Texas Rangers' Tab Lefty as ALCS Game 1 Starter

The Texas Rangers have named left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery as the starter for Game 1 of the ALCS, which begins on Sunday night.

Per Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com:

#Rangers will start LHP Jordan Montgomery in Game 1 of the ALCS.

#Rangers will start LHP Jordan Montgomery in Game 1 of the ALCS.
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) October 13, 2023

Acquired at the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals, the 30-year-old Montgomery went 10-11 this season with a 3.20 ERA. He's in his seventh year in the big leagues with the Yankees, Cardinals and Rangers.

This postseason, he's 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings. He got the win vs. the Rays in the wild card round and took a no-decision against the Orioles in the ALDS.

The Rangers' pitching as a whole for this series is in question. They are waiting on the availability of both Max Scherzer and Jon Gray, who were injured at the end of the regular season and haven't appeared this postseason. Scherzer reportedly says he's "ready to go" but there's no official word yet on if he'll make the roster for this round.

The matchup for Montgomery is interesting, as the Astros feature several prominent right-handed hitters. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Jose Abreu are there, as are Chas McCormick and Jeremy Pena.

The only lefties who feature consistently in the 'Stros lineup are Yordan Alvarez, who still hits lefties very well, and All-Star Kyle Tucker.

The Rangers lost the season series to the Astros 9-4.

Game 1 of the series will be played on Sunday night. First pitch is 8:07 p.m. ET.

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