Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney picked up the win and fired six scoreless innings against the Angels in a 3-0 victory on Wednesday. He struck out nine and only allowed one hit. This was his second straight scoreless outing, and his ERA on the season is now down to 1.72 with 31 strikeouts compared to only six walks in 31 innings pitched. He looked truly dominant in this start, inducing 24 whiffs on the night for an elite 46% whiff rate. However, it's hard to fully trust Heaney going forward, no matter how good he looks in any given start. He's shown flashes like this in every one of his more recent seasons, and still finished with an ERA above 4.00 in 2024 and 2023.
Andrew Heaney Blanks The Nationals For Series Sweep
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney had a nice bounce-back outing on Thursday to help sweep the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings with five hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts to win his first game of the season in a 1-0 ball game. It wasn't an eye-popping stat line when all was said and done, but Heaney induced a lot of weak contact and was efficient while throwing 95 pitches. The 33-year-old southpaw let up four earned runs in six innings in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds his last time out, but outside of that outing he's been strong in his first season in Pittsburgh. Heaney's strong effort on Thursday lowered his season ERA to 2.13 with 22 strikeouts and six walks in his first 25 1/3 innings pitched. While he shouldn't be counted on as a big strikeout guy, Heaney can continue to be a productive fantasy streamer in the right matchups.
Left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $5 million. Heaney spent the 2024 campaign with the Texas Rangers. The southpaw logged 160 innings and held a 4.28 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He tallied 159 punchouts. He also showed solid command as he allowed walks at a 5.9 percent rate. However, he generated a 4.46 xERA and a .253 xBA, which suggests he may face some regression when he returns to the mound. During the 2023 campaign, Heaney posted a similar 4.15 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP across 147 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers should expect Heaney to compete for one of the final spots in the rotation. Heaney will likely provide rotational depth and could eventually shift to the bullpen. If he earns a spot in the rotation, he could have value as a streaming option in deeper formats in favorable matchups.
The Detroit Tigers have interest in starting pitchers who are candidates for one-year deals this offseason, which includes left-hander Andrew Heaney and right-hander Kyle Gibson. President of baseball operations Scott Harris tried to sign Heaney in November of 2021 when he was the general managers of the San Francisco Giants. In the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers, Heaney has posted a 4.22 ERA with 310 strikeouts over 307 1/3 frames. Another player Detroit could be watching is right-hander Michael Soroka, who had a 4.74 ERA with 84 K's and 44 walks over 79 2/3 innings in 25 games (nine starts) for the Chicago White Sox in 2024. In his final 11 games in relief, Soroka was stellar with a 1.84 ERA, 41 K's and only nine walks in 24 1/3 frames. Because free-agent right-hander Nick Pivetta would require forfeiting draft picks, the Tigers are unlikely to pursue him.
Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney will be looking to get deeper into Friday's contest against the hosting Atlanta Braves. The veteran went just 3 2/3 innings and threw 79 pitches in that time in his last start at Houston, allowing two earned runs and four walks in that time. Heaney has pitched just 12 innings through his first three starts, maxing out at 4 2/3 frames in his first start of the season against Tampa Bay. The 32-year-old has been roughed up for a 6.75 ERA on the young season and sports a tiny 5.1% K-BB%, as well. Heaney is in danger of losing his rotation spot with Max Scherzer likely returning in May while the club also recently called up right-hander Jack Leiter who started Thursday's game against the Tigers.
Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney exercised his $13 million player option for the 2024 season and will be back in Texas next year. Heaney was a big part of the Rangers' pitching staff this year on their way to their first-ever World Series championship. The 32-year-old southpaw appeared in five games (three starts) in the playoffs and allowed five earned runs on 11 hits while walking four and striking out four in 11 innings pitched. During the regular season (his first in Texas), he went 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA (4.66 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP while walking 60 and striking out 151 in 147 1/3 innings over 34 appearances (28 starts). Heaney should enter his second year with the Rangers as a back-end starter in their rotation.
Andrew Heaney Gets The Nod For Game 4 Against Arizona
Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney has been named the starter for Game 4 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The Rangers were initially expected to use right-hander Jon Gray as the Game 4 starter, but those plans were scrapped after he threw three shutout innings for the win in Game 3 on Monday night when starter Max Scherzer left after three innings with a back spasm. Heaney allowed a hit in two-thirds of an inning in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. He's made two starts and worked twice out of the bullpen in the playoffs, allowing four earned runs on seven hits while walking two and fanning just one in six innings. The 32-year-old southpaw made one regular-season start against Arizona back on May 3 and picked up a no-decision after allowing six earned runs while walking four and striking out five in 4 2/3 frames.
Jose Altuve Aiming To Sustain Success Versus Andrew Heaney In Game 4
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will look to keep his career-long success versus Andrew Heaney going in Thursday's Game 4 of the ALCS versus the Texas Rangers. Altuve has largely struggled this postseason but did break out with a homer and an additional base hit in Wednesday's Game 3 8-4 victory. However, the veteran is seemingly in a fantastic spot against a pitcher he has seen plenty of in Game 4. Altuve is a career 12-for-37 (.324) hitter against Heaney with three doubles, a pair of homers, and a walk across 38 career plate appearances against the southpaw. The Astros will look to even the ALCS at two games apiece Thursday against a pitcher in Heaney who has pitched just 3 2/3 innings since Sept. 30.
Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney is starting Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday against the division-rival Houston Astros. In just his second career postseason appearance in Game 1 of the ALDS in Baltimore against the Orioles, Heaney picked up a no-decision by allowing just an earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out one in 3 2/3 innings of work. He's probably not going to have a long leash in this one as the Rangers look to take a commanding three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series. In four starts against Houston during the regular season, the 32-year-old southpaw allowed six earned runs in 19 2/3 innings (2.75 ERA) while walking 11 and striking out 16.
The Texas Rangers will roll with left-hander Andrew Heaney for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday in Baltimore against the Orioles. Fellow left-hander Jordan Montgomery will be on the hill for Game 2 on Sunday. It was expected that right-hander Dane Dunning would get the nod for Game 1 of the ALDS, but it will instead go to the 32-year-old Heaney against a lefty-heavy top half of Baltimore's lineup. Heaney only started two games in September, with his last outing being a shutout performance in a start against the Mariners on Sept. 30 in which he went 4 1/3 innings while striking out two. Both of his starts against the O's were in the first two months of the year and he was roughed up to the tune of a 7.45 ERA with three walks and five strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings pitched. Heaney will be a risky DFS streamer on Saturday.
Andrew Heaney
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Pirates
