On June 4, following a home loss to the Tigers, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was straightforward in his assessment.

“You should be able to give up three runs and win the ballgame,” he remarked.

This sentiment has become a recurring theme for the Rangers this season. The feeling was particularly strong on Saturday afternoon when Texas was defeated 3-1 by San Francisco at Globe Life Field. The team has struggled recently, going 2-7 in its last nine series, dating back to a four-game set in Oakland from May 6-8.

Rangers starter Andrew Heaney gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Giants on Saturday. This marked the 20th consecutive game in which a Texas starter allowed three or fewer runs. Despite Heaney’s efforts, the Rangers have a record of 8-12 in those 20 games.

The Texas Rangers are eagerly anticipating the return of key players Josh Jung and Corey Seager next week. This reinforcement comes at a crucial time, as the team seeks to enhance their performance and boost their standings. The Rangers’ recent loss to the San Francisco Giants has underscored the need for a stronger lineup, and the return of Jung and Seager is expected to provide the much-needed impetus to turn their fortunes around. Both players have been instrumental in the team’s successes earlier in the season, and their comeback is seen as a vital step towards regaining momentum and achieving better results in the upcoming games.

“Good effort by Heaney,” Bochy remarked after Saturday’s game. “There’s not much to say, except that we’re just not producing offensively. That’s been the story for a while now. We could have used a bit of luck, but we shouldn’t rely on that. We just need to get consistent at-bats and make solid contact.”

This game marked the fifth time this season that Heaney has taken a loss despite allowing three earned runs or fewer in a start. This ties him with Anaheim’s Patrick Sandoval for the most such outings in MLB this season.

Heaney has received one or zero runs of support in six of his 12 starts this season.

However, Heaney, similar to Michael Lorenzen in Friday night’s loss to the Giants, stressed that the pitching staff doesn’t feel pressured by the offense’s struggles.

“Regardless of the score, the goal is always to put up zeros,” Heaney stated. “I’m just trying to put up zeros.”

While he can genuinely say and believe this, it ultimately doesn’t matter if the Rangers don’t score. During the current 20-game stretch where the Rangers’ starting pitchers have excelled, the offense has only managed to score more than four runs five times.