Keider

Montero

Montero will get the nod as the Tigers look to take a 2-1 lead. The right-hander threw two innings of relief in Game 1, and while he’ll likely have a short leash because of how important this contest is, he should still be stretched out enough to give the Tigers some innings Wednesday.

Montero was left off the Wild Card roster after throwing three innings Sunday, but it’s no surprise to see him back now. The question was whether it’d be at the expense of Mize or Ty Madden, neither of whom pitched in the Wild Card series. As is, Madden is sticking around. Montero could see action behind opener Tyler Holton today, but Reese Olson and Brant Hurter are also possibilities there.

We assumed Montero was done after his start Wednesday, but the Tigers brought him back on three days’ rest to throw 56 pitches today. All we know about the Tigers’ Wild Card plans is that Tarik Skubal is going in Game 1 against the Astros. We’re guessing Brant Hurter will figure prominently in Game 2. Montero and Reese Olson would then be Game 3 options.

Montero gave up four hits, walked two and struck out two. There was traffic on the bases throughout Montero’s appearance. The Tigers weren’t going to give him a long leash with playoff implications at stake and made the call to remove Montero in the middle of the third inning at 55 pitches. He’ll finish the season 6-6 with a 4.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings. Montero’s 4.29 xFIP suggests there’s still room to grow and if the 24-year-old right-hander takes a step this offseason, he could be a part of the Tigers rotation for years to come.

Montero simply could not keep the ball in the yard. Colton Cowser and James McCann each took him deep twice and the rout was on in Baltimore. This was the first start in which Montero allowed multiple home runs since the start of August and also, weirdly, his most strikeouts in one outing since August 6th. His changeup was still lethal despite his poor performance overall with eight swings-and-misses on just 10 swings and the Orioles never even put one in play. He’s scheduled to face the Rays at home in what should be his final start of the (regular) season.

Montero has now thrown 14 scoreless innings in a row after pitching a complete game shutout on Tuesday against the Rockies. Montero did only strike out one and he also walked one while inducing just two whiffs all game for a 6.1 percent whiff rate. He kept the Orioles hitters off the barrel of the bat, which resulted in a strong day overall, but the Tigers pulled him after just 63 pitches after his lengthy performance on Tuesday. Montero will take a 4.60 ERA into a rematch with the Orioles next week.

Montero was gifted with a soft matchup and took full advantage of it. The 24-year-old induced 17 whiffs on 52 swings for a 33 percent whiff rate and 31 percent CSW. None of the hits he allowed went for extra bases, and he never really broke a sweat, needing just 96 pitches to get through the complete game. Unfortunately, things will get much tougher this weekend against the Orioles.

Montero got off to a good start, holding the Padres scoreless through three innings before Jackson Merrill took him deep for a three-run shot in the fourth. Manny Machado would drive in two more runs on a base hit in the fifth. Montero’s day would be done with one out in the inning with the game tied. The 24-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 5.47 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 60/26 K/BB ratio across 74 innings. He’s in line for a start against the Rockies in Detroit on Tuesday.

Montero struggled with his control, as he walked three and threw 31-of-89 for balls. The right-hander did blank the Angels for the first three innings, but gave up a run in the fourth and a two-run shot in the fifth. Montero now has a 5.17 ERA and a 58/24 K/BB over his 69 /23 innings. He’ll try and improve those numbers Wednesday against the Padres.

Montero walked two and struck out four batters on the night. After being staked to an early 2-0 lead, Montero couldn’t hold on, giving up an RBI single to Lenyn Sosa in the second inning and a game-tying RBI double to Korey Lee that plated Andrew Benintendi in the fifth. Montero got eight swings and misses on 88 pitches on the night — five on his fastball — while posting a CSW of 26 percent. While he has looked much better in recent starts, he’ll still carry an uninspiring 5.15 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 53/21 K/BB ratio (64 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s tilt against the Angels.