Keider

Montero

It was still a 3-0 game entering the ninth, but A.J. Hinch trusted Montero over Kenley Jansen today, apparently. Montero didn’t give him any reason not to, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. He got zero strikeouts and not even a single missed swing, but none of the nine balls in play against him turned into hits. The one batter to reach against him did so by walking. Montero could be a candidate for more three-inning saves as a reliever, though it’s also quite possible he’ll return to the rotation at some point.

This was always the logical move with Jack Flaherty back in the mix. It’ll be Framber Valdez taking the ball on Thursday against the Rangers on regular rest. Montero probably deserves a spot in Detroit’s rotation based on his recent performance but it doesn’t sound like they have any plans to move to a six-man mix for now.

Montero punched out three batters on the evening while allowing only one base on balls. The only real threat against him came as the Astros put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the seventh, but Montero got Cam Smith to ground out to end the inning. The 25-year-old righty got 13 whiffs on 96 pitches on the evening, posting a strong CSW of 31 percent. He’ll look to replicate this fine effort as he carries a 3.39 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and a 56/18 K/BB ratio (87 2/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday.

Montero tossed six scoreless innings against the White Sox on May 31, so it’s been a favorable matchup for him. Justin Verlander was originally going to return on Father’s Day, but he was scratched over the weekend due to a left hamstring injury. It remains to be seen if he’ll make it back this season. Montero will continue filling in as rotation depth in his next outing against the Astros.

First it was going to be Saturday, then it was going to be Sunday, and now it’s not going to happen at all. Verlander remains on the 60-day injured list, but the 43-year-old is finding it hard to get healthy enough to get back on the mound and this latest setback will likely put him out for a few more weeks. The Tigers will likely have Keider Montero start Sunday’s game.

Verlander will make his return to Detroit’s rotation after missing 11 weeks due to a hip issue. It’ll be Keider Montero moving to the bullpen to make room. The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer threw a 66-pitch simulated game at Daikin Park on Monday and shouldn’t have any workload restrictions in his return from the injured list. It’ll be his first start at Comerica Park in a Tigers uniform since 2017.

Montero built this outing on weak contact, as he struck out four and only got whiffs on 7-of-46 swings. However, he also allowed only five hard-hit balls, and with the Tigers taking a chokehold on this game in the middle innings, he had enough rope to pitch deep into the outing. Montero will draw the Astros in his next start and remains a streamer consideration, albeit one with low strikeout upside, in mixed leagues.

Montero gave up six hits, including a 451-foot moonshot to Dominic Canzone in the fourth inning. He finished with one strikeout and issued one walk. He’s allowed four earned runs in three of his last five outings since May 14. He’ll bring a respectable 3.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 44/16 K/BB ratio across 66 innings into a road outing against the Guardians on Friday.

Montero struck out four batters on the day and didn’t allow a base on balls. He needed just 65 pitches (46 strikes) to get through six innings, so it’ll be second guessed whether or not he should’ve come back out for the seventh — especially after Drew Anderson allowed a pair of runs to spoil his victory. He’ll try once again to earn his third victory as he carries a 3.69 ERA and 1.00 WHIP Saturday’s matchup against the Mariners.

Montero gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out seven. The 25-year-old right-hander had his strikeout stuff on Tuesday. Montero entered play with a 16 percent strikeout percentage before striking out seven of 26 batters face against the Angels. He was in line for the win when reliever Will Vest coughed up the lead in the eighth inning. Montero has a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts. He’s lined up to face the White Sox on the road on Sunday.