Jordan Montgomery Takes First Step Toward Redemption

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu was the first to utter the phrase “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Making just the second relief appearance of his career Tuesday night, Jordan Montgomery may have taken the first step toward redemption in an 8-3 loss to the New York Mets at Chase Field.

It was the toughest season of his career. Signed on March 29, one day after the season began, he didn’t have a proper spring training. He started his season well enough, with two effective starts, but it was mostly a downward spiral after that.

Montgomery had a 6.44 ERA in 19 starts. He allowed six or more runs in six starts and had only six quality starts. With exceptional runner support, he went 8-6, but his outings were non-competitive nearly half the time.

I wrote an opinion piece on August 22 arguing that it was time to move Montgomery to the bullpen. Torey Lovullo agreed, announcing the move a day later.

Montgomery, to his credit, took his demotion like a pro and immediately sought to understand his new role. “He didn’t complain about it once,” Lovullo said. “The day I had my meeting with him, he was in the pen asking questions and learning.”

Before the game, Montgomery said: “This will be a first, I’ve done it once, I just try to stay as relaxed as possible out there, and every time my name is called I get my arm moving and throw and I’m ready.”

His first opportunity came in the most difficult situation possible. A struggling Brandon Pfaadt had left the bases loaded with two outs and the D-backs were already down 5-0. Lovullo was maybe a batter or two behind in calling the bullpen, and when he finally did, Montgomery had to prepare quickly.

Montgomery’s starting routine typically takes more than 30 minutes. Last night, he had to be ready in about six minutes. “I tried to move, threw plyo balls to keep my arm moving. I’ve done all that before. I had a feeling I was going to get going. I threw a few, knocked the catcher down, probably threw 15, and then I was out.”

Things got off to a rocky start. Feeling a little too “excited,” he said, the first pitch was a sharp curveball that bounced off Tyrone Taylor’s back foot. Initially ruled a ball, the Mets challenged and the call was changed to a hit by pitch, forcing a run home.

A walk and a rare fielding error by Geraldo Perdomo followed, allowing two more runs to score, making it 8-0. All six runs in the inning were charged to Pfaadt.

Montgomery then calmed down. He threw four scoreless pitches to end a game in which the Diamondbacks ultimately lost 8-3. He induced several ground balls, his speed on the sinker was around his season average (91.7 compared to 93.3 last year) and he induced swings and misses with his curveball and changeup. He allowed five hits and struck out two.

After the game, Montgomery was asked how he felt overall. “I felt good. It went by fast, I tried to get ready as fast as I could. I was a little overexcited at first, but I guess it could have been worse.”

“I had a couple ground balls which was good, the velocity was picking up a little bit, I just threw a couple curveballs to lefties for hits but I buried them and I’m pretty happy with that.

Lovullo looked for the silver lining. “Once he got through the first inning, I thought he did a good job attacking the zone. He went 4.1 innings and threw 70 pitches. He did his job the way we wanted him to do it. I’m really proud of him for adapting and finding a way.”

Montgomery, for his part, is determined to make the most of the situation. “I want to help the team in any way I can. We’re in a title race and if I can be the best player and maybe be a leverage arm, get us some big outs, make a difference that way, that’s exactly what I’m going to do this year.”

The D-backs have been without a relief pitcher since Logan Allen was benched on June 9. Lovullo spoke about the importance of having a pitcher who can fill that role.

“We haven’t had that in a while. We’ve been going full throttle with seven guys out there. So that’s exactly what a long man will give you. It’ll preserve your bullpen, we’re full of gas for tomorrow, ready to go. It’s a big moment for us.”

By throwing 70 pitches, Montgomery was able to stay stretched out. Lovullo was asked if there was a possibility Montgomery could join the rotation. “There’s a possibility, for sure. I explained to him that … anything can happen.”

The D-backs are in a tight playoff race, and every game, every inning matters at this point.

“I’m going to pay attention to everyone’s performance. Touch wood, we’re going to avoid injuries, but it’s a competitive game. At this point in the year, the best players are going to get the most reps. I want him to continue to do what he did today.”

Montgomery appears to be in the right mindset for his potential return to the starting role. “Baseball is a strange game, you never know what can happen. You have to stay ready and keep working hard every day.”

One step at a time. It was perhaps the first step in what hopefully won’t be a 1,000-mile journey for Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks.