The Mets weren't comfortable trusting Frankie Montas to solve his season-long first-inning struggles against a formidable Brewers lineup on Saturday night. So, they delayed the veteran right-hander's entrance by one inning, and appointed Reed Garrett as their opener.
But the expectation was for Montas to still provide sufficient length during the middle frames, and much to the Mets' chagrin, the plan backfired. While he wasn't solely responsible for the Mets' frustrating 7-4 loss at American Family Field, he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in just three innings of work. The effort required 72 pitches, too.
"I thought I threw the ball pretty good today," Montas said after the Mets' sixth straight loss. "I was making more pitches today, attacking the zone, to be honest. Besides that homer, I thought I threw the ball pretty well today… [The plan] was pretty much as it goes, was going to go after Reed and go as long as they needed me to."
Montas didn't have to face the Brewers' first three hitters, but the heart of their order made him sweat almost immediately in the second inning. After a one-out strikeout, Montas gave up back-to-back singles and then a two-out walk, and a fielding error from Francisco Lindor on a grounder with the bases loaded allowed two runs to score.
The third inning was much quieter for Montas, but he still walked one and threw a wild pitch. Then, in the fourth, he served up a game-tying solo homer to Brice Turang before completing the frame. It was by no means a meltdown performance, but Montas made the Mets burn through their high-leverage relievers early.
"We were just watching it, but three innings, 70 something pitches? It was a grind for him," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "I figured where we were in the game, up one with the lefties second time through, decided to go to the bullpen there."
It's unclear how long Montas' leash is as a rotation-type fixture, but the Mets' patience with him must be waning. The 32-year-old now owns a 6.38 ERA across eight appearances (seven starts) this season, and while his first-inning demons weren't a concern in this game — he wasn't even allowed to face them — the change to his routine didn't make things smoother.
Soon enough, the Mets will need to rely on someone else to complete the task at hand, and the incessant chatter about top prospects Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat as replacement options isn't going away. David Stearns said on Friday that both youngsters are progressing toward a big-league promotion, but the timeline remains vague.
"At the end of the day, I have to go out there and keep competing, keep trying to get people out," Montas said. "Don’t matter if it’s front, starting again or pitching out of the pen. Whatever I can do to help, I’m willing to do."
Montas wasn't bothered by Saturday's arrangement — he's taking the team-first approach and wants to contribute in any way possible. But in this case, availability shouldn't outweigh reliability with the Mets in the midst of another disconcerting, dog-days losing skid.
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