The Arizona Diamondbacks welcomed one of their top offseason pickups to the rotation Friday night. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery made his 2024 debut against the Giants at Oracle Park (GameTracker), and he held San Francisco to just a Jorge Soler solo homer over six innings. Montgomery struck out three and was efficient, throwing only 78 pitches of which 54 were strikes.
Here is Montgomery's first strikeout with the D-backs:
Montgomery, a postseason hero with the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers last year, settled for a one-year contract worth $25 million just before Opening Day. He was seeking a long-term deal, though that did not materialize. Montgomery left agent Scott Boras earlier this month after his disappointing foray into free agency.
After signing, Montgomery made two Triple-A tune up starts and allowed nine runs in 7 2/3 innings. He got his pitch count up to 71 in his second start, hence his 78 pitches Friday. The results were not good, though a veteran like Montgomery is treating those Triple-A games like spring training. The priority is not getting outs. It's working on certain things.
Monty made his mark. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/xpCubd5pLJ
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 20, 2024
"I can tell you based on what I've heard, that Jordan worked really hard on his own and once he stepped into arena," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said prior to Montgomery's debut (via the Arizona Republic). "I'm glad we got him a couple of starts in Reno (in Triple-A). I think he'll be ready."
Coincidentally enough, Montgomery was opposed by Blake Snell on Friday. Like Montgomery, Snell is a Boras client who had to settle for a short-term contract over the winter. In Snell's case, he is the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Snell was charged with five runs in 4 2/3 innings on Friday.
Arizona is currently without lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who they signed to a four-year contract worth $80 million over the winter. He is dealing with a lat strain and was recently placed on the 60-day injured list. The earliest he can return is May 28.
The D-backs entered play Friday with a 9-11 record. Montgomery and the Rangers, of course, beat Arizona in the World Series last year.