LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S STARTER at RANGERS: RHP TONY GONSOLIN (5-3, 3.72 ERA in 14 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
- Got his fifth win of the season in his start against the Angels on July 7, a season-high 6.2 innings and giving up seven hits, four runs and one walk while punching out five
- 2022 All-Star got his first win of the season on May 14th against San Diego after firing five scoreless innings and giving up two hits, one walk, and tying a season-high six strikeouts
- In his rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 20th, he hurled three innings, allowing one hit, two earned runs, two walks while sitting down seven
- Made one Spring Training start, tossing 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out two
- Gonsolin is 31-9 in his career and is tied for the second fewest decisions all-time among pitchers to reach 30 victories. In addition, his 27-6 (.818) record as a starter is the best in the modern era through 60 games started.
VS. RANGERS:
- Will face Texas for second time in his career…is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (1 ER/3.0 IP) with five strikeouts and three walks
- Last faced the Lone Stars on August 30, 2020 tossing three innings, giving up three hits, one run and three walks while striking out five in the no decision
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Rays on Wed., 5-1, and club now owns a 6-0 record to begin this 9-G, 10-day homestand against CLE (3-0), TB (3-0) and LAD (3 G)…Texas remains the only undefeated club in MLB (6-0) since the All-Star Break…current season-best 6-G win streak is tied for team’s longest in last 5 seasons (also 6-0 from 6/22-28/19)… TEX is 7-2 in last 9, 8-6 in last 14 G, and 9-8 in last 17 G… team is still 18-19 (.486) beg. 6/7, a stretch which came after club reached season high point at 20-over on 6/6 (40-20)… team’s 44-28 (.611) record since 4/28 is still best in A.L. and 2nd-best in MLB over that span (45-34, .652-ATL)…TEX is
48-33 in last 81 G and 53-35 last 88 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 58-39 (.598), TEX owns the 3rd-best record in the A.L. and 4th-best in MLB (ATL: .653, 62-33; BAL: .615, 59-37; TB: .600, 60-40)…58 wins rank 3rd in A.L. and 4th-most in MLB (62-ATL, 60-TB, 59-BAL, 58-TEX).
- The 58-39 mark matches the best 97-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
STAY WINNING: The Rangers’ current 6-G win streak is the only active win streak in the A.L. longer than 3 G, and tied for the longest active run in MLB (also 6-STL)…it marks Texas’ longest win streak of the season, and matches club’s longest undefeated span in the last 5 years (also 6-0 from 6/22- 28/19)…last longer streak was 7-0 stretch from 6/16-23/18.
- The 6-0 span to open the 2nd “half” is tied for the longest post-break win streak in Rangers history (6-1977/2023).
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Record 1st 7-G win streak since 6/16-23/18 (7-0).
- Improve to 59-39 on the season, which would be the best 98-G start in franchise history (prev. 58-40 in 1999/2012).
- Climb season-high 20 G over .500 for the 2nd time in ’23 (also 40-20 on 6/6)…would be latest point in a campaign to be 20-over since ending 2016 season at 28 G over (95-67).
- Post the longest win streak to open 2nd “half” in Rangershistory (prev. 6-0 in 1977/2023).
STANDINGS: TEX owns a 4.0-game lead in A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU, gaining 2.0 G over the last 6 days…TEX was 4.5 GA on Tues.-Wed., which was largest advantage since 7/1 (5.0 GA)…current division lead is still the largest in A.L. and 2nd in MLB (ATL is 10.5 GA of PHI)…season-best 6.5-G lead in West after win 6/23 at NYY, which was largest division lead since winning the West by 9.0 G in 2016…TEX has had sole possession of 1st place in the West for 76 straight, 83 of 84, and 96 of the last 98 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 112 of the season’s first 113 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: Texas has secured back-to-back series sweeps to open the 2nd “half” (3-0 vs. CLE, 3-0 vs. TB), this after a span in which club had gone 0-3-0 in last 3 series and 0-4-1 in prev. 5…marks 1st time to win all games of consecutive series since an 8-0 homestand from 5/10-18/17, which included series wins vs. SD (2-0), OAK (3-0), and PHI (3-0)… TEX is 4-6-1 in last 11 series following a stretch of 6 straight series victories from 5/19-6/7, longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…is 19-10-2 overall in series this year, going 10-4-2 at home and 9-6-0 on the road…is 15-7-2 in last 24 series and 18-8-2 in last 27…TEX has gone 9-3-2 in last 14 series at GLF.
PERRY SIGNS: The Rangers today announced the signing of RHP Kamdyn Perry, the club’s 17th round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft…with the addition of Perry, Texas has now signed 14 of its 18 draft picks for this year.
WE’RE JUST DIFFERENT: With Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Tampa Bay, the Rangers have now outscored their opponents by an MLB-best 166 runs (564 RS-398 RA) this season, well ahead of 2nd-place Atlanta (+145 RD)…according to Stathead, that is T10th-highest run differential thru 97 G by any team in the Expansion Era (beg. 1961), and the best 97-G mark by any team since 2022 NYY (+200) and LAD (+179)…additionally, it is the highest run diff. over any single-season 97-G span in WSH/TEX franchise history, surpassing the previous high mark of +135 from 6/10-9/27/11.
BEST BACKSTOP IN BALL: Jonah Heim’s 3-run homer in the 8th inning on Wed. was his 14th HR of ’23, 2nd-most in A.L./4th in MLB among catchers (19-NYM’s Francisco Alvarez, 17-ATL’s Sean Murphy, 15-KC’s Salvador Perez)…Heim leads ML backstops in RBI (66), 2B (22), and fWAR (teamhigh 3.6-tied), which is already the highest FanGraphs WAR figure by a Texas catcher since Mike Napoli in 2011 (4.3)…in fact, his career 7.5 fWAR mark in 3 seasons with the Rangers (2021-23) already ranks 3rd all-time among TEX catchers behind only Iván Rodríguez (49.3) and Jim Sundberg (31.4).
NEED FOR SPEAS: The Rangers’ 2nd-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Alex Speas made his ML debut in a scoreless 1.2-inn. relief appearance on Wednesday…he retired all 4 batters he faced, including 3 strikeouts, all of which came against 2023 All-Star Game selections Wander Franco, Yandy Díaz, and Randy Arozarena…per Stathead, he became just the 34th MLB pitcher in the Modern Era (beg. 1901) to face 4-or-fewer batters and record at least 3 strikeouts in his MLB debut…he was the 2nd debuting pitcher to do it in 2023 (also SD’s Tim Herrin on 4/2 at SEA, 4 K’s), and the 3rd Ranger to ever do it in their 1st career outing (also Kyle Cody on 8/21/20 at SEA and Michael Kirkman on 8/21/10 at BAL).
ENGINE ENGINE NO. 9: 9-hole hitter Leody Taveras broke a 0-0 stalemate in the 3rd inning on Wed. by launching a solo HR to right field…7 of his career-high 11 HR this season have come as Texas’ no. 9 hitter in the lineup, which ranks T3rd among A.L. 9-hole batters to TB’s Jose Siri (12) and MIN’s Michael A. Taylor (8)…the last Ranger with as many as 7 HR from the 9-spot over a single season was Robinson Chirinos in 2016 (9 HR), and Taveras’ 49 hits as the 9-hole batter are already Texas’ most since Rougned Odor in 2014 (50).
DODGERS IN TOWN: Texas will host the Dodgers for a 3-G series this weekend, L.A.’s first visit to Globe Life Field since 2020 (8/28-30/20 at TEX; also 2020 NLDS, NLCS, and WS) Rangers are 2-9 in last 11 G vs. LAD, dropping 4 straight series since Rangers took 3 of 4 in home-and-home series in 2015…TEX is 13-20 all-time vs. LAD, incl. 7-11 in Arlington.
FEELS LIKE 2020: Former Dodger (2015-21) Corey Seager will face his former team for the 1st time ever this weekend, welcoming the Boys in Blue back to the ballpark where he captured World Series MVP honors (.400 BA, 2 HR, 5 RBI) as a member of Los Angeles’ title-winning squad in 2020… in 38 G at Globe Life Field this season, Seager is slashing .370/.438/.678/1.116 (54-146) with 9 HR, 18 2B, and 32 RBI…his home OPS figure this season is easily the highest of any MLB qualifier (2nd is LAD’s Mookie Betts-1.062), and would be the highest mark by a Ranger in Arlington (min. 150 PA at home) since Josh Hamilton in 2010 (club-record 1.188).
SHORTS: Texas starting pitchers are scoreless in their last 15.1 innings, and rotation’s 2.41 ERA (9 ER/33.2 IP) since the All-Star break is 2nd-lowest in MLB over that span (2.29- MIL)…the roof at Globe Life Field has been closed for 27 straight Rangers home games, as it was last open on 5/21 vs. COL (game-time temp. 73° F)…longest roof-closed span last season was 54 straight home G from 5/1-9/8/22…beg. 2020, the roof at GLF has been open just twice in the months of June, July, and August (8/10/20 vs. SEA, 6/28/21 vs. SF).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #44 Andrew Heaney, LHP (6-6, 4.43)
TONIGHT: The 32-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 19th start/appearance of the season in tonight’s series opener against the Dodgers…the former Dodgers (2022) and Angels (2015-21) pitcher has the following ER totals allowed over his last 4 starts (in order): 6-0-7-0…has at least 5.0 SHO IP in 2 of his 1st 3 starts in July, and 8 R-7 ER allowed in the other (7/8 at WAS)…is 1-2, 6.16 (13 ER/19.0 IP) last 4 starts to raise season ERA from 3.98 to 4.43… will pitch on extra 5 days’ rest after earning win in Rangers’ 2-0 victory on Sat. vs. CLE (see below)…was on MLB Paternity List from 7/4-6 after his wife (Jordan) gave birth to twin daughters on 7/3…his 9.56 SO/9 would rank 11th in the A.L. if he qualified…is in his first season with Texas after signing a two-year free agent contract with the club on 12/9/22…is following a 2022 campaign in which he produced career bests in ERA (3.10), WHIP (1.087), and strikeout rate (13.6 SO/9) with the Los Angeles Dodgers despite being limited by a pair of Injured List stints…the 9-year MLB veteran has appeared in 155 games/144 starts with Miami (2014), Los Angeles-AL (2015-21), New York-AL (2021), Los Angeles-NL (2022), and Texas (2023)…an Oklahoma City native, Heaney pitched collegiately at Oklahoma State University before being selected by the Marlins in the first round (9th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft…TEX is 10-8 in his 18 starts this season.
LAST START: Earned the win in Rangers’ 2-0 victory on Sat. vs. CLE (5.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 87 pitches/56 strikes)…it was his 3rd start of 5.0+ SHO IP in 2023, 2nd-most on TEX staff (7-Eovaldi, 3-Heaney, 2-Gray, 1-Dunning)… recent TEX lefties with 3-or-more such outings in a season: Martín Pérez (6 in 2022), Mike Minor (7 in 2019), and Cole Hamels (3 in 2017)…allowed a single hit in each of his 1st 5 innings of work, facing 4 batters in each frame…allowed a double and walk with one out in the 6th, but Grant Anderson entered and induced an inning-ending double play…Anderson (1.0 IP), Will Smith (1.2 IP), and Aroldis Chapman (1.0 IP) finished the combined shutout.
VS. LOS ANGELES: Has spent the bulk of his MLB career in the L.A. area with the Angels (2015-21) and Dodgers (2022)…he is 1-2, 5.67 (21 ER/33.1 IP) in 6 G/ GS vs. LAD in his career, with all 6 outings coming as part of the Freeway Series from 2015-20…last faced LAD on 9/25/20 at empty Dodger Stadium (ND, 4.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R-ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR)…allowed 2 HR to Justin Turner that night and one to A.J. Pollock…started against Clayton Kershaw (ND, 4.0 IP, 4 R-1 ER) in that 9-5 Halos loss ahead of LAD’s World Series run at Globe Life Field that year.
AT GLOBE LIFE FIELD: Despite 10.1 SHO IP over his last 2 outings in Arlington, Heaney has seen far better results in his 7 starts on the road (2-3, 3.99 ERA, .220/.290/.454/.744 opp. slash) than in his 11 starts in Arlington (4-3, 4.75 ERA, .260/.350/.452/.802 opp. slash) this season…Heaney owns a lifetime 4-5 record
and 5.25 ERA (36 ER/61.2 IP) in 13 G/GS at GLF.
- Has posted 10.1 SHO IP over his 2 starts at GLF in July, with last runs allowed here coming in his final inning of work on 6/26 vs. DET…has also gone 1-1, 3.14 (10 ER/28.2 IP) in last 6 G/GS in Arlington beg. 5/21…opponents are a combined 1-for-12 with RISP over his last 4 home starts beg. 6/14.
TOUGH ON LEFT: Left-handed batters are 4-for-9 in his last 2 starts with a double and triple, allowing multiple hits to LHB in both outings after not doing so in his 1st 16 starts…LHB have still slashed just .176/.323/.255/.577 (9-51) with 3 extra-base hits (2 2B, 3B) against Heaney in 2023…Heaney has held lefties to a .205/.315/.313/.628 (23-112) slash line and just one HR (Jake Cronenworth on 9/11/22 at SD w/ LAD) over the last 2 seasons (beg. 2022).
STREAKING STRIKEOUTS: Earned the win in his 2nd start as a Ranger on 4/10 vs. KC, recording strikeouts of 9 consecutive batters faced from the 1st through 4th innings…the 9 straight K’s marked the most successive strikeouts by a pitcher in Rangers history, snapping the single-game record of 7 set by Nolan Ryan on 7/7/91 vs. LAA and the overall high of 8 done by Joe Barlow from 7/24-8/2/21… according to Elias Sports Bureau, it matched the American League record for successive strikeouts, as he became just 3rd A.L. pitcher to do it…the others: DET’s Tyler Alexander on 8/2/20 vs. CIN-G1, and DET’s Doug Fister on 9/27/12 vs. KC…Heaney recorded 10 total SO, 18th double-digit SO game of his career (last 10 on 8/24/22 vs. MIL w/ LAD)…the last left-handed Rangers pitcher with 10+ SO in a single game was Mike Minor on 8/11/19 at MIL (11 SO)…it also marked the 6th instance in club history (beg. 1972) for a pitcher to punch out 10-or-more batters in 5.0-or-fewer innings, last Dane Dunning on 5/9/21 vs. SEA (5.0 IP, 10 SO).
2023: Opponents are batting .244 (85-349) w/ 17 HR, including a .176 (9-51) mark with 3 XBH (2 2B, 3B) for LH batters…28 of 50 runs allowed in ‘23 have come in the 2nd (13) or 3rd (15) inning…opp. BA/OPS by time through lineup: 1st (.273/.810), 2nd (.222/.714), 3rd (.227/.852)…17 HR allowed are T-most among Rangers (also Pérez) and T12th-most in A.L…Jonah Heim has caught 14 starts (3.39 ERA), and Sandy León (7.59 ERA) and Mitch Garver (11.37 ERA) have each caught 2 starts…is scoreless in 2 G/GS (10.0 IP) vs. HOU in 2023…has posted 5.0 SHO IP in both starts vs. Astros (4/16 at HOU; 7/2 vs. HOU) and taken no decision in both outings…earned 1st road win of season on 5/27 at BAL (W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER), posting lone ultra-quality start…held O’s scoreless over 1st 6 frames…matched career high w/ 8 R allowed 7/8 at WAS, same week he was on Paternity List (7/4-6) for birth of twin daughters.
