Three mistakes ruin promising start by Montero
Start by start, Rafael Montero is earning the Mets’ trust.
But he made three mistakes Sunday, and paid for every one, giving up a trio of home runs in a 3-2 loss to Oakland before 29,037 at Citi Field.
The difference was, unlike so many of his earlier outings before being sent down to Triple-A, it was a quality start in which the Mets let him down instead of the other way around.
“[Sunday] was a real good start, a couple mistakes that they hit,’’ catcher Rene Rivera said. “But overall seven innings, three runs. I think when the starting pitcher does that I think it’s pretty good.”
Those seven frames were a season-high, and second-longest of his career. But Montero (1-7) allowed solo shots to Marcus Semien in the first, Khris Davis in the fourth and Matt Chapman in the seventh, the first off a fastball and the others hanging sliders.
“I feel good, thank God. I definitely need to work more, but it can get better and I can do better next time,” Montero said through an interpreter. “I need to keep the ball a bit lower. That’s really where I got into some trouble and there was damage done against me. When those home runs occurred it was because I kept the ball too high.”
Manager Terry Collins agreed.
“He threw well, but the two hanging sliders killed him. Those are the things we talk about when you’re a young guy and they have the mindset of pound the zone, pound the zone,’’ Collins said. “But once in a while, you’ve got to go out of the zone, and certainly in a close game you get hurt two outs nobody on.”
A 2-0 slider hurt him, Chapman’s homer breaking a 2-2 tie.
Still, Montero has pitched to a 3.34 ERA and struck out 32 in 32 ¹/3 innings over seven games (four starts) since being recalled June 14.