CHICAGO — Remember that point in the Cardinals' season before the trade deadline when fans wanted John Mozeliak sent to Siberia for failing to bolster the team's rotation? Seems like quite a long time ago now, huh?
Mozeliak's deadline deals for Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery have stabilized the Cards' staff and, in the case of Montgomery, pulled off perhaps the deal of the deadline.
Sending injured defensive stalwart Harrison Bader to New York for the talented lefty seemed like an intriguing deal when it was made. It seems like a genius one now.
With his one-hit, complete-game shutout of the Cubs on Monday night, Montgomery improved his stats as a Cardinal to 4-0 with a minuscule 0.35 ERA, 24 strikeouts and just three walks in his 25 and two-thirds innings.
It's not just impressive. It's been historic.
Montgomery is just the second pitcher in the modern era to go 4-0 with no more than one run allowed over his first four starts with a team. The other was Fernando Valenzuela with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.
Since joining the Cardinals, there's been an interesting development with Montgomery's pitch usage that could be playing a part in his resurgence.
As pointed out by noted MLB influencer (and Yankees fan) Jomboy, Montgomery has upped his four-seam fastball frequency since coming to St. Louis in a big way.
The four-seam fastball is way up, and the sinker has taken a sharp drop-off. Whatever has changed, it's working.
Montgomery was certainly no slouch in New York. This year with the Yankees he had a 3.69 ERA and holds a 3.94 ERA five and a half seasons in the Bronx.
But in St. Louis, he's been on another level. Montgomery had a more reserved description for it after Monday night's game.
"I'd say it's going pretty good so far," Montgomery smiled in a post-game interview with Bally Sports Midwest's Jim Hayes.
If you want to have some fun with comparisons, the Yankees shipped off some highly-valued prospects to Oakland for Frankie Montas to replace Montgomery in the rotation. It has not gone well. Montas has a 9.00 ERA in three starts in New York.
While it may not to be fair to expect Montgomery to continue this level of dominance, it's undeniable his acquisition will be looked at as one of the biggest factors in the Cardinals' 2022 campaign.