Montero see-saw yields 6 1/3 shutout on Thursday

He came out with a 5-2 lead. Both runs scored on solo homers, but Montero also struggled some with his control while throwing only 39 of 74 pitches for strikes. It’s understandable if his mind was elsewhere, as it sounds like he’ll soon be going on the paternity list. He could start next week against the Blue Jays, but since he seems to have worn down some, it’s also possible he’ll finish out the year in middle relief.

Montero had a 4-0 lead after the top half of the first and a 6-1 lead through three, but he gave up a grand slam as part of a five-run fourth inning and didn’t come back out for the fifth. It’s the first time this season that he’s been charged with six earned runs. He’s due to make his next start Wednesday against the Twins, but given that he’s had some issues bouncing back lately, he might need some extra time.

Montero allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings before giving up a double and a pair of singles to the four batters he faced in the sixth. That tied the game up, but at least Tyler Holton was able to strand both inherited runners after taking over with one out. Montero was pitching on 10 days’ rest after his arm didn’t bounce back per usual following his last start. He was obviously just fine today; his velocity was even up a tad, and he got 16 outs on just 73 pitches. Assuming that all is well after this one, he’ll likely make his next start in a doubleheader versus the Guardians on Friday.

It’s an extremely challenging matchup for Montero, who gets the ball on extra rest against a loaded Dodgers’ lineup at Comerica Park. The 26-year-old has hit a little bit of a rough patch in recent weeks, but has still delivered a solid 3.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 89/30 K/BB ratio across 133 2/3 innings this season. It’s absolutely a risky spot, but Montero is worth trusting in deeper fantasy leagues.

Montero will be pitching on extra rest after experiencing some fatigue coming out of his last start against the Pirates last week. It doesn’t sound like there is a high level of concern at the moment.

Montero had been scheduled to start against the Rays on Monday, but he didn’t recover well after his last start so the team wants to give him some extra time to rest and recover. The club will also push Framber Valdez back from Sunday to Monday, with the team going with a bullpen game in Sunday’s series finale against the Royals in Kansas City.

Montero gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three. He fell to 9-8 with the loss. Montero took the mound in the fifth inning with a 1-0 lead, but allowed three runs in the frame. Oneil Cruz hit a two-run home run and Spencer Horwitz had a two-out RBI single. Montero has a 3.30 ERA and has established himself as a long-term cog in the Tigers rotation this season. He’s lined up to face the Rays at home on Monday.

Montero punched out five batters on the night while issuing three free passes. He served up a two-run homer to Rafael Devers in the opening inning and allowed a two-out, two-run single to Jung Ho Lee in the second before settling in. The other run came on a solo blast from Willy Adames in the fifth. Montero got nine whiffs on 82 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 34 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he carries a 3.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and an 86/28 K/BB ratio (122 1/3 innings) into Thursday’s showdown against the Guardians.

This was nice to see after Montero had arguably his worst start of the season last time out against the Orioles. That’s especially the case considering he was pitching in Sacramento. Montero was far from dominant — he had just two strikeouts and didn’t register his first one until the sixth inning — but he threw strikes and did a good job getting ahead in the count. The 26-year-old has been a surprising success story this season with a 3.17 ERA through 18 starts and six relief appearances. He’s a recommended play in his next start against the Giants in San Francisco.

Montero has been one of the real bright spots for Detroit this season, but he didn’t have it in this one, giving up nine hits, including a solo homer to Leody Taveras. He notched only one strikeout and issued one walk. The 26-year-old was coming off a stellar performance where he struck out eight and allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings against the Cubs last week. He’ll attempt to rebound when he closes out a two-start week with a challenging road tilt against the Athletics on Sunday.