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 Tuesday night was a good time for the 25-year-old rookie to get one.
Pitching against a Kansas City team that drafted him in 2008 but
never gave him a shot past the Triple-A level, Montgomery went the
distance and allowed just four hits, leading the Seattle Mariners to
a 7-0 win over the Royals.
"It was a cool experience," said Montgomery, who had to overcome
five baserunners over the first two innings before settling into a
rhythm.
Left fielder Dustin Ackley had three hits, including a two-run homer
that gave Seattle a 6-0 lead. By that time, Montgomery (2-2) had
found his groove.
"Once he hit his stride," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said, "he
was pretty good, pretty tough. He had all his pitches working."
Montgomery (2-2) gave up three hits in the first two innings but
didn't allow another baserunner until Royals catcher Salvador Perez
reached on an error with two outs in the seventh.
"After that third inning, a switch flipped and I really had
confidence in all my stuff," Montgomery said.
Kansas City (40-28) was shut out for only the fifth time all season.
"We definitely had opportunities in the first two innings," Royals
manager Ned Yost said. "What Montgomery did was he went to a
changeup, and his changeup was really, really good tonight. We swung
at a bunch of balls out of the (strike) zone. There was no more
hitting after that."
Ackley went 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a home run. He would
have had a third RBI, but his second-inning double bounced over the
fence in right-center field, forcing baserunner Kyle Seager to go
back to third base.
Seattle first baseman Logan Morrison added a solo home run, his
ninth homer of the season, off reliever Michael Mariot in the
eighth.
Second baseman Robinson Cano and left fielder Seth Smith each had
two hits for the Mariners (33-39).
Seattle piled up six hits over the fourth and fifth innings, with
Ackley delivering the big blow, his first home run since May 28.
After Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie began to lose his command,
the Mariners scored three fourth-inning runs on a bases-loaded walk,
catcher Mike Zunino's RBI single and Morrison's RBI groundout.
Seattle's fourth inning included three singles and two walks.
Smith added a two-out RBI single in the fifth, and he came home on
Ackley's home run to right-center. Ackley is 9-for-13 with four
doubles and three home runs off Guthrie in his career.
"Coming into this game, against this guy, with the success (Ackley)
has had, we knew he'd have a big night," McClendon said. "He proved
us right."
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Ackley wasn't saying why he has been so productive against Guthrie
over the years.
"It's one of those things you can't really explain," he said.
Guthrie came out after the fifth inning, having allowed nine hits
and six runs. His season ERA swelled to 5.90.
"I thought he pitched better than his line," Yost said.
Montgomery, who spent time in the Kansas City and Tampa Bay
organizations before making his major league debut seven weeks ago,
has held opponents to two runs or fewer in four of his five starts.
He lowered his ERA to 2.04.
"I feel pretty good," he said of his solid beginning as a major
league starter. "It's just going out and executing. I'm just trying
to attack with all my pitches."
He admitted that nerves were part of the reason for his shaky first
inning, but Montgomery was able to pitch his way out of it against
his former team.
"I tried to avoid (thinking about the Royals as the team that traded
him)," Montgomery said. "But just naturally, the way your adrenaline
works, it wasn't allowing me to be in a good rhythm. It was up to me
to find it."
NOTES: Seattle OF/DH Nelson Cruz was back in the lineup after
exiting Monday's game with a displaced pelvic bone that had to be
popped back into place. As a precaution, the Mariners did not have
Cruz playing in the field Tuesday night. ... Kansas City LHP Danny
Duffy is scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale, his first
start since May 16. He has been on the disabled list due to left
biceps tendinitis. The Royals will have to make a roster move to
clear a spot for Duffy before Wednesday's game. ... The Royals took
a lot of criticism for their antics during a pair of bench-clearing
incidents over the first 2 1/2 weeks of the season, but Kansas City
has not had a player, manager or coach ejected since April 23.
Between April 18 and April 23, the Royals had nine ejections. ...
Seattle LF Dustin Ackley got his first start in the outfield since
June 14.
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