Christian Walker and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit consecutive RBI doubles in the opening inning, and Jordan Montgomery pitched well for six innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks secured a narrow 3-2 victory against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night.
The D-backs, who were the National League champions last season, have won 11 out of 18 games since May 5, aiming to reach a .500 win-loss record for the season. Their current record stands at 25 wins and 27 losses.
Montgomery, with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses, allowed two runs and nine hits across six innings, with one walk and four strikeouts. Left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply also contributed positively, striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Tim Anderson in the eighth inning to prevent the Marlins from scoring further with Emmanuel Rivera on base.
Montgomery’s season began late due to signing a $25 million contract on March 29, the day after the season opener. He, like several other players represented by Scott Boras, faced delayed negotiations and eventually switched to representation by Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group.
While Montgomery acknowledged the challenge of missing spring training, he expressed satisfaction with his current form and ability to contribute to the team’s success.
“I did my best to be ready and I’m happy I can go out there every five days and at least give the team a chance to win,” Montgomery said. “Hopefully, I can do that even more now.”
He highlighted the importance of spring training for refining his pitches and adapting to game situations, emphasizing the difference between this season, where he had to be ready from the start, and previous seasons.
Despite facing challenges, Montgomery’s ERA stands at 4.69 over 40 1/3 innings this season. “I used to hate spring training,” Montgomery said with a slight grin. “Now, I love spring training.”
Paul Sewald closed the game in the ninth inning, securing his fourth save in as many opportunities since returning from the injured list on May 7, further strengthening the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
