This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Keider Montero collected his first major league victory in his most recent start.
He’ll look to add another win to his record when the Detroit Tigers begin a four-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday evening to kick off a seven-game homestand.
Montero, a rookie right-hander, has made three major league starts. He lasted 6 1/3 innings on Wednesday, holding the Minnesota Twins to two runs and six hits in Detroit’s 9-2 win.
Montero, 24, also has made 13 starts this season for Triple-A Toledo, posting a 1-4 record and a 5.03 ERA. The Tigers called him up after Jack Flaherty (back) was forced to skip a start and Casey Mize (hamstring) was placed on the injured list.
“I’ve always believed in the process, and in the end, the results would show,” Montero, who will face the Guardians for the first time in his career, said through an interpreter. “The most important part is I was able to help the team get a win.”
Montero (1-2, 6.60 ERA) dealt with control issues in the minors this season (30 walks in 48 1/3 innings) but issued only one free pass against the Twins.
“He’s got a good heater, and he kept them off-balance. I’m excited to see what he can develop into,” Tigers catcher Carson Kelly said.
The Guardians will counter on Monday with right-hander Gavin Williams (0-1, 11.25 ERA), who made his first major league start of the season on Wednesday. He gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings in Cleveland’s 8-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. He threw 74 pitches, walking two and striking out a pair.
Williams missed the first three months of the season with a right elbow injury.
“He’s got to get back to executing — it might take him a couple times — but he showed some signs,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “His stuff is there. We saw a lot more good than bad.
“His command got away from him. He gave up too many 0-2 hits and just (hit) too much of the plate at times.”
As a rookie last season, Williams made 16 starts and went 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA. He faced the Tigers once, giving up three runs in five innings.
Cleveland won two games of a three-game home series against Detroit in early May. The Tigers will host the Guardians for the first time this season.
The Guardians will begin a seven-game road trip that also includes a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays before the All-Star break. The Tigers will play three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.
The Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping a weekend road series against the Cincinnati Reds.
“We’ve been away from home a long time and played a lot of different games, but the last three have been really fun,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “Pretty clear and well-rounded from the group. Pretty much everyone has contributed in the last couple of games, and it’s fun to win.”
Cleveland took two of three games from the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, including 5-4 victories on Saturday and Sunday. Bo Naylor’s three-run homer in the sixth proved to be the decisive blow in the Guardians’ latest triumph.
–Field Level Media
