San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Montas mows them down
With 7 scoreless innings, pitcher helps Oakland end N.Y.’s 13-game win streak
The A’s Frankie Montas improved his record to 10-9 with a win over the Yankees. “You know what, he’s a horse,” manager Bob Melvin said.
Montas readied pitch seven of a battle with Anthony Rizzo. A runner, just the Yankees’ second of the day, stood on first base. A reliever warmed in the A’s bullpen. Montas delivered a fastball at 98 mph. Rizzo swung through it for strike three. Montas spun and clapped his glove once.
A two-week A’s slump has coincided with struggles from a rotation that has buoyed them all seaFrankie son. Ace Chris Bassitt might not pitch again this season. A loaded Yankees lineup overpowered James Kaprielian and Sean Manaea in the first two games of this series. Among the A’s starters, Montas is now their main strength.
His strikeout of Rizzo ended his sixth inning Sunday on his 85th pitch. The minefield middle of the Yankees order loomed in the seventh. A quiet bullpen signaled the A’s intent: Montas would return to
face it.
“You know what, he’s a horse,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s kind of built for an entire season — even though this is the most innings he’s ever thrown — but he’s kind of got the stature and the build.
“His (velocity) is not coming down, it’s actually getting better at times. The (splitter) has been big for him to create a little bit more confidence. And I think with Bass out, he kind of takes it personally that he’s the guy that’s pitched the best right now. He wants to lead the way and pitch a game like this.”
Aaron Judge lined a single to open the seventh. Giancarlo Stanton had launched mammoth homers each of the previous two nights, but Montas got ahead 0-2 with two fastballs and retired Stanton swinging at a splitter. Then Joey Gallo rolled a full-count splitter to first baseman Matt Olson, who started a double play.
It secured Montas’ second straight outing of seven scoreless innings. This time, his bullpen preserved it, though not without drama. A 3-2 win ended the A’s six-game losing streak and the Yankees’ run of 13 victories. Montas continued his own hot stretch.
In his past 11 outings, Montas has a 2.27 ERA. In 67 1⁄3 innings, he has allowed 47 hits and struck out 80. His 3.66 season ERA ranks seventh among qualified AL starters and his 167 strikeouts rank fifth.
“Man, it’s been a rollercoaster for me,” Montas said. “I’ve been like up and down this season. I have good games, bad games, but never stop working.”
Judge struck both hits against Montas Saturday, also scorching a 111.5 mph firstinning liner to left, where Mark Canha could not make a twisting catch. The Yankees averaged just an 83.4 mph exit velocity over 16 balls put into play against Montas, who induced 16 swing-and-misses.
“The guy’s throwing 97-plus (mph) with an 88 mph splitter and mixing in a 91 mph slider — I mean, he’s tough to square up,” A’s second baseman Tony Kemp said. “I think early in the year when he was having his struggles, he was just missing middle-middle too much. And he knew that he needed to mix in a couple more balls just to throw guys off of their hitting zone, and that’s what he was able to do.
“Especially once we had some people go down, he knew he needed to step up, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.” Kemp bounced a two-out RBI single in the second inning and drew a balk by Nestor Cortes Jr. to force in another run. Matt Chapman led off the fourth with a solo home run, his seventh homer in his past 15 games.
In 13 of Montas’ past 17 starts, he had received two or fewer runs of support. Saturday, three proved enough. Sergio Romo, drawing a save chance in the ninth with Lou Trivino struggling, allowed a two-run homer by Judge but recorded his first save this season.
“It felt good to give highfives again,” Montas said. “I feel like all of us did a little bit, all of us did our part to win a ballgame, and we just have to bring that mentality tomorrow into the game and keep rolling.”
Montas and Kemp both cited a boost from the presence of Bassitt, who returned to the A’s dugout after having surgery Tuesday for facial fractures. Bassitt took the A’s lineup card to the plate before the game. Kemp said it was clear “that the boys missed him — and there’s no coincidence that he comes back and we get the win.”
“I look up to him, man,” Montas said. “I think after the second inning I was like, ‘Hey, can you watch me, see what I’m doing, see my sequence?’ He’s really smart. And he has success, and not because he’s lucky. It’s because he knows what he’s doing out there.”