The Undercards: Mike Montgomery Solid, But Lueke And Gomes Struggle

The Durham Bulls had some mixed performances on Monday. On one hand- Mike Montgomery had a nice outing, and he could soon find himself in a big league role thanks to his solid season. On the other hand- two former big leaguers, Josh Lueke and Brandon Gomes, that the Rays sent to Triple-A to turn things around would struggle.

Triple-A International League: Syracuse Chiefs (WSH) 7, Durham Bulls 4

Mike Montgomery had a good start for the Bulls, going 5.0 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. It also took him just 77 pitches to do so. Montgomery now has a 3.38 ERA on the year as he continues a resurgent season. His future may still lie in the bullpen, but if a David Price trade is to occur the Rays could possibly give Montgomery a chance to prove himself as a big league starter. Behind him, a pair of relievers who have seen big league time this year struggled. Josh Lueke would give up 2 runs in 2.0 innings, and Brandon Gomes would give up 4 while only getting 2 outs. Jake Thompson would then throw the final 1.1 scoreless innings.

Offensively, Cole Figueroa led the way with a 2-5, 2 RBI performance. Mike Fontenot also had a nice day, going 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI. The veteran infielder has now hit .359 in his last 10 games. The offense did fine in this one, but ultimately they couldn’t overcome the bullpen’s struggles.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 7, Mobile BayBears (ARI) 5

Like Durham, Montgomery’s pitching staff took a bit of an off day. Every pitcher that threw would give up at least 1 run except for Matt Ramsey, who threw a scoreless inning. Thankfully, the offense was good enough to overcome the pitching woes. Taylor Motter had a good day at the plate, going 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Cameron Seitzer also did his part in leading the offense by smacking 2 hits that included a 2-run homer. Ryan Brett and Jake Hager both also added two hits, and Luke Maile smacked a triple in a great day for the offense.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle 12, Port Charlotte Stone Crabs 1

Another game, another poor pitching performance. This time it was Blake Snell who struggled mightily, giving up 8 runs in 2.1 innings while striking out 3 and walking 2. Snell has struggled to the tune of an 8.20 ERA since being promoted to High-A. Behind him, Casey Weathers also struggled, giving up 4 runs in 2.0 innings. Marcus Jensen did have a great relief outing to calm things down, throwing 4.1 shutout innings, but after the Stone Crabs had already given up 12 runs it hardly mattered. Both Marty Gantt and Julian Ridings had nice days at the plate, each going 2-4 with a triple. But other than them, the offense would do little in this game. Definitely one that the Stone Crabs want to forget.