Montas Says Athletics are `Chilling' After Beating Astros in Opener of Doubleheader
Asked how the Oakland A’s were doing after a 4-2 win over the Astros Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader between the top two teams in the American League West and what kind of pressure the Houston might be feeling, A’s pitcher Frankie Montas cracked a big smile.
“I don’t think any of us are thinking about that,” Montas after pitching the first five innings and getting the win. “That’s their job, to think about whether they have pressure or not. You know, we’re chilling here. We’re just trying to play baseball.”
And someone who might be chilling for the first time in a long while is Oakland designated hitter Khris Davis. Related to getting the DH call only against left-handed pitchers. That meant he didn’t start in any of the first four games after last week’s five-day break. And he hadn’t played in the doubleheader in Houston the Saturday before last.
So, when he was put into the lineup for Tuesday’s Game 1, Davis hadn’t had an at-bat since Aug. 26, the space of 12 days.
No worries. He homered in the second inning for the A’s first run. He doubled home the game’s final run in the sixth inning of the seven-inning game. Both came off Houston ace Zack Greinke, against whom Davis has been a battering ram, somewhat inexplicably given that Davis came into Tuesday with a .155 batting average and just one homer against MLB pitching.
Davis has just 11 hits this season, and three of the 11 have come off Greinke, two doubles and the homer, one of just three homers Greinke has allowed all year.
“It was big,” Melvin said before getting Davis into the lineup in the second game against another right-hander, Chase DeJong. “(Davis) has done some really good work, he felt good about himself and his has a little bit of history with Greinke.
“Guys show up at different times when they need to. He certainly showed up big for us today.”
Montas, who pitched four scoreless innings before giving up a game-tying two-run by Michael Brantley in the fifth, said Davis’ breakout game was a fan favorite in the Oakland dugout.
“It was huge for him,” Montas said. “He shows up and he’s ready to play.”
Both of Davis’s hits were to right-center, which is particularly significant, because when he’s going good, that’s where much of his damage is done.
“For a guy who’s a star like he is,” Melvin said, “you would think it might put some pressure on you, but he doesn’t. He does anything but. He is as team-oriented a guy as we have here. (Right field) is his game. He stayed with it. And that’s kind of been his sweet spot over the years.
“Certainly the dugout reacted (to Davis’s performance) almost like when we won the challenge.”
For the first time in a fortnight or more, the A’s won a replay challenge when Marcus Semien was judged after a replay to be safe at first. The A’s had lost three replay challenges they thought they should have won in the last four days. When they finally one won, Melvin stuck both arms up, as if signaling a touchdown.
Montas was coming off three consecutive down games, but his fastball was too much for the Astros save for Brantley, who had two doubles and a homer. The rest of the lineup had three hits total off him in his five innings. Had it been a nine-inning game, he might have had another inning, but the A’s bullpen, as good as it’s been, got the call, and Jake Diekman and Liam Hendriks finished up.
“I was feeling good, really good,” Montas said. “I felt my fastball was still pretty good. Honestly, every pitcher wants to stay out there. But, hey, I’ll take what I can get. We’re winning. That’s all that matters right now.”
Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3
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