OAKLAND, Calif. — After Taylor Hearn failed to get past the fifth inning in a loss to Houston last start, Rangers manager Chris Woodward challenged him. He wanted Hearn to take the next step in his development and find a killer instinct that would allow him to stay in games longer.
On Saturday, Hearn responded with his longest outing of the season in an 11-4 win over the A’s. He got a lot of run support, so the pressure wasn’t necessarily at an all-time high, but he did finish with six innings pitched, two earned runs on eight hits allowed and five strikeouts.
“Everything I’ve been working on with our coaches has been paying off,” said Hearn, who improved to 3-3. “I’m just trying to be as consistent as I can.”
