TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Giants last night, 2-1, and club has a 3-1 record on this 6-G, 7-day road trip to OAK (2-1) and SF (1-0 + 2 G)…club posted win no. 69 last night, passing the team’s 2022 win total (68)…TEX has won 9 of 10 (only loss Wed. at OAK), including a season-best 8-G win streak (8/1-8), longest for Texas since going 10-0, 5/9- 19/17…Rangers are A.L.-best 9-1 (.900) in August (see separate note at right)…have gone 10-6 in last 16 G and 11-8 in last 19 G since a 6-G win streak (7/14-19) out of the break… team is 17-8 (.680) in the 2nd “half”, 3rd-best in MLB (LAD/ SEA are both 18-8, .692), and 17 wins are T4th in MLB (18-CHC/LAD/SEA, 17-TEX/BAL/HOU/PHI)…TEX is 18-10 in last 28, 19-14 in last 33 G, and 20-16 in last 36 G…team was 12-19 over a 31-G span from 6/7-7/9 to end the 1st “half”… TEX is 55-36 in last 91 G, 59-41 in last 100 G and 64-43 last 107 G (beg. 4/9).
- At 69-47 (.595), TEX owns the 2nd-best record in the A.L. and 4th-best in MLB (see below)…69 wins rank 3rd in A.L. and T4th-most in MLB (see below).
- The 69-47 mark is the best 116-G start to a season in Washington/Texas franchise history (see chart below).
BEST RECORDS AND MOST WINS IN MLB, 2023
Win Pct. Team W-L Wins Team
.640 Atlanta 73-41 72 ATL
.612 Baltimore 71-45 71 BAL
.600 Los Angeles-NL 69-46 70 TB
.595 Texas 69-47 69 TEX/LAD
WITH A WIN TONIGHT, Texas would:
- Reach 70 wins faster than any other season in Rangers history (game no. 117).
- Climb to season-high 23 games above .500 for the 1st time since the end of the 2016 season (95-67).
- Go 10-1 in an 11-G span for 1st time since May 2017.
STANDINGS: Texas owns a 2.5-game lead in A.L. West over 2nd-place HOU for a 2nd straight day, this after lead had dropped to 2.0 G on Wed…held leads of 2.0+ G in the division for 63 consecutive days from 5/23-7/24 before it dropped to 0.5 G for 3 straight days 7/31-8/2…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 for 97 straight, 104 of 105, and 117 of the last 119 days beg. 4/14.
- TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 133 of the season’s first 134 days (exception: 4/8).
SERIES STUFF: TEX has won 3 straight series, this after 3 straight series losses…team had lost 5 straight road series before taking 2 of 3 this week at the Coliseum…Rangers have won all games of a series 8 times in ’23, including 4x since the AS break…club is 5-3-0 in series since break…club is 5-6-0 in last 11 series and 5-7-1 in last 13 series…is 22-13- 2 overall in series this year, going 12-5-2 at home and 10-8-0 on the road…on the road, team is 1-5-0 in last 6 and 2-6-0 in
last 8 away series…TEX has won 4 straight series openers after last night’s victory, 6-3 in openers since the break.
ON THE ROAD: TEX is 3-1 on this trip, back-to-back road wins Mon./Tues. for 1st time since 6/21-23 (2-0)…TEX has lost 4 of 7, 8 of 12, 10 of 15, 12 of 18, and 16 of last 26 away games…club is 29-27 (.518) on the road, 6th-best away record in the A.L…from 5/6-30, TEX went 13-4 on road.
VS. SAN FRANCISCO: Texas is 15-24 all-time vs. SF, losing 3 of 5 and 7 of 10, 8-21 since 2000…teams last played in 2021 (TEX was 1-3)…TEX is 7-19 all-time in SF, 2-3 at Candlestick and 5-16 at Oracle Park…TEX is 1-7-1 in 9 all-time road series vs. SF (lone win: 2-1, 6/8-10/12)…club lost WS Games 1 and 2 at Oracle in 2010.
AUGUST AND EVERYTHING AFTER: The Rangers are 9-1 (.900) in August, best in the A.L. and 2nd-best in MLB to LAD (10-1, .909)…club’s 9 wins this month are also 2nd in MLB to LAD (10)…have 9 wins in a 10-G span for 1st time since 2017 (9-1, 5/11-21/17)…the Rangers’ 8-G win streak to open August marked the 1st time the Rangers had ever won the 1st 8 games of a single month…Texas has a MLB-best 2.12 ERA (21 ER/89.0 IP) in 10 G this month…club leads A.L. with 20 HR and a .511 SLG in August.
GRAY WOLF: Jon Gray posted 7.0 SHO IP last night to earn the win, one of the best starts of his career…he recorded an 80 game score last night, the Bill James metric which measures the quality of a start…it was the 4th-highest figure of his career, best in any road start, and 2nd time in ’23 with a mark of 80-or-better also 6/7 vs. STL: 9.0 IP, 1 R-ER)…he is one of 16 MLB pitchers with multiple game scores of 80+ in ’23, joining teammate Nathan Eovaldi (2) on that list.
- Last night was just the 9th start in Rangers history of 7.0+ SHO IP while allowing 2-or-fewer hits and no BB with 7+ SO…Gray owns each of the last 2 starts on that list (also 7/13/22 vs. OAK) and joins Yu Darvish (4/2/13 at HOU and 6/23/17 at NYY) as the only pitchers with multiple such starts in a Rangers career.
START AGAIN: The Texas rotation has 4 straight quality starts to open this road trip, T2nd-longest streak in ’23 (6, 4/22-27)…have MLB-high 8 quality starts over the 1st 10 G in August, more than the club’s July total (5) and accounting for 8 of staff’s 10 QS since the AS break…starters’ A.L.-best 2.44 ERA (17 ER/62.2 IP) this month ranks 2nd in MLB to only LAD (2.09).
YOUR 4-5 HITTERS: Nathaniel Lowe and Mitch Garver hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches in the 6th inning last night, accounting for the game’s 1st runs…it was the 5th time this season for Texas to hit back-to-back home runs, the 2nd time for batters to do so on consecutive pitches (also Semien/Seager on 6/14 vs. LAA).
A BACK-TO-BACK WIN: Last night was just the 2nd win in franchise history in which the club’s only runs scored on back-to-back solo HR…the other?: 8/1/75 vs. California at Arlington Stadium, when Tom Grieve and Roy Howell hit back-to-back HR off Ed Figueroa to open the 7th inning of a 2-1 TEX win…Gaylord Perry pitched a CG 2-hitter for Texas.
BIG SPLASH: Last night’s blast by Nathaniel Lowe landed in McCovey Cove, the 4th time that a Texas batter has pulled the trick (a “Splash Hit”) at Oracle Park (see list).
RANGERS SPLASH HITS AT ORACLE PARK, ALL-TIME (4)
Date Player Pitcher
6/9/12 Mitch Moreland Ryan Vogelsong
8/24/18 Rougned Odor Will Smith
8/2/20 Shin-Soo Choo Jeff Samardzija
8/11/23 Nathaniel Lowe Ross Stripling
NO RISP INCLUDED: There has not been a hit with RISP for either the Rangers or their opponents in the club’s last 2 G, contests that have featured 5 total runs…Texas opponents are 1-for-22 with RISP over the club’s last 5 games, including 1-for-16 on this road trip and 0-for-last-14 since lone such hit on this trip (Zack Gelof double in 3rd inning Mon. at OAK).
TIME IS SHORT: Time of game for the Rangers’ past 2 games: 2:17 on Wed. at OAK, 2:19 last night…since the start of 2007, the only other time that Texas played back-to-back 9-inning games in under 2:20 was earlier this season (4/5 and 4/7; also 2:17 and 2:19).
SHORTS: Bruce Bochy notes and today’s minor league report can be found on page 8 of these notes…TEX has won 3 straight Andrew Heaney starts, as Heaney has started both TEX shutouts in August…Rangers’ MLB-best +176 run differential is one shy of season high (+177 thru Tuesday) and 2 shy of matching the club record (+178 on 9/28/11).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #44 Andrew Heaney, LHP (9-6, 4.14)
TONIGHT: The 32-year-old left-hander is scheduled to make his 23rd start of the season in the 2nd game of a 3 G set in San Francisco…has gone 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA (7 ER/27.0 IP) and 25 SO/9 BB over his last 5 starts, dropping his season ERA from 4.71 to 4.14…is 9-5, 3.67 ERA (45 ER/110.1 IP) in 21 GS since surrendering 7 R-ER in Texas debut on 4/4 vs. BAL (L, 2.2 IP, 7 R-ER)…leads Rangers with 118 strikeouts in 2023, and 9.40 SO/9 figure ranks 10th among A.L. starting pitchers (min. 22 GS)…ranks T2nd on club with 9 wins (11-Eovaldi, 9-Heaney/Dunning), as he has tied his career high for wins in a season (also 2018 w/ LAA)… has allowed team-high 19 HR, 14th-most in A.L., but has permitted just 2 HR in last 5 G (0.67 HR/9)…113.0 IP in ’23 marks 3rd-highest innings total of his career (180.0-2018, 129.2-2021)…posted 5.2 shutout innings against the Marlins on Sunday (W, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 81 pitches/50 strikes) to earn his 9th victory of 2023 (now 9-6)…during the outing, he extended his career-best 15.2-inning scoreless streak dating back to the 2nd inning of his start on 7/26 at HOU…was on MLB Paternity List from 7/4-6 after his wife (Jordan) gave birth to twin daughters on 7/3…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 157 games/146 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 MIA in the first round (9th overall) of the 2012 MLB Draft…TEX is 13-9 in his 22 starts this season.
LAST START: Heaney posted 5.2 shutout innings on Sunday against the Marlins (W, 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 81 pitches/50 strikes)…earned his 9th victory of 2023 (now 9-6), matching his single season career high for wins (also 9 wins in 2018 w/ LAA)…he extended his season high winning streak to 4 G (dating back to 7/15 vs. CLE), and is one win shy of tying his career high win streak of 5 G (6/30- 7/26/15 w/ LAA)…during the outing, he extended his career-best 15.2-inning scoreless streak dating back to the 2nd inning of his start on 7/26 at HOU… the start marked his 1st career appearance against the Marlins, the same team which selected him in the 1st round (9th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft.
VS. SAN FRANCISCO: Heaney will make his 7th career start against the San Francisco Giants, as he owns a 1-3 record with a 6.00 ERA (20 ER/30.0 IP) in those 6 GS against them…has still managed to strike out at least 6 batters in all of those outings, with 8+ SO in 3 of those 6 G…faced the Giants 3 times last season, failing to record a win (0-1 record) in 3 G/GS and allowing a 4.73 ERA (7 ER/13.1 IP)…his lone win against SF came at Oracle Park on 6/1/21 w/ LAA, as Heaney allowed 1 R-ER on 5 H in 6.1 IP, his only quality start vs. SF for his career.
ON THE ROAD: Has seen better win/loss results at home: 6-3, 4.13 ERA, 31 BB/77 SO, than in his 8 starts on the road: 3-3, 4.15 ERA, 14 BB/41 SO this season…has logged at least 5.0 IP and allowed 3-or-fewer R in 7 of 8 away starts… opp. are slashing .220/.299/.453/.752 (35-1459) with 9 HR in his road outings, compared to .245/.331/.411/.742 (65-265) with 10 HR at home…has allowed at least 1 R to score and more than 1 BB in 7 of 8 away contests in ’23, with opp. notching 1-or-more HR’s in 6 of those 8 starts.
TOUGH ON LEFT: LHB are 7-for-20 with 4 XBH (HR, 3B, 2 2B) against Heaney in his last 6 starts, but have still slashed .194/.367/.323/.690 (12-62) with 5 extra-base hits against him in 2023…Heaney has held lefties to a .211/.340/.341/.682 (26-123) slash line and just 2 HR allowed (Freddie Freeman 7/21/23 vs. LAD and 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 SO’s marked the most successive SO’s by a pitcher in TEX 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 A.L. 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+ 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 .236/.319/.427/.746 (100-424) w/ 19 HR, including a .194 (12-62) mark with 5 XBH (HR, 3B, 3 2B) vs. LH batters…43 of 57 runs allowed have come in 1st (12), 2nd (13), or 3rd (18) inning…opp. BA/OPS by time through lineup: 1st (.253/.766), 2nd (.209/.657), 3rd (.260/.906)…9 wins this season have tied his career high (9-10 in 2018 w/ LAA)…Jonah Heim has caught 16 starts (3.83 ERA), Mitch Garver has caught 4 starts (4.00), and Sandy León caught 2 starts (7.59)…posted season-high 11 SO in last outing on Tues. vs. CWS (W, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 SO, 80 pitches/55 strikes)…was his 19th career 10+ strikeout game, 2nd in ’23 (also 10 SO on 4/10 vs. KC)…became just the 3rd pitcher in Rangers history (beg. 1972) to allow 2-or-fewer hits, zero walks, and strike out 11+ batters in a game, joining Yu Darvish on 4/2/13 at HOU (8.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 SO) and Matt Perisho on 10/3/99 at LAA (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 SO) a posted 5.0 SHO IP in 1st 2 starts vs. Astros (4/16 at HOU; 7/2 vs. HOU) and took 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.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: SF has dropped five of its last six games, falling to the Rangers in yesterday’s homestand opener…after today and tomorrow vs. Texas, and a three-game series vs. Tampa Bay Monday-Wednesday, the Giants will head back on the road for series vs. Atlanta and Philadelphia.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Giants have won nine of their last 12 home games and posted a 33-25 record at Oracle Park this year, compared to a 29-29 record on the road, where they have lost 10 of their last 11 games, dating to July 19 at Cincinnati…during that 12 game stretch at Oracle Park, Giants pitchers have posted a 1.85 ERA with a .199 opponent batting average…however the offense has averaged just 3.2 runs per game over that span.
PLAYING CATCH UP: With yesterday’s defeat, the Giants have lost five of their last six home series openers dating to July 3 vs. Seattle, yet they have won four of those five completed series… in total, SF has lost 11 of its 19 home series openers this year.
LOOKING FOR HITS: In last night’s defeat, SF was held to just three hits…their 10 games with three or fewer hits this season is tied for fourth-most in MLB, with six of those 10 games having come since June 22…the Giants’ 141 runs scored in that span are tied for fewest in the Majors with Oakland.
TOUGH STRETCH: The Giants finish this month with five series against teams above .500 as they face the Rangers (69-47), Rays (70-48), Braves (73-41) (twice), Phillies (65-52) and Reds (61- 57)…SF has risen to that occasion much of this season, posting a .537 winning % (29-25) against teams currently at or above .500, third-best in MLB…only the Braves (39-23, .629), Dodgers (31-25, .554) and Orioles (47-38, .553) have been better.
THE CALIFORNIANS: The Giants are in the midst of a 3+ week stretch where they don’t leave California, beginning with their season-long nine-game homestand on July 25, continuing with their current five-game road trip at Oakland and LA, and ending with a six-game homestand vs. Texas and Tampa Bay.
THE STOPPER: Today’s game will be the Giants’ seventh time using a traditional starter since July 26, utilizing an opener in eight of their last 14 games…SF is 15-6 in games RHP Alex Cobb starts this season, and 7-2 at home…Cobb’s splitter has a nine run value this year according to Baseball Savant, which is tied for second-most in MLB…the Rangers have struggled against right-handers’ splitters this year, batting .200 with a .600 OPS.
FEAR THE HEATER: Texas starter LHP Andrew Heaney has thrown his four-seam fastball 58.5% of the time this year, with opponents batting .208 and slugging .396…since July 1, the Giants have a .591 OPS against left-handers’ four-seam fastballs, which is 28th in MLB.
APRIL 18 (TAYLOR’S VERSION): With his scoreless inning yesterday, LHP Taylor Rogers lowered his ERA to 0.97 (4er, 37.0ip) since April 18…that ERA is lowest in MLB among relievers since April 18 and his 0.86 WHIP is fourth-best (min. 35.0ip). LOTS OF NEW FACES: SF is in a four-series stretch against AL opponents (at Oakland, at the Angels, vs. Texas and vs. Tampa Bay)…the Giants are 16-22 (.421) in Interleague play so far this season, which is the 24th lowest winning percentage in MLB… SF’s 3.66 runs per game in interleague matchups is 29th, leading only Pittsburgh’s 3.46 runs.
I CAN BUY MYSELF FLORES: IF Wilmer Flores had his career-best 20-game on-base streak snapped yesterday…his on-base streak had been the longest active on-base streak in the Majors… even with the streak snapped, Flores’s 1.078 OPS since June 1 is third-best in MLB (min. 130 plate appearances), trailing only LAA’s Shohei Ohtani (1.248) and TEX’s Corey Seager (1.109).
GOING STREAKING: RHP Ross Stripling did not walk a batter yesterday for the seventh-straight game, extending his streak to 36.0 frames…per Elias, the 36.0 inning walk-free streak is third-longest in the SF-era (1958-present) trailing a 38.2-inning streak by RHP Jeff Samardzija from April 28-May 25, 2017 and a 37.2-inning streak by RHP Bill Laskey from June 3-30, 1984.
WELCOME BACK, BOCH: The Giants recognized former manager Bruce Bochy with a video tribute yesterday…Bochy guided the Giants to three World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014…the Giants’ championship in 2010 was their first in San Francisco history (since 1958) and their first since the New York Giants won in 1954…overall, Bochy posted 1,052 wins with San Francisco, the second-most managerial wins by a Giants manager behind Hall of Famer John McGraw.
LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND: SF has left 10-or-more men on base in 24 games this season…only Texas has done so more often (25)…however, the Giants have gone 15-9 when doing so, with their 15 such wins the most by any team in MLB (Stats, LLC).
TODAY’S STARTER – ALEX COBB RHP #38
2023 RECORD: 6-3, 3.30 ERA
WITH THE GIANTS: The 2023 All-Star is in his 12th Major League season and his second with the Giants…he’s in his second year of a two-year contract (with a third-year team option) with the Giants that he signed on November 30, 2021.
LAST TIME OUT: Did not factor into the decision in his start against the Athletics on August 6 at the Oakland Coliseum…struggled in the outing, allowing five runs on seven hits (two homers) and one walk with three strikeouts in the Giants 8-6 loss to the Athletics.
CHANGE IS GOOD: Has relied on his changeup heavily against lefties this year, throwing it 46% of the time for a .347 opponent slugging percentage…he struggled to get his changeup going in his last outing against Oakland, failing to get a single swing and miss…the A’s went 2-for-6 against the pitch, picking up a double and a triple for a .833 SLG (SIS).
A SEASON TO REMEMBER: Despite battling through his last four starts, posting a 5.40 ERA (13er, 21.2ip), he has been one of the Giants most reliable pitchers this season…he posted a 6-2 record with a 2.82 ERA over his first 17 starts of the year….in 21 starts overall, he’s posted a 6-3 record with a 3.30 ERA (43er, 117.1ip)… he has allowed two earned runs or less in 14 of his 21 starts this year with SF going 12-2 in those games.
WINNER, WINNER: The Giants have a 15-6 record over 21 games when Cobb takes the mound and have won eight of their last 10 and 12 of the last 15 games he’s started.
50 GIANT STARTS: This start marks Cobb’s 50th of his Giants career…over his first 49 starts as a Giants, he’s posted a 3.54 ERA…if he pitches well tonight he could become just the sixth Giants pitcher this century with an ERA below 3.60 in his first 50 starts with the team (Stats, LLC).
VS. TEXAS: Will face the Rangers for the ninth time in his career…is 1-1 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over his eight career starts… last faced Texas on Sept. 30 and allowed five runs on seven hits (two homers) and two walks with five strikeouts.
NOTHING LIKE YOUR OWN PILLOW: Has pitched much better at home this year going 4-1 with a 1.46 ERA (9er, 55.2ip) and a 1.08 WHIP in nine starts, compared to the road where he’s 2-2 with a 4.96 ERA (34er, 61.2ip) over 12 starts…his 1.46 home ERA ranks as the best figure in the Majors (min. nine starts).
YOU’RE GROUNDED!: Cobb’s 57.2% groundball rate is third-best in the Majors behind teammate Logan Webb (60.2%) and CHC’s Marcus Stroman (59.0%). EXTRA, EXTRA READ
ALL ABOUT IT: Despite having the third-best groundball rate, he has been giving up more extra base hits in the second half, going from a .707 opponent OPS before the All-Star break to an .881 after…almost all of this can be attributed to the long ball, giving up six home runs in his first 16 starts and seven homers in his next five games, including five over his last two starts (SIS).
RISP MANAGEMENT: Opponents are just 5-for-their-last-33 (.152) off him with RISP…he’s also holding opponents to a .184 average (21-for-114) with runners in scoring position overall this season, with the .184 opponent’s clip with RISP ranking as the fourth-lowest figure in the Majors among starters…he’s also posted a .115 average (6-for-52) with runners in scoring position and two outs.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Opponents are batting .368 (21-for57) with 10 extra base hits (five doubles, two triples, three homers) off him on the first pitch of an at-bat.
HEY NOW YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR: Was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career as a replacement for Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder…at 35 years, 277 days on the day of the All-Star game, Cobb was the fourth-oldest first time All-Star in Giants history, and second-oldest in the SF-era…Cobb threw 1.0-scoreless inning with one strikeout at T-Mobile Park.
