TAMPA – At the Jordan Montgomery camp knowing that he has a spot in the rotation and this has allowed him to focus on other aspects of his performances this spring.
So while he allowed a pair of soft hits to start the third, the left-hander must work on catching the runners, to use his slide-step and “just press the pressure of the guys on the base.” Must feel. “
He then picked up three straight ground balls to prevent any runs in the innings.
In all, Montgomery has played three century innings, throwing 42 pitches as he prepares for what the Yankees expect from the 28-year-old to have a solid season.
“The way I’m going on the mound, I feel good [and] After pitching Montgomery my mechanic is rebuilding the pitch, having lost some weight in the offseason. “I’m very happy with where I am.”
So are the Yankees.
Aaron Judge said that he was impressed by how Montgomery is attacking this waterfall.
“That right fielder said,” is a big deal with Montgomery. “When he can attack the hitter and make them expand the field, he is lethal.”
The judge pointed to Montgomery’s cureball and changeup to go with his fastball.
“I am looking forward to what he is going to do this year,” the judge said. “He’s a big piece of our rotation. I’m excited to get him healthy.”
DJ LeMahieu has never been against Montgomery in a game, but suspects he has taken more than a dozen versus lefties in live batting practice sessions, saying, “He’s not an easy man to face.”
LeMahieu gave Montgomery the ability to connect his fastball at speeds of around 94–95 mph, making it harder to hit.
“You do not expect [that velocity], ” Lemahieu said of Montgomery, who scored 94 on Sunday. “He looked really good. He is still fast. “
This was especially true in the top of the first, when Montgomery defeated ex-Yankees Didi Gregorius with an excellent 0-2 Kyrball.
The outing was another example of why the Yanks are confident that Montgomery is ready to make an important contribution to the running back of Gerrit Cole.
“It was another good step in his progress,” Boone said. “He was attacking the strike zone against a really good Philly lineup.”
To speak of Boone, in addition to Gregorius, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi brought Bryce Harper, Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen on a trip from Clearwater.
Montgomery needed just 10 pitches to finish second between first and 11 before Matt Joyce and Roman Quinn reached the third opening. And Montgomery was able to get out of it.
“For the early march, he was fast enough,” Boone said. “I felt his stuff was solid.”
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