CHICAGO — Another Mike Montgomery appearance as a “left handed one out guy” (also known as a “LOOGY”), and yet another failure that led directly to a Chicago Cubs loss. This time, Jeff McNeil did the honors, slapping a base hit with two outs in the seventh inning that put the New York Mets up 5-4.
Montgomery isn’t a LOOGY. He never has been. I have no idea why Joe Maddon continues to trot him out there with the game on the line and a good left handed hitter up at the plate. More often than not, he fails.
Montgomery ‘boasts’ a 4.26 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP (!!) this season. But more importantly, here are Montgomery’s splits this season against right handed and left handed hitters:
RHH slash line: .239/.327/.413 for a .740 OPS
LHH slash line: .500/.519/.917 for a 1.435 OPS (!!!!!!!!)
Those aren’t typos. He has been destroyed by left handed hitting this year. Why does Maddon keep trotting him out there?
Granted, the Cubs don’t really have a true LOOGY in their bullpen. Kyle Ryan is the ‘closest’ thing to one, but he’s not that great and he’s been busy recently, so he was likely unavailable today. The Cubs do have some right handed pitchers who fare well against lefties, but Maddon doesn’t seem to trust reverse splits.
I can kind of understand that, but I can’t understand pitching Montgomery in these situations anymore. It’s ludicrous. I understand that Maddon has to use the bullpen that he’s been dealt (Theo, some left handed help, perhaps?), but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be more creative with what he does have. His usage of Montgomery in these situations isn’t working; it’s time to go to another well.
We’ll always love Mike Montgomery for his role in 2016. He saved Game 7 of the World Series by getting a right handed hitter (shocking!) to bounce to third for the final, title-clinching out. He is forever a Chicago hero.
But he isn’t a LOOGY. Please don’t use him like one.
