocker who is still recovering from injury um for the triaa squad they're expected to face live hitters sometime this week and then Evan Grant added to his report Evan Grant with the Dallas Fort Worth news uh Dallas Morning News excuse me uh Max sherzer and John Gray going to join that live hitters party uh particularly sherzer and gray are going to face live hitters today Monday as you're listen listening to this uh before their game against the Tigers uh Sherer had said on the progress quote my check engine light has finally gone off close quote well that's encouraging to hear given that he was on his way back from an injury and then got injured again um sounds like Max is close does Max need another rehab outing where he goes to Triple A or goes to double a uh depending on where the Rangers are on their calendar or can he just do the native Aldi where he activated he's put directly into the rotation but he's on a pitch count and he's on an Innings limit and you know we don't get to see full compliment Max Sherer but we do get to see uh how much he's progressed and we get to see him eat a few innings for saving the bullpen per se um but very encouraging sign that Max is close uh that Jon is close like you're going to see Pieces come back into the rotation and for the first time you'll get to see Tyler Mali as well who you know he hasn't pitched in a long time a long long time it's traded from the Reds to the twins gets hurt and doesn't pitch and then barely pitched in the next season and now here he is once again recovering from injury and hoping to make it stick this time with the Rangers I mean this guy wasn't was a near Allstar uh not too long ago so maybe somebody if the Rangers can get right can be a key piece to their rotation as as they try to make another world series run and so Here Come the Tigers the Detroit Tigers are also 29 and 30 as are the Rangers uh Detroit has had a lot of early season success but now they've kind of started to Peter out a bit and I think the most significant news as far as the the tigers are concerned is a move that they are I believe it's not official yet but they are expected to make uh given the struggles of one of their key pieces and the former number one overall pick Spencer Tolson uh it is just reports right now but Tolson is set to get sent down to Triple A Toledo given his struggles um and this is a guy who was a number one overall pick uh back in 2020 out of Arizona State this is a guy that they would they were going to rely on heavily to replace biguel Cabrera at first base but the offensive production is not there he's not the greatest defensive first baseman but you know defensive first Bas is here not there so this is a series where if you're the Rangers you start to wonder all right well who are the key contributors left for the Tigers they still are paying jav bayas a lot of money for him to do not a whole lot Riley green and Carri Carpenter are part of that young core excuse me for the Tigers that have really contributed to them for most of the season um as I'm just checking now to make sure that Carrie is actually on the big league roster um no he actually just got placed on the 10day injured list so they won't have him um but you know they have young pitching Casey M leading that crew but then they've also gotten a lot of Veteran or not Casey M TK scoel leading that crew like TK scoel is pitching like a sa young uh candidate right now he's 7 And1 with a two1 ER but they're also getting a very healthy veteran season out of Jack flare who they signed to this off season reys Olen has been an awesome third best starter for that rotation so like that Trio of pitchers has really been awesome for Detroit this year and uh good news for the Rangers they're going to get two out of those three um the other one being Kent Maya who was signed in the offseason to a free agent deal but this was the Tigers team that really gave the Rangers a lot of uh issues the last time these two faced back in Detroit the Rangers did take three out of four so in the end it ended in their favor but it didn't come without its struggle and it was one of those that it was the series that really highlighted how good Kirby Yates was as an offseason signing and just how valuable him and David Robertson have been to this team um that was the last time they played the Tigers this go around maybe it'll be different but I would expect a bunch of pitchers duels uh this weekend just based off of the statistics alone starting with today Monday June 3 TK scoel who as we said 7 to1 with a 20 on Ray he'll go against Nate avaldi who's making his second start post injury I wonder if he'll be limited in any sort of sense uh like he was against the nine backs he has a two and2 record so far this year with the 284 erra uh two Tuesday is going to be against Jack flare who as I mentioned is having a strong bounceback season he's actually one of the leading candidates for strikeouts in the American League right now believe it or not he has a two and four record but he has an RA of 346 so not to be fooled by the record he's actually pitching rather well Texas has not determined who that starter is going to be the last person to start after Nathan avaldi was danne Dunning so perhaps we see danne again and then Wednesday June 5th the last game of this series is going to be kentay for Detroit and he's coming in with a two- two record and a 625 ra so not best for the uh veteran right-hander this one is also TBD for Texas um it was Jose ARA who got the start on Friday so maybe they turned to Jose again on short rest I'm not totally sure but they could also end up just activating someone off of iil based off of how uh facing live hitters goes uh today not going to jump to conclusions there maybe they call someone up I don't know it's TBD for a reason but the one guarantee is that Nathan avaldi is going to pitch tonight against TK scoel we'll be back um on the Thursday off day after this tiger series is done and get you ready for the upcoming Series against the Giants hopefully get to talk to one of my guys that I know in the Bay Area who' be excellent to talk about the Giants with so until next time believe in Texas Rangers a [Music]