D-Backs 3, Giants 9: Monty’s No Good Very Bad Start

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY SportsWhen the D-Backs signed Jordan Montgomery back on March 26, they were likely hoping that he would provide something akin to his performance in a Cardinals uniform when he was both durable (making 32 starts over parts of two seasons) and effective (3.31 ERA and 1.19 WHIP). Or maybe they were hoping for the emotionally-charged effectiveness he displayed in the World Series against them just six months ago. Instead, through nine starts they’ve gotten one of his least effective performances in his career. It’s also just not the topline numbers - though they aren’t pretty either - as a 6.80 ERA and 1.73 WHIP won’t win any awards. There are some worrying signs on the underlying numbers too: Montgomery has a career-worst K rate, Whiff rate, and Fastball velocity so far this year. To some degree, it’s immaterial why this is happening - though there are plenty of hypotheses including the lack of a full spring training, fatigue from the World Series run, and just plain age or regression. What matters is where Montgomery and the D-Backs go from here.

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