Rangers' Jordan Montgomery opens up about change in approach ahead of Game 5 start: "It's hard to get them out the same way

Trading for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery may have been the best move that the Texas Rangers made all season. Now, Montgomery is gearing up for one of the biggest starts of his career.

With the Rangers holding a 2-1 series lead over the Houston Astros in the ALCS, Texas manager Bruce Bochy has indicated that the 30-year old will get the ball for Game 5. Ahead of the start, Montgomery shed some light on his strategy going into the affair.

"Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery on facing the Astros tomorrow: “Probably going to have to do something different. I think the Astros are such a good team and such a good lineup that it's hard to get them out the same way. So we'll kind of just see how the game goes.” - Brian McTaggart

According to Houston Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart, Jordan Montgomery is intent on switching up his approach in Game 5, set for Friday night. Despite the Astros owning some of the most well-documented firepower in MLB, Montgomery has not seen much of the team.

The last time that Montgomery faced the Astros was back in May 2022, while he was still a member of the New York Yankees. The South Carolian went six innings allowing two runs. Over the course of his career against the Astros, Montgomery owns an ERA of 3.60 with 14 strikeouts.

After besting the Astros in the first two games in Houston, Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer had a nightmare outing in Game 3. Scherzer, 39, had not pitched in over a month as he surrendered five earned runs in four innings of work. For Texas fans, they can only hope that Montgomery will put forth a better showing in Game 5.

"Disgusting stuff from Jordan Montgomery" - Talkin Baseball

Jordan Montgomery will have his chance to prove himself in Game 5

Since arriving in Texas via a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals in August, Montgomery has been nothing short of dominant. The owner of a 2.79 ERA for the Rangers in the regular season, Montgomery has surrendered just four runs across seventeen innings this postseason.

While propelling his team to the World Series is the ultimate goal, Jordan Montgomery's one-year, $10 million deal will also expire at the end of the year. If the ace could advance his team towards their first-ever World Series win, and bag a large extension, then he will have achieved everything he could possibly want.