PITTSBURGH — Concerns Emerge in Frankie Montas’ Return

Frankie Montas made his return on Sunday, but it came with some worries during his minor league rehab assignment.

The veteran right-hander struggled, giving up two home runs in the first inning of his second start since being placed on the injured list. He was taken out after four innings in a heavy 12-1 defeat to the Pirates at PNC Park.

In total, Montas allowed six runs while striking out five and allowing seven hits along with one walk.

His minor league performance resulted in a dismal 12.05 ERA over six starts as he worked back from a high-end rat strain.

That said, he did have a standout moment in his Mets debut last Tuesday, tossing five scoreless innings against the Braves.

During this start, Montas faced eight batters in that opening inning.

“It was just the first inning; I was missing my spots a bit,” Montas reflected. “I thought I made a decent pitch after that.”

The Mets certainly could have benefited from Montas’ length, especially after a rain delay the previous day forced them to rely heavily on the bullpen for seven innings behind Paul Blackburn’s strong performance.

Just the night before, David Peterson had trouble managing five innings.

“I wanted to get out there and go as long as possible,” Montas said, balancing his desire to pitch longer with reality after throwing 86 pitches in four innings. “I feel good; Richard Lovelady really picked me up. But I’ve got to pitch in another five days and continue to work on things.”

Montas is slated to take the mound again during the Subway Series on Saturday.

In this outing, Montas faced a challenging start as Oneil Cruz’s two-run homer contributed to a quick 4-0 deficit after Ke’bryan Hayes drove in two runs with a single.

Following Cruz’s homer, Tommy Pham also connected for a home run.

Manager Carlos Mendoza commented on Montas’ performance, noting, “He threw the ball and then delivered a cutter to Cruz. It seemed like a pitch choice; it wasn’t a great pitch, and that’s the one he capitalized on. Pham, too—he’s a good hitter of the four-seam fastball, so leaving it in the zone cost us.”