(St. Petersburg) Jordan Montgomery was outstanding against the Tampa Bay Rays, and even more so when he made a diving catch for a bunt that helped the Texas Rangers win 4-0 Tuesday in the first game of this first round series.
“It’s nice to do your job and help the team win,” said Montgomery, after giving up six hits in seven innings to put the Rangers one win away from a sectional series appearance against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Rangers recovered after a difficult weekend that deprived them of the title in the West section of the American and a bye in the first elimination round.
The Rays, who wore the Devil Rays-era uniform used from 1998 to 2000, have lost a sixth straight playoff game since winning Game 1 of their division series against the Boston Red Sox in 2021. They are participating in the playoffs for a fifth year in a row.
The pitches of Montgomery (1-0) set the tone for this best-of-three series. The Rangers were also inspired by a defensive play from the 6-foot-6 athlete following a Jose Siri bunt to first base with a runner on third base.
“I saw she was pretty high in the air, I took two quick steps, and then I lost track and I went for it,” Montgomery said.
“It was electric, I was excited,” said rookie Evan Carter, who hit two doubles and drew two walks in his first playoff game.
“It wasn’t a soft landing, was it? He’s a big man, laughed manager Bruce Bochy. Big catch from him. We were in a critical situation. It shows how competitive he is. »
Bochy and the therapists went to the mound to make sure the gunner was not injured.
“I think I was as shocked as everyone in the stands,” Montgomery said. I had to catch it backhanded. I had never done this before. I don’t think I’ve done it since I was 12. »
Corey Seager and Josh Jung drove in runs and the Rangers took advantage of four errors by the Rays, who struggled batting in front of the 19,704 fans — about 5,300 people below capacity — gathered at Tropicana Field.
“We didn’t hit or pitch or defend,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. When you play a good team, they’re going to take advantage, and [the Rangers] really did that. »
Montgomery, a 30-year-old left-hander acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, struck out 14 of the last 16 batters he faced.
He fanned backup hitter Junior Caminero, the Rays’ top minor league prospect, to finish his night’s work with five strikeouts and no walks.
Aroldis Chapman was perfect in the eighth, then Jose Leclerc allowed a free pass in the ninth, and the Rangers posted their first shutout in the playoffs since the 2011 World Series.
“We’re not going to change our approach,” Cash warned, however. This team has scored a lot of points this year. This is good batting training. We were cleared today. I’m sure we’ll bounce back and have some good at-bats. »
Tyler Glasnow (0-1) gave Jung a sacrifice fly to second that pushed Nathaniel Lowe toward home plate. He made a bad throw with the bases loaded in the fifth that allowed the Rangers to score their second run.
The Rangers, who went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, made it 4-0 in the sixth with a little help from the Rays, who are usually effective on defense. They hadn’t made four errors in a playoff game since 2008.
Glasnow walked the first two batters in the sixth and Seager accommodated Chris Devenski, called up in relief, with a run-scoring single. The second point was the result of a bad throw from Jose Siri at third base.
Montgomery, who will be eligible for full free agency after the World Series, was 2-0 with a 0.67 ERA in his last four regular-season starts.
