ARLINGTON — Adolis García, known for his Gold Glove defense and powerful arm, experienced an unusual moment on Friday night at Globe Life Field when he dropped a routine pop fly from Angels infielder Kyren Paris in the fourth inning. García seemed to begin the ball transfer before it settled in his glove.
“Our outfield defense has been a bit sloppy lately,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “It hasn’t been an issue all season, but we need to tighten things up. We’re a strong defensive team, especially in the outfield, but we haven’t been performing at our usual standard.”
Though the dropped ball didn’t result in a run, as Rangers starter Andrew Heaney and reliever Grant Anderson managed to induce two flyouts to end the inning, the error epitomized Texas’ 9-3 loss to the Angels. This defeat continued a rough patch for the Rangers, including a sweep by the last-place Rockies and a series loss to the Guardians.
Despite being a typically strong defensive team, the Rangers made two more official errors and a few mental ones, in addition to García’s mishap.
“The off-day didn’t help us,” Bochy commented. “Making three errors is unusual for us. It was just an off night.”
The pitching staff, which has recently been effective, struggled with deep counts as the Angels battled all night. Heaney, who had been on a hot streak, lasted just 3 2/3 innings and threw 83 pitches. His pitch count by inning was: 1st (15), 2nd (27), 3rd (24), 4th (17).
Heaney had a 2.00 ERA over his last three starts, lowering his season ERA from 6.26 to 4.39. He made four consecutive starts without issuing a walk, setting a franchise record. His walkless streak ended at 29 innings with a walk to Jo Adell in the second inning.
“Heaney pitched better than it seemed,” Bochy said. “He only gave up two earned runs. His pitch count caught up with him, and I didn’t want to push him too hard. He had some bad luck, but his stuff was good. The game just got away from us.”
Heaney was less pleased with his performance. “I’ve been good the last four or five outings, but this one was just bad,” he said. “I couldn’t get into a rhythm. It was one of those nights where nothing clicked.”
The Rangers have now lost nine of their last 16 games and are close to falling below .500 for the first time under Bochy. They are 23-23 and need to overcome their struggle against left-handed pitching as they prepare to face Patrick Sandoval on Saturday.
The Rangers rank 14th in batting average (.245), 21st in slugging (.365), and 22nd in OPS (.663) against left-handed pitchers this season. Angels lefty Tyler Anderson held them to one run on two hits over seven innings on Friday.
“We’re having a tough time against left-handers,” Bochy said. “We have to keep battling and figure them out.”
Bochy added, “I don’t have a clear explanation. I believe we can hit left-handers, but we haven’t been consistent. We’ve had a few good innings, but overall our numbers aren’t great against them.”