Jordan Montgomery’s home ERA has ballooned to an alarming 9.00 this season after allowing six earned runs in just two innings against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Montgomery faced boos as he left the mound at Chase Field following a disastrous 3rd inning that included a leadoff single, a two-run home run, a single, a walk, another single, and finally, a grand slam, making it a 6-1 game with no outs recorded.
Since joining the Diamondbacks late this past offseason, Montgomery’s ERA stands at 6.41, and he has issued 17 walks over his last seven starts. No pitcher in the D-backs rotation has surrendered more hits than Montgomery this year.
Just a few weeks ago, things seemed to be improving for the big left-hander. After a six-inning, two-earned-run performance against the Marlins on May 25th, Montgomery discussed the challenges of missing Spring Training and the first few weeks of the season. He noted, “I mean, I am gonna go out there and compete every time I get the ball. But, I mean sometimes you try to overthrow and that defeats the purpose, or you rotate too much and you’re never in a good spot to throw the ball where you want. So, I think we finally kinda getting in the right direction.”
Montgomery did not make his first start for the Diamondbacks until April 7th, having missed all of Spring Training after signing with the team in late March. He began the season down in Triple-A, where he made two appearances with the Reno Aces.
However, Montgomery is not alone in his struggles. Blake Snell, the 2023 National League Cy Young winner and also a client of the controversial Scott Boras, has started this year with an 0-3 record and a 9.51 ERA. Snell, who signed with the Giants on March 19th, just a week before Montgomery joined the Diamondbacks, was recently placed on the 15-day IL with a left adductor sprain.
Snell signed a 2-year, $62 million contract, while Montgomery secured a one-year, $25 million deal. Both pitchers are now struggling to find their rhythm after missing spring training and starting their 2024 campaigns late, putting a significant strain on their respective starting rotations
