Possibly the most notable potential future improvement stemming from the Rangers’ tough 8-3 defeat against Atlanta on Friday was Andrew Heaney’s shift in mindset. Fueled by frustration with his performance, he opted to focus on attacking hitters rather than overthinking. However, this change came after a shaky start, with Heaney issuing walks, conceding a run, and tossing 35 pitches in the opening inning.

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the Rangers’ challenging 8-3 loss to Atlanta on Friday was Andrew Heaney’s mental adjustment. Driven by frustration with his performance, he chose to concentrate on attacking hitters instead of getting bogged down in overthinking. Nonetheless, this adjustment followed a rocky beginning for Heaney, marked by walks, a run conceded, and 35 pitches thrown in the first inning.

“It’s challenging to find your rhythm when you’re already out of sync,” remarked Heaney on Friday.

Following the initial inning, he only allowed two baserunners, both solo homers by Travis d’Arnaud. While it didn’t secure a win for the Rangers, it represented a positive step forward.

Now, onto some other noteworthy takeaways from the tough night in Atlanta:

Outstanding performance: Let’s take a moment to appreciate Marcus Semien. He became the first Ranger in five years to hit leadoff home runs in consecutive games, a feat that deserves recognition and a tip of the hat to Shin-Soo Choo. More importantly, Semien is having an impressive April.

“On Friday, Heaney remarked, ‘Finding your rhythm is challenging when you’re already offbeat.’

After the initial inning, he only allowed two baserunners, both solo homers by Travis d’Arnaud. While it didn’t secure a win for the Rangers, it represented a positive step forward.

Now, onto some other noteworthy takeaways from the tough night in Atlanta:

Standout performance: Let’s take a moment to highlight Marcus Semien. He became the first Ranger in five years to hit leadoff home runs in consecutive games, a noteworthy accomplishment that also pays tribute to Shin-Soo Choo. But more importantly, Semien is having an impressive April.”

Outstanding throw: Just prior to Travis d’Arnaud’s pivotal grand slam, Adolis García made a remarkable throw from right field to prevent Matt Olson, who was then the potential go-ahead run, from scoring. It had the potential to be a game-changing play that may not be fully reflected in the box score.

There was no run, hit, error, or out recorded—just a run prevented through hustle, strength, and accuracy. Unfortunately, this play only receives recognition here.

Unusual facts: Consider the curious occurrence of two catchers hitting three home runs against the Rangers within a span of 10 days—not just strange, but truly remarkable. Since 2014, there have been eight instances of a catcher hitting at least three homers in a single game, and three of them have occurred against the Rangers.

First, there was Pedro Severino hitting three for Baltimore in June 2019. Last week, Shea Langeliers achieved the feat. And now, Travis d’Arnaud joins the club, becoming the only catcher in the last decade to have two three-homer games, with his first occurring in 2019 for the Rays against the Yankees. In MLB history, only Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Gary Carter have more than one three-homer game—alongside d’Arnaud.