(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 on 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 [les Rangers] really did it. »
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 are not going to change our approach,” Cash warned. 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 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.
Marlins 1 – Phillies 4
Zack Wheeler struck out eight batters in a stellar effort, Jose Alvarado preserved the lead with a crucial strikeout and the Philadelphia Phillies began their playoff run with a 4-1 win over the Marlins from Miami.
Nick Castellanos was the author of the highlight of the game, showing his ring finger to the bench after a double. He implied the Phillies wanted a World Series ring after losing to the Houston Astros last year.
Castellanos added a run-scoring double in the eighth that allowed Bryce Harper to cross the plate and the Phillies moved within a victory of the Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Craig Kimbrel worked on the mound in the ninth without giving up a run to sign the save.
Phillies fans held up signs that read “Un-phinished Business,” and they were delirious when an injured Rhys Hoskins held back tears while making the ceremonial throw.
The Phillies won 11 playoff games last year, two shy of their first World Series triumph since 2008.
Wheeler, one of the great free-agent acquisitions in club history, was in good shape from the start. He threw nine pitches between 97 and 99 mph in the first inning, speeds the author of 212 strikeouts had not reached this season.
Alvarado struck out Yuli Gurriel with two runners on in the seventh to end the Marlies’ threat.
While Wheelers needed just 46 pitches to finish four innings, Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo needed 90.
Johan Rojas, ninth in the Phillies batting order, scored the game’s first run when Alec Bohm hit a double off Luzardo.
Bryson Stott hit a productive single in the fourth to make it 2-0 and Cristian Pache imitated him to allow Castellanos to score.
Diamondbacks 6 – Brewers 3
For their part, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 in the first game of their draft series.
For the Diamondbacks, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno homered off pitcher Corbin Burnes.
The two teams will play the second game of their series on Wednesday.
Rookie Brandon Pfaadt only pitched for 2 2/3 innings.
The Diamondbacks, who punched their playoff ticket in the final days of the regular season, were 0-14 when losing by at least three points in a postseason game.
Carroll and Marte hit a long ball on two straight pitches in the third inning, while Moreno gave the Diamondbacks the lead for the first time in the game in the fourth.
Evan Longoria then drove in a double play that ended the inning, then Christian Walker delivered a two-run double against Devin Williams in the ninth inning.