Montas’ terrific start undone by home run, little offense

Montas struck out 10 batters, but a three-run shot changed the game

Box Score

In a surprise pitchers’ duel, Frankie Montas dominated the Rockies lineup for much of the night. The only caveat? A three-run home run that put the Brewers behind in 3-1 deficit.

The final line for Montas looked solid. A six-inning outing with three runs still counts as a quality start, but after tallying double-digit strikeouts for the first time since May 26, 2022, it was closer to being so much more.

Montas cruised through the Rockies lineup, often befuddling hitters even with his fastballs as he caught batters looking right down the middle. It was an effective night for Montas, only muddled by three walks and a blemish at the end of his night.

After five innings without allowing a hit, a double from Ezequiel Tovar and a walk to Ryan McMahon left Montas with danger on the bases with just one out. A ground out moved both runners into scoring position, but he inched ever closer to escaping the jam.

Then Michael Toglia stepped to the plate. Toglia is a prolific power hitter, but was hitting .185 since August 20. Montas’ first pitch sinker was just about as middle-middle as it gets, and Toglia launched it 428 feet. It was one of the few balls that the Rockies hit hard against Montas all night.

It was a disappointing moment for what was otherwise one of Montas’ best starts as a Brewer. If there is any more of that 10-strikeout potential in there, that would be a massive boost for the Brewers’ rotation down the stretch run. Of course, it’s the Rockies, but Montas’ strikeout numbers have steadily been climbing upward. He now has at least six strikeouts in four of his last six games.

On the other end of this low-scoring matchup was Rockies starter Ryan Feltner. He entered the start with a 5.11 ERA, but certainly didn’t look that way in this game. He placed his pitches well, tinkering around the bottom of the zone to stifle nearly any offense. Across six innings, the Brewers scratched across one run against Feltner while managing just two hits.

It was mostly a stress-free start for Feltner, but the Brewers managed to form one of their prototypical rallies in the second inning. Two walks, two stolen bases, and an RBI single from Joey Ortiz gave the Brewers the first run of the night.

Ortiz played a pivotal role in the Brewers’ next run, much later in the game in the seventh inning. It was that “small ball” approach that helped the Brewers attempt their comeback. Blake Perkins hit a single to right field and followed with a stolen base, even against relief pitcher Seth Halvorsen on a 101-mph pitch. In a two-strike count, Ortiz chopped a grounder up the middle into a nearly impossible play for the second baseman.

The fielder made the throw anyway, and the offline throw left Perkins free to cruise in to home plate.

The offense felt fruitless for much of the night. Despite the Rockies managing two hits through the first eight innings, the Brewers still trailed. A leadoff walk from Jackson Chourio in the eighth could have been promising, but it was quickly negated by a double play ball from William Contreras.

When the Brewers got the ball into play, it simply fell to the Rockies defenders.

So, the Brewers offensive slump continued, facing down a 3-2 deficit with the game nearing its end. While relievers don’t earn as much praise as the home run hitters, there was another heroic effort tonight from Aaron Ashby. His breaking pitches continue to devastate opposing batting orders. Three scoreless innings and four strikeouts later, Ashby gave the Brewers one last chance. His terrific streak lately has lowered his season ERA to 2.75. Since August 25, Ashby has pitched 12 ²⁄₃ innings without allowing a run.

The Brewers were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. They put up a fight, but it ended in a deflating out on the bases.

Jake Bauers worked a walk and was replaced by pinch-hitter Brewer Hicklen. He quickly took off for second base for his first career stolen base.

That left the tying run in scoring position with just one out. Rhys Hoskins battled reliever Tyler Kinley in a seven-pitch at-bat. It resulted in a fly out, but Hicklen took off for third.

Usually, with two outs, moving to third base isn’t a priority in that position since a sacrifice fly wouldn’t score the runner at that point. But Hicklen took the gamble and was thrown out by a few inches. It was close enough for the umpires to spend considerable time reviewing the play, but ultimately, the Brewers were sent home with a close 3-2 loss.

It was another night where a lackluster offense disappointed a valuable pitching performance. The Brewers scored nine runs against the Cardinals in the first game of that series but have now followed by playing 31 innings with 15 hits and just eight runs.

Milwaukee will battle the Rockies again tomorrow at 6:10 p.m. Tobias Myers is set to make the start against Ty Blach.