Rangers Game 1 Starter Poses Unique Opportunity For Astros

The Houston Astros know they’ll face Texas Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday. But how much do they know about him?

Well, Montgomery has made three starts at Minute Maid Park as a Major League pitcher, with a 3.35 ERA in those starts.

The Astros also saw him earlier this season when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals, before he was traded to the Texas Rangers. In that start, Montgomery was solid — 6.2 innings, as he allowed two runs and six hits but just one run was earned.

The thing is, the Astros have a lineup that can hit left-handed pitching well. In fact, it’s not just right-handed hitters like leadoff man Jose Altuve. The lineup’s left-handed hitters such as Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker can do it, too.

Astros left-handed hitters have a slash line of .270/.339/.470/.809 against left-handed pitching this season. In the American League Division Series the Astros went 3-for-6 (.500) in those situations.

But, naturally, it doesn’t mean as much depending on the pitcher, or the number of pitchers, that throw from that side.

“Yeah, just depends on who the left-handed pitchers are,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “I mean, they pose some problems, they've got like five or six of them. It's different when they have one and I can stack them back-to-back. But if they've got five or six of them, and they bring them in 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, whenever, that's a problem for anybody.”

Well, Montgomery could be a problem for the Astros’ top left-handed hitters. Naturally, he hasn’t faced many left-handed hitter this season — just 106. But in those situations Montgomery has a 2.13 ERA, having given up just two walks, one home run, three other extra-base hits and just 10 runs driven in.

As it relates to Tucker and Alvarez, in their one meeting earlier this year Tucker went 1-for-4 and Alvarez didn’t play due to injury.

Montgomery has been the Rangers’ most effective starter since he joined them after the trade deadline from the Cardinals. He was 10-11 with a 3.70 ERA in the regular season and went at least six innings in each of his final four regular-season games.

In the postseason, Montgomery is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and won the Rangers’ Game 1 in the AL Wild Card Series and took a no-decision in Game 2 of the AL Division Series last Sunday.

Montgomery will face Houston’s Justin Verlander in Game 1.

2023 ALCS schedule

Game 1: Sunday: Texas at Houston, 7:15 p.m. (Fox)

Game 2: Monday: Texas at Houston, 3:37 p.m. (Fox or FS1)

Game 3: Wednesday: Houston at Texas, 7:03 p.m. (FS1)

Game 4: Thursday: Houston at Texas, 7:03 p.m. (FS1)

Game 5*: Friday: Houston at Texas, 4:07 p.m. (FS1)

Game 6*: Sunday, Oct. 22: Texas at Houston, 7:03 p.m. (FS1)

Game 7*: Monday, Oct. 23: Texas at Houston, 7:03 p.m. (Fox/FS1)

*If necessary