Mike Montgomery leads the M’s to victory with second straight shutout
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Move over Felix Hernandez, the Seattle Mariners have apparently discovered a new ace. Mike Montgomery dazzled again Tuesday, leading the M’s to a 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
It wasn’t the first time Montgomery tossed a complete game shutout this season. In fact, he did it in his previous start. This two-game stretch puts him in rare company.
Montgomery was absolutely filthy during Tuesday’s contest. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Yangervis Solarte doubled with one out. That was the only hit Montgomery would allow during the start.
Over his nine shutout innings, Montgomery gave up just one hit. He walked four and struck out seven. After six starts in the majors this season, Montgomery has a 1.62 ERA.
KEUCHEL CAN’T BE STOPPED
The Houston Astros have the best record in the American League. A big part of that has been pitcher Dallas Keuchel. The 27-year-old ace was fantastic again Wednesday during a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Houston has now won three straight contests, two of which of come against the Royals. Kansas City entered the series with just one fewer win than Houston, but the Astros have asserted their dominance thus far.
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Keuchel, once again, was phenomenal. He allowed seven hits over eight shutout innings. Keuchel struck out seven and did not allow a walk during the contest.
Though it may seem crazy, Keuchel has actually put himself in MVP conversation this season.
That’s a significant development for a pitcher whose career ERA in the majors was 5.20 entering 2014.
With the win, the Astros improved to 46-34 on the year. The club holds a four-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West.
DANNY SALAZAR COMES THROUGH FOR TRIBE
A day after his teammate flirted with a no-hitter Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar decided to do the same. Salazar was perfect through five innings during a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
On Monday, rookie Cody Anderson carried a perfect game into the seventh. Salazar didn’t make it that far, but still managed an impressive outing.
Salazar was perfect through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth. He walked the leadoff man, ending the bid for perfection. The no-hitter ended just two hitters later as Curt Casali doubled to left.
Salazar would make it out of the inning without giving up any runs. He eventually would allow the Rays to get on the board, but that didn’t happen until the eighth inning. Logan Forsythe walked to start things off, and came in to score on an Asdrubal Cabrera double. Salazar would wind up giving up one more run, but it came on an error.
With the win, Salazar improved to 7-3 on the year. He has a 3.80 ERA over 14 starts.
BOSTON HANGS ON AGAINST THE JAYS
Boston Red Sox rookie Eduardo Rodriguez had a tough task Tuesday. Rodriguez had to shutdown the lefty-mashing Toronto Blue Jays. He was successful, inching out the 4-3 victory.
While the game wound up being close at the end, that wasn’t due to Rodriguez. The youngster was fantastic, giving up just one earned run against the potent Blue Jays lineup.
Over six innings, Rodriguez allowed one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out four during the outing.
It was the team’s bullpen that made things interesting. Tommy Layne replaced Rodriguez to start the seventh, and found himself in some trouble. Following a Kevin Pillar single, Layne gave up a two run homer to Jose Reyes to bring the score within one run.
Alexi Ogando entered at that point, and managed to keep Josh Donaldson from extending the inning. Ogando remained in the game during the eighth, tossing a perfect frame despite facing the meat of the Jays lineup.
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Koji Uehara got the call in the ninth, and was able to close things out without any issues.
With the win, the Red Sox improved to 36-43 on the year. The club currently resides in last place in the American League East.
Want to see more from Tuesday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
