A couple of weeks ago, the Chicago White Sox called up Frankie Montas from Double-A Birmingham to the majors to be the team’s 26th man in a double-header against the Kansas City Royals.
Though the circumstances didn’t give Montas the chance to get into either game, the opportunity shows how highly the team feels about him.
The hard-throwing right-hander has come alive over the last two months in Birmingham.
In July, Montas went 2-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in five starts. He had 28 strikeouts in 23 innings and opponents hit just .202 against him.
He has not allowed more than three runs in any start this season and you have to go back to May 19th to find the last time he allowed more than two runs in a game.
His best start last month came on July 19th against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds AA affiliate). Montas picked up his third win of the season behind two hits, one walk and eight strikeouts in five innings.
Watch him work for his eighth strikeout of the night in the video below.
For the year, Montas is 3-2 with 2.43 ERA (which ranks third among Southern League pitchers) in 18 starts. In 89 innings, he has 82 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .212 against him.
Honorable mention
Myles Jaye started the season as one of the best pitchers on the Barons. After hitting a speed bump in May to the tune of a 5.64 ERA, he has put himself back on track and overall is putting together a strong body of work.
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In July, Jaye went 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in five starts. Opponents hit .202 against him and he had 20 strikeouts in 28 innings. At one point he had a 32-inning scoreless streak that stretched from June 17th to July 13th.
Jaye’s best start last month came on July 8th against the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs AA affiliate). He allowed no runs on six hits while striking out eight over seven innings. He also picked up his eighth win of the season in that outing.
Overall, Jaye is 11-4 with a 2.66 ERA in 19 starts. Those 11 wins lead the Southern League and his ERA is good for fifth. He has 80 strikeouts in 111.2 innings and opponents are hitting .228 against him.
AA notes
Mark Blackmar went 3-0 with 3.10 ERA in five July starts. His 113 innings leads the Barons…. Kyle Hansen has gone 14 straight relief appearances without allowing a run. You have to go all the way back to June 5th to find the last time he allowed a run….. Zach Isler went 4-4 in save opportunities in July and posted a 1.46 ERA in his nine appearances.