Making his sixth rehab start and fourth with Triple-A Syracuse, right-hander Frankie Montas turned in another disappointing outing in what could possibly be his final start before re-joining the Mets.
Things started off well for Montas who went the first three innings without allowing a run before he was dinged for two in the fourth. He then went back out for the fifth with the game tied at 2-2 and gave up a three-run homer to Troy Johnston to put a crimp in his start.
Montas wasn't out of the woods yet after a double and wild pitch put a runner on third base with two outs. He retired the final batter of the inning to strand the runner at third, but the damage was already done.
The righty finished his night by going five innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two. He threw 80 pitches (47 strikes).
It was the latest in a string of bad outings for the 32-year-old who entered the night with a 13.17 ERA (2.34 WHIP) in just 13.2 innings. After the start, Montas' ERA rose slightly to 13.19.
On the bright side, it was the longest start Montas was able to pitch during his rehab with his previous-long being four innings on June 3 when he also allowed five earned runs (on four home runs).
Manager Carlos Mendoza said before Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves that the Mets will need to make a decision on Montas soon.
"Let’s see how he feels after the outing today," the skipper said. "We wanna see execution, obviously, and then we have a decision. We gotta talk to him, but we’re approaching the deadline where we gotta make a decision on him."