Montgomery's hitless bridge earns first win since 2024

ARLINGTON, Texas - Jordan Montgomery did not inherit a clean night. He inherited an early exit, a West race that had been stuck in a dead heat, and a bullpen that needed length.

Montgomery answered with 3 2/3 hitless innings - no runs, one walk, one strikeout - to earn his first win since Aug. 14, 2024, as the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Saturday at Globe Life Field. ESPN's box lists the line at 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K on 51 pitches.

The Associated Press noted he returned from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 9 and moved to 1-0 while Texas (78-77) took sole possession of the American League West for the first time since late August.

Bridging Quantrill's exit

Starter Cal Quantrill retired George Springer on a groundout to open the second, then left after 12 pitches with right lat tightness. He had also departed his Sept. 13 start at Arizona early with a sore back. Manager Skip Schumaker said he had no update; an MRI is planned for Sunday, the AP reported.

Montgomery took over and erased traffic the way a September long man has to - soft contact, quick innings, and no free baserunners beyond the one walk. Nathan Eovaldi, Robert Garcia, Chase Silseth and Jacob Latz each followed with an inning as five relievers limited Toronto to six hits after Quantrill's departure. Davis Schneider's pinch-hit homer in the seventh was Toronto's loudest answer.

Offense gives him a lead to keep

Josh Jung's solo homer in the first, his 11th, put Texas ahead. The Rangers scored twice in the second without a hit, then added three in the sixth on Wyatt Langford's RBI double, a hit-by-pitch and Evan Carter's sacrifice fly. José Soriano (12-8) absorbed the damage. Montgomery's job was simpler and no less important: keep the Blue Jays from climbing back while the lead grew.

Texas has won six of seven and owns a winning record for the first time since before Aug. 11. Houston sits 77-78 and holds the tiebreaker, a half-game back. Toronto fell to 76-79, three games behind the White Sox for the final AL wild card, per the AP.

Sunday's turn

Montgomery's pitch mix stayed simple: early strikes, ground balls, and enough length to spare a bullpen that had already been asked to cover for Quantrill twice in a week. The Rangers have spent September measuring themselves against Houston in half-games and tiebreakers; a hitless bridge after an emergency hook is how those races are actually won.

If the MRI on Quantrill brings more caution than clarity, Montgomery's ability to give Texas nearly four clean innings becomes less a footnote and more a rotation necessity down the stretch.

Attendance was 38,399. Game time was 2 hours, 40 minutes. Jacob deGrom (11-9, 3.79 ERA), 8-2 at home with a .183 opponents' average, starts the series finale while Toronto turns to a bullpen game. Montgomery's hitless bridge turned a scary starter change into the win that put Texas alone in first.

Sources

ESPN

ESPN

CBS Sports