Rangers' Offense Vanishes in Loss to Giants

(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

June 8, 2024

Giants 3, Rangers 1

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Jun. 8) — The Texas Rangers could only muster one run as they lost to the San Francisco Giants, 3–1, on Saturday afternoon. This game marked the 14th time the Rangers have lost when allowing four or fewer runs. They are now tied for most such losses in the majors this season. One of the highlights for the Giants was a two-run home run by Heliot Ramos in the first. For the second consecutive series, the Rangers will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Right-hander Keaton Winn (3–6, 6.17 ERA) will get the ball for the Giants, while the Rangers will hand righty Nathan Eovaldi (2–2, 2.70 ERA) the task of being their stopper in the series finale.

Early Lead for Giants

The Giants scored in the first off Rangers starter Andrew Heaney. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Austin Slater. On deck was Ramos, who promptly doubled to center to plate Slater.

The Rangers tied it up quickly in the bottom of the first. With former Ranger Spencer Howard on the mound, Marcus Semien and Josh Smith both drew walks. Adolis Garcia flied to right, allowing Semien to sprint to third. Moments later, Nathaniel Lowe scored Semien with a sacrifice fly to right.

The game remained knotted at one run apiece until the top of the third. After getting Tyler Fitzgerald to pop out to Lowe at first, Heaney gave up a single to Slater. Next up was Ramos, who homered to left, his sixth of the season, to give the Giants a 3–1 lead.

What Went Right for the Giants

The Giants most likely had the same pregame spread for the second day in a row. They didn’t run away with a huge lead, but they found enough ways to score. The home run by Ramos was a big factor as it broke the 1–1 tie. Baseball is often about doing the little things. It’s not always going to be a slugfest. Most fans would scoff at that because it’s what they like to see, but it doesn’t always win ballgames. One day, a player will hit one or more dingers, and the next day he’ll fall flat. A perfect example of this is Giants outfielder Michael Conforto. He homered in Friday’s game, and he struck out three times on Saturday, giving him the dreaded hat trick.

What Went Wrong for the Giants

The Giants faced potential trouble in the bottom of the first when Semien scored on a Lowe sacrifice fly. For a moment, it looked like the Rangers were going to get something started, but it wasn’t to be.

Near Quality Start for Heaney

Rangers starter Andrew Heaney took the loss despite falling one out shy of a Quality Start. His line on the afternoon was 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 83 pitches/61 strikes. Saturday marked the fifth time this season that Heaney suffered a loss in a start in which he allowed three or fewer earned runs. That ties him with Patrick Sandoval of the Los Angeles Angels for the most such outings in the majors this season.

Heaney has received one or zero runs of support in six of his 12 starts, as his 3.17 run support average as a starter this season would be ninth-lowest in the AL if he qualified. His record now stands at 2–7 with a 4.06 ERA in 13 games, 12 of them starts, in 2024. Heaney has still produced a 2.77 ERA with 36 strikeouts against six walks over his last seven starts dating back to the beginning of May.

Howard’s Afternoon

Spencer Howard made his first start in his third appearance for the Giants this season on Saturday. He pitched well through 4 2/3 innings. The rest of his line consisted of 3 H, 1 R-ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR, 74 pitches/53 strikes. The former Ranger (2021-2023) yielded his only run on the sacrifice fly by Lowe scoring Semien in the first. The 27 year-old has allowed only three runs, all earned, through 13 1/3 innings pitched this year. Left-hander Erik Miller came on in relief for Howard in the bottom of the fifth. He tossed one inning, allowed one hit, and struck out two, earning his first win of the season. His record is now 1–2 with an ERA of 3.60.

Postgame Comments

A somewhat flustered Bruce Bochy met with members of the media after the game and kept it short and sweet-ish. “Not much to say, except that we’re just not doing much offensively,” Bochy said. “That’s been the story for a while here.”