47 Frankie Montas SP

Montas was handed an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for PEDs, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This is a huge blow for the Athletics, as Montas has undeniably been their top starter so far this year. He's posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 97:21 K:BB across 90 innings, but he won't be eligible to return until the last week of the regular season in September -- and given how long it'll be since he pitched at that point, Montas likely won't be seen on a mound again until 2020.

Montas recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just one earned run on four hits across eight innings against the Rays on Thursday, but he did not factor into the decision.

The right-hander undeniably deserved his 10th win of the season going by his numbers, but the Athletics weren't able to break through for a memorable comeback win until the bottom of the ninth inning. Montas nevertheless continued to delight fantasy owners with another dominant performance, one in which he notched a whopping 17 swinging strikes over his efficient 93 pitches. The 26-year-old has truly hit his stride over his four June starts, not allowing more than two earned runs in any of them while recording at least nine strikeouts in three consecutive outings. Thursday's no-decision snapped a three-start winning streak for Montas, but he still hasn't been hit with a loss since April 29, a span of nine trips to the mound. He'll look to get back on the victory train against the Cardinals either next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Montas (9-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 11-2 romp over the Mariners, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings while striking out nine.

The A's put up three runs in the first inning and Montas never looked back, recording his third straight quality start and 10th of the year while winning his fifth straight decision. The right-hander will carry a 2.85 ERA and 88:21 K:BB through 82 innings into his next outing Thursday, at home against the Rays.

Montas (8-2) yielded three runs (two earned) on seven hits and a walk in six innings Sunday, fanning 10 batters and taking the victory over Texas.

Montas was gifted an 8-0 lead through four innings and took full advantage. His 10 strikeouts tied a career high that he set last month. The 26-year-old is enjoying a breakout campaign with a 2.84 ERA and a 79:20 K:BB across 76 innings this season. Montas will face the Mariners at home Saturday.

Montas (7-2) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings while striking out three in a 4-2 victory over the Angels.

The right-hander was in fine form as he delivered his eighth quality start of the season, keeping the Angels off the board for five innings until Shohei Ohtani took him deep in the sixth. Montas hasn't suffered a loss since late April, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB over his last 36.2 innings. He'll look to keep rolling on the road against the Rangers in his next start Sunday.

Montas allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in four innings while striking out five and taking a no-decision in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Angels.

Montas was uncharacteristically wild, with the five walks a season high through 11 starts. It was also his shortest start of the season. Montas has a 2.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 64 innings. He takes a 6-2 record into next Tuesday's rematch with the Angels in Anaheim.

Montas (6-2) threw six shutout innings with nine strikeouts, allowing five hits and two walks to earn a victory against the Indians on Wednesday.

For the fifth straight start, Montas has dropped his season ERA, which is an incredible feat considering it sat at 3.10 just five outings ago. During this stretch, Montas did allow seven runs against the Red Sox on April 29, but six of them were unearned. Therefore, over his last 31 innings, he's yielded only six earned runs. He's also struck out 26 hitters in the last 20.2 frames. Overall, Montas is 6-2 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 60 innings this season. He will make his next start against the Angels on Tuesday.

Montas (5-2) picked up the win in Friday's 7-2 victory over the Tigers, allowing two runs on four hits over 8.2 innings while striking out a career-high 10.

The right-hander was closing in on his first career complete game, but Miguel Cabrera's second double of the night brought home a run in the ninth and sent Montas to the showers after 109 pitches (73 strikes). He'll take a 2.67 ERA and outstanding 52:11 K:BB through 54 innings into his next outing Wednesday in Cleveland.

Montas didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 4-3 extra-innings win over Cleveland, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings while striking out a season-high seven.

The 26-year-old continues to put together a breakout campaign for Oakland. Montas has delivered five quality starts in eight trips to the mound, and he'll carry a 2.78 ERA and sharp 42:11 K:BB through 45.1 innings into his next outing Friday in Detroit.

Montas surrendered one run on five hits and struck out five over six innings Sunday in a no-decision against the Pirates.

Montas allowed his only run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly, and although he certainly pitched well enough to win, the offense failed to spot him enough run support. The 26-year-old has yet to give up more than three earned runs in a start this season, owning a 2.75 ERA with a 35:10 K:BB over 39.1 frames in 2019.

Montas (4-2) took the loss Monday as the A's were downed 9-4 by the Red Sox, giving up seven runs (only one earned) on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings while striking out four.

Boston did most of its damage in the third inning, scoring six runs after a Jurickson Profar throwing error botched what might have been an inning-ending double play -- after which Montas committed his own error to load the bases and tee up the Red Sox rally. The shoddy defense at least saved the right-hander's ERA, and Montas will take a 2.97 mark and 30:10 K:BB through 33.1 innings into his next start Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Montas (4-1) picked up the win in Tuesday's 11-5 victory over the Rangers, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out six.

A six-run fourth inning by the A's offense put the game out of reach, but Montas ran up his pitch count and fell one out shy of his fourth quality start in five outings. The right-hander has been Oakland's best pitcher so far, and he'll carry a 3.10 ERA and 26:8 K:BB through 29 innings with him to Boston on Monday.

Montas (3-1) gave up one run on three hits with two walks while striking out six through 6.1 innings in a win over the Astros on Wednesday.

A RBI single from Michael Brantley in the bottom of the sixth inning was the only hiccup in a nice start for Montas. The 26-year-old has pitched at least six innings in three of his four starts and has not surrendered more than three runs in any outing. The right-hander has a 3-1 record with a 2.70 ERA this season. Montas will look to keep the same consistency in his next start Tuesday against the Rangers.

Montas (2-1) allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three across six innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Orioles.

Montas held a no-hitter through four innings prior to allowing two home runs to the first three batters he faced in the fifth inning. He did rebound to strike out the side in the sixth inning to complete his quality start, though he generated only eight swinging strikes in a favorable matchup. Nevertheless, Montas has shown progress through three starts this season, notching a 14:4 K:BB and allowing six earned runs in 17 innings of work.

Montas (1-1) took the loss Friday as the A's fell 3-2 to the Astros, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings while striking out five.

The right-hander wasn't quite as sharp as in his 2019 debut, throwing 59 of 92 pitches for strikes, but Montas was able to minimize the damage despite putting runners on base in four of his five frames. He'll next take the mound Wednesday in Baltimore.

Montas (1-0) earned the win over the Angels on Sunday. He allowed one run and three hits while striking out six in six innings.

This was a terrific start to the year for Montas, who didn't lock up a rotation spot until the end of spring training. The 26-year-old's biggest mistake was allowing a solo home run to Kole Calhoun in the sixth inning. Montas should get the ball during next weekend's series against a tough Astros lineup.

Montas has been named to Oakland's starting rotation, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic reports.

Montas will enter the 2019 season at the Athletics' No. 4 starting pitcher, an unsurprising choice given his success in spring training. He started 11 games last year with Oakland and posted a 3.88 ERA with a 43:21 K:BB across 65 innings.

Montas fired three scoreless innings in an exhibition win over the Giants on Sunday, allowing two walks and recording three strikeouts.

The right-hander brought his spring ERA down to a minuscule 0.56 with the outing, which may have cemented his claim to one of the two open rotation spots. Montas has added a bit more variety to his repertoire thus far this year, utilizing sinkers and changeups to make his mid-90s fastball even more effective. Chris Haft of MLB.com reports that while manager Bob Melvin isn't ready to announce his final personnel decisions, he's clearly been impacted by Montas' spring performance. "Frankie Montas is pitching great," Melvin said. "I'm not saying he's on there for sure -- we'll let guys know at the appropriate time -- but, man, he's done everything that you would ask to make a team. And when you're pitching like he is to make a team, there's more pressure on you. So it's been doubly impressive."

Montas allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk over four innings in a 12-11 Cactus League win over the Cubs on Wednesday. He struck out five.

Montas' push for the final rotation spot continued in excellent fashion during the relief outing, as he shut down what had been a hot-hitting Cubs squad up to his entry into the game. With his latest dominant performance, Montas lowered his spring ERA to a minuscule 0.69 across 13 innings. The combination of Montas' lack of minor-league options, his strong spring and an established big-league track record seemingly give him a leg up on the job, but manager Bob Melvin is also considering phenom Jesus Luzardo, among others, for the open spot.

Montas now sports a 1.00 ERA across nine spring innings over three spring appearances (two starts).

One of several candidates for the fifth and final rotation spot, Montas made yet another strong case for himself in his latest spring turn. The right-hander allowed just one earned run on five hits over four innings while striking out four Giants in a 5-1 win Thursday. Montas now has eight strikeouts and has garnered both a win and a save this spring. Given that he's out of minor-league options and performing admirably thus far, he appears to have a better-than-average chance of locking up the job if he can maintain the same caliber of performance during the rest of the exhibition slate.