Texas Rangers Morning Rundown: Early runs, Andrew Heaney help finish off best homestand of 2024

A 7-4 victory Sunday allowed the Rangers to finish 7-3 in three series against the A’s, Yankees and Angels.

ARLINGTON — The longest homestand of the Texas Rangers’ season turned out to be their best of the season, and for the first time in a long time, the defending world champions are playing consistently good baseball.

A few of them went so far Sunday to say it’s their best baseball of the season following a 7-4 victory that clinched the four-game series and allowed the Rangers to finish 7-3 over three series against the A’s, Yankees and Angels.

The Rangers are off today before opening a six-game road trip Tuesday at Arizona for their first game at Chase Field since winning the 2023 World Series.

Marcus Semien got the Rangers started Sunday with a homer on the first pitch of the game from Angels rookie Caden Dana, Nathaniel Lowe added a three-run shot in a three-run first.

Ezequiel Duran opened the second with a homer, and the Rangers added another run for a 5-0 lead before manager Ron Washington removed Dana. The Rangers’ bats then took six innings off, but they scored two times in the eighth to repel the Angels after they closed within 5-4.

“We came out swinging today,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Anytime your leadoff guy leads off with a home run, yeah, it doesn’t something for the club. It got contagious from there.”

The Rangers have won four straight series and are 10-3 in the past 13 games for their best 13-game stretch of the season. The first three wins of the homestand were walk-offs, and the Rangers also rallied to win Saturday’s game.

Kirby Yates collected a win and four saves on the homestand.

“We’re going a good job on the pitching side,” Bochy said. “We’re winning close ballgames, we’re making plays out there and the ‘pen’s doing a good job of picking each other up. That’s the kind of ball we need to play. They’re fighting. Good come-from-behind wins, and that’s what helped us have a good homestand.”

Thanks for your support

The beneficiary of the Rangers’ early outburst was, shockingly, left-hander Andrew Heaney, who entered the game with the sixth-worst run support in the AL.

“I was probably jumping up and down in the dugout, being kind of a clown,” said Heaney, who snapped an eight-start winless streak. “I was very happy about that. Happy for those guys. I know it’s not intentional. I know those guys aren’t having a meeting like, ‘Hey, don’t forget, Andrew’s on the mound. Don’t score.’ “

In addition to maintaining his sense of humor, Heaney has managed to stay healthy this season and en route to a team-leading 28 starts. He typically gets pulled after five or six innings, but he’s answered the call every time and is better than his 5-13 record would indicate.

“This may actually be a career year for him, if you look at what he’s been doing for us and staying healthy,” Semien said. “I feel bad for him when he looks at his record. But I also feel really good for him.”

He will be positioned for free agency better than he was two years ago when the Rangers signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million deal that included a $13 million player option for this season.

“I feel good about what I do and take pride in the ability to go out there and to take the ball every fifth day,” Heaney said. “On top of that, you also want to pitch well. I think that this year has been a combination of that. I am proud. I am happy to do that.”

Walcott on the move

The Rangers are giving one of their top prospects a taste of Double A.

Shortstop Sebastian Walcott, who is only 18, will join Frisco on Tuesday for their final week of the regular season and be available for the Texas League playoffs.

Walcott is rated by Baseball America as the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect, behind right-hander Kumar Rocker, and No. 52 in baseball. He has spent the season at High A Hickory, where he was batting only .173 through May 11.

Since then, though, he’s batting .295, and joined Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Churio as the only players in the past 12 years to collect 20 doubles, 10 homers and 15 steals in their age-18 seasons.

The Hickory season is over, so this promotion keeps Walcott going. Frisco finishes its regular season at Amarillo.

ICYMI …

It’s been business as usual, for the most part, at DLLS on the writing side. We’re still planning to add weekly farm updates and a good read for the weekend, but news and podcasts take precedence. We did sneak in a new T.R.’s Memoirs last week. Here’s our latest content, in case you missed it.

Jacob deGrom on Friday?

Elvis leaves the building

Boys of Arlington: Rangers’ best rotation

Corey Seager hits IL

Historic walk-off

Doggy video!

Mixes in perfectly. Enjoy.

Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com