‘I similar to profitable’: Monty will get elusive ‘W’

ST. LOUIS — Asked not too long ago if a winless streak that had improbably spanned greater than two months had began to put on upon him mentally, Cardinals left-hander Jordan Montgomery responded with about as a lot conviction as he’d pour into an enormous strikeout pitch.

“I’m not a loser, and I’m going to keep giving them everything I’ve got out there,” Montgomery mentioned final weekend following a loss in Pittsburgh. “The team knows that … manager knows it … pitching coach knows it … fan base knows it.”

Montgomery got here out a winner on Friday evening after blanking the Reds over six innings and utilizing some early run help to earn his first win since April 8. Montgomery, who struck out six batters, together with rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz 3 times, snapped a streak of losses in seven straight selections within the 7-4 defeat of Cincinnati.

The lefty — who began the season 2-0 — averted changing into the primary Cardinals pitcher in 126 years to have the crew lose 11 straight video games he began, one thing that occurred to Bill Hart in 1896 (11 straight losses) and 1897 (12 straight losses).

“I just like winning,” mentioned Montgomery, who acquired 10 swings and misses with a refined changeup he had been tinkering with in latest weeks. “As long as I’m throwing well and giving us a chance to win, that’s all I can really do. But it’s always good to win.”

Nolan Arenado hit the 311th residence run of his profession however the first to come back on a 3-0 pitch. Arenado acquired the inexperienced gentle and hit a Ben Lively fastball 429 toes to left to offer Montgomery an early 2-0 lead. Before Friday, Eric Hosmer was the one energetic MLB participant with extra 3-0 counts with out a residence run (186 plate appearances) than Arenado (168 plate appearances), per Elias Sports.

“I’ve gotten hits before [on 3-0 counts], but I didn’t know that was my first homer. That’s crazy,” Arenado mentioned.

Rookie Jordan Walker and second-year slugger Nolan Gorman additionally hit two-run residence runs for the Cardinals, who received a collection opener for simply the fifth time in 21 collection this season. Walker, 21, hit a 431-foot shot into the Cincinnati bullpen for his fourth residence run of the season. 

“Jordan’s got a lot of potential in this game and he’s a hard worker,” Arenado mentioned. “As long as he continues to do that and gets experience in the big leagues, he’s going to be just fine.”

Gorman struck out in his first three at-bats however smashed a line-drive shot within the seventh for his career-best fifteenth residence run of the season.

The Cardinals offered Montgomery with an early 5-0 lead. That needed to be a welcome sight for the lefty, who had seen his teammates rating three runs or fewer in six of his earlier 12 begins this season.

Montgomery gave up a game-opening double to Kevin Newman however pitched round it and acquired De La Cruz to whiff on a curveball within the grime to finish the primary. In the second, he allowed two extra Reds to achieve however acquired out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout. In the third inning, Montgomery pitched round a one-out double by hanging out the following two batters. His most interesting pitch of the evening — an 84-mph changeup — had De La Cruz means out in entrance for one more strikeout.

“When I throw [the changeup] at the bottom of the zone, it’s hard to foul it off if they’re off balance,” Montgomery mentioned. He acquired 15 swings on the changeup — 10 which have been whiffs. “It’s a pitch that I really have to focus on being at the bottom of the zone.”

The youngest of three Montgomery boys, Jordan mentioned his two older brothers spoke to him typically all through his shedding streak to supply encouragement. His highschool baseball coach continued giving him suggestions and phrases of confidence, too.

“I’ve got my high school coach back home who has been working with me since I was 12, and he’s just been saying to stay the course,” Montgomery mentioned. “I’ve thrown the ball really well, even though it might not have showed. I had a couple of bad games, but we’ve been in the game every time I’ve pitched. At the end of the day, that’s all I can really do. I’ve got him and my brothers, who check in on me every day for no reason and they are always there for me.”