(St. Petersburg) Jordan Montgomery stood out against the Tampa Bay Rays, and even more so when he made a diving layup that helped the Texas Rangers win 4-0 on Tuesday in the first game of this first-round series.
“It feels good to do your job and help the team win,” Montgomery said 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 bounced back after a difficult weekend that deprived them of the American West section title and a bye in the first knockout round.
The Rays, who wore the Devil Rays-era uniform worn from 1998 to 2000, lost their sixth straight playoff game since winning Game 1 of their division series against the Boston Red Sox in 2021. They are making the playoffs for the fifth year. in a sequence.
Shooting from Montgomery (1-0) set the tone for this best-of-three series. The Rangers were also inspired by a defensive play by the 6-foot-2 athlete after Jose Siri’s play to first base with a runner at third base.
“I saw she was pretty high up, took two quick steps, lost track and went for it,” Montgomery said.
“It was electrifying, I was excited,” said rookie Evan Carter, who hit two doubles and walked two hits in his first playoff game.
“It wasn’t a soft landing, was it? “He’s a big man,” manager Bruce Bochy laughed. Great catch from him. We were in a critical situation. This shows how competitive he is. »
Bochy and the therapists went to the mound to make sure the Gunner wasn’t hurt.
“I think I was just as shocked as everyone in the stands,” Montgomery said. I had to catch it with the back of my hand. I had never done this before. I don’t think I’ve done that since I was 12. »
Corey Seager and Josh Jung drove in runs and the Rangers capitalized on four errors by the Rays, who struggled to hit in front of the 19,704 fans — about 5,300 under capacity — gathered at Tropicana Field.
“We didn’t hit, pitch or defend,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. When you play against a good team, they will take advantage, and [les Rangers] really did it. »
Montgomery, a 30-year-old lefty acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, has struck out 14 of the last 16 batters he has faced.
He encouraged pinch hitter Junior Caminero, the Rays’ best minor league player, to finish the 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 recorded their first playoff shutout 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 practice. We were released today. I’m sure we’ll bounce back and hit well. »
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 1-6 with runners in scoring position, made it 4-0 in the sixth with a little help from the Rays, who tend to be effective on defense. They haven’t made four errors in a playoff game since 2008.
Glasnow struck out the first two batters in the sixth and Seager walked Chris Devenski, called up in relief, with a single. The second point was the result of a bad throw by José Siri at third base.
Montgomery, who will be eligible for full free agency after the World Series, is 2-0 with a 0.67 ERA in his last four regular-season starts.
Diamondbacks 6 – Brewers 3
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno hit home runs off pitcher Corbin Burnes, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks erase a three-run deficit to win 6-3 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The two teams play the second game of the series on Wednesday. The Dimaondbacks will be in good shape on the mound, as pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are available after a short two-and-two-thirds inning from rookie Brandon Pfaadt.
The Diamondbacks, who punched their ticket to the playoffs in the final days of the regular season, were 0-14 when they lost 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 protected that lead by robbing Tyrone Taylor of a hit with the bases loaded, ending the fifth leading into the double play. Christian Walker added an insurance run with a two-run double off Devin Williams in the ninth.
The Brewers left the bases loaded in the first and third innings, as well as the fifth, this time with no outs on the board.
The Brewers appeared to have an advantage on the mound after clinching their playoff spot early to set up their rotation. This was not the case on the ground.
Although Pfaadt gave up three runs and seven hits before leaving the game in the third, Burnes struggled as well.
The 2021 Cy Young Award winner allowed four runs in the first four innings and struck out when the Brewers trailed 4-3 after getting both batters facing him in the fifth.
“He’s a really good pitcher,” Carroll said of Burnes. We wanted to take him out of the game. I think we were very patient in our hitting and were rewarded with balls right in the strike zone that we were able to hit. »
The Brewers took a 3-0 lead on Carlos Santana’s productive single in the first and Taylor’s home run in the second.
The lead seemed enough for Burnes, who retired seven of the Diamondbacks’ first eight hitters. But the tide has changed.
Caroll sent Burnes’ shot into the second-center field porch after Geraldo Perdono’s single to second. Marte sent the next pitch into the stands to bypass the paths.
Diamondbacks coach Torey Lovullo believes Carroll’s home run was a defining moment.
“I think at that moment we all started breathing again,” he said. I think collectively we bounced back and felt really good about the direction the game was going. »
Marlins 1 – Phillies 4
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — 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 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Nick Castellanos was the highlight of the game, showing his ring finger to the bench after a double. He hinted that the Phillies wanted a World Series ring after losing to the Houston Astros last year.
“That’s why we’re playing this month,” Castellanos said.
Castellanos scored a run-scoring double in the eighth that allowed Bryce Harper to cross the plate and the Phillies advanced to a Division Series win against the Atlanta Braves.
Craig Kimbrel worked on the mound in the ninth, not giving up his run to sign the save.
Phillies fans held up signs that read “Unfinished Business” and raved as an injured Rhys Hoskins held back tears as he threw the ceremonial pitch.
“He symbolizes Philadelphia, honestly,” said Castellanos, who wore Hoskins’ No. 17 on his cap.
The Phillies won 11 playoff games last year, two shy of their first World Series triumph since 2008.
“We have to come back this year after [cette défaite en Série mondiale], and it’s a different team, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. I think it’s a better team, to be honest with you. »
Wheeler, one of the great free agent acquisitions in the club’s history, was in fine form from the start. He threw nine pitches between 97 and 99 mph in the first inning, speeds the 212-strikeout author had not reached this season.
“As soon as I walked onto the field to stretch in the bullpen, the crowd rose and I got goosebumps,” Wheeler revealed.
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 first run of the game 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.
The Marlins finished the game with seven hits.
“I think they know what’s at stake,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. They know what [le match de mercredi] means. We will do the same thing we have always done. »
