Montas brings stability to rotation in Brewers debut

WASHINGTON -- While the Brewers didn’t make any major splashes at the Trade Deadline, they did fortify their rotation in part by bringing in veteran righty Frankie Montas, who became the 17th pitcher to start a game for Milwaukee when he made his team debut Friday at Nationals Park. That’s the most in the Majors this season, and it matches the franchise record set by the 1969 Seattle Pilots, who were far from first place by this point in that season.

How these Brewers retain their firm grip atop the National League Central despite that rotation turnover speaks volumes. And though they’ll probably set that franchise record at some point later this summer, acquiring the veteran Montas was about infusing some stability into a unit that’s been in flux all year.

So far, so good.

Montas gave the Brewers exactly what they expected and the offense provided plenty of support as Milwaukee’s newest addition earned the win in their 8-3 victory over the Nationals.

Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins both provided two-run hits from the No. 9 spot in the order, and William Contreras provided some cushion with a long homer in the seventh as Milwaukee began August on a high note.

“The guys have been nothing but welcoming to me, and that’s one of the things I really appreciate,” Montas said. “Especially when you get here in the middle of the season, nobody knows you like that. When they make you feel welcome and part of the team, that’s special.”

The offense was enough to make a winner out of Montas, who worked around nine hits -- including CJ Abrams’ two-run homer in the third -- but also struck out five and didn’t walk a batter in his first start since arriving from Cincinnati on July 30.

“I thought he was really good,” manager Pat Murphy said. “He showed great resiliency and great toughness.”

Montas’ stuff was ticking up -- he matched his season-high of 99.1 mph with one fastball, up nearly 4 mph from his 95.3 mph season average -- as he finished five-plus innings with three runs allowed.

“Definitely a little bit of adrenaline, for sure,” Montas said. “The best part is walking out and winning a game collectively as a group.”

Said Murphy: “Everybody wants to make a good first impression and he sure did. I like the way the kid competes. He’s interested in growth and he’s interested in getting better.”

The Brewers are hopeful the addition of Montas -- and the earlier pickup of Aaron Civale, as well as the recent return of closer Devin Williams -- makes them better as they head into the stretch run.

They are coming off their most difficult month of what’s been an upstart season; they finished July having gotten only four quality starts in their last 21 games. And things hadn’t gotten any easier since losing Christian Yelich with a back injury about a week before the Trade Deadline.

These past few weeks, too, hadn’t been the best for Montas, who showed flashes of his old brilliance in his first few months in Cincinnati, but endured a string of tough starts coming out of the All-Star break. All told, the 31-year-old went 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA in 19 starts with the Reds.

Now, both Montas and the Brewers are undefeated in August.

“It’s a young group of guys with a lot of talent,” Montas said. “The most impressive thing is the way they go about their business, the way they prepare themselves to go out there and compete. Everyone here is a really good competitor, and when you see a team like that, you want to be a part of it.”

Murphy opened August the way he’s begun every month since taking the managerial reins -- by delivering a message to his club in a private meeting. He described his message he delivered Friday afternoon on the team bus as “enthusiastic,” saying the purpose was to remind his young team “how you got here” and to be “hungry” as it embarks on its most critical stretch of the season.

“If you’re going to be at the standards we are setting,” Murphy said. “Regardless of who's coming back, regardless of the Trade Deadline, regardless of the budget, if you’re going to be at that standard, being tired isn’t acceptable. It may be part of the reality, but you have to find your way past it mentally.”