Left-hander Jordan Montgomery will battle his former teammates for the second time when the St. Louis Cardinals host the New York Yankees on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.
Montgomery was traded to St. Louis on Aug. 2 in a deal that sent outfielder Harrison Bader to New York. Montgomery's first start with the Cardinals came four days later, when he scattered two hits over five innings in a 1-0 win over the Yankees.
Montgomery (5-7, 3.52 ERA) said facing the Yankees will be less difficult now that he is 11 months removed from the trade.
"This one might be a little easier," he told the New York Post. "I still keep in contact with a lot of guys over there. I don't know if it'll ever be easy facing your friends, but it's just part of it. Plenty of guys have friends in the league."
Montgomery said he is looking forward to the competition.
"I'm not scared," he said. "I'm the one holding the ball. It's just playing a game."
Montgomery won his third straight decision Tuesday in a 4-2 victory over the Houston Astros. He allowed the two runs (one earned) on six hits in 6 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking one.
The Yankees will counter Sunday with ace Gerrit Cole, who originally was slated to start Saturday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone pushed Cole's start back after Friday's game was rained out.
Cole (8-1, 2.78 ERA) will look to rebound from his shortest outing of the season. He failed to get out of the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers last Sunday.
He received a no-decision despite allowing three runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings while throwing 107 pitches.
"They got some good swings off on him and made him work really hard on a warm day," Boone said after that game. "He was able to hold the line and keep us there."
That was his shortest outing since June 9, 2022.
Cole tipped his cap to the Rangers after the Yankees rallied for the victory.
"This is an offensive club that we just played, top-notch in the league with world-class hitters and a great approach," he said. "I'm out there just fighting my tail off. It was great to see our guys come in and thrive."
Cole is 8-4 with a 2.96 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals posted an 11-4 win in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader before the Yankees answered with a 6-2 decision in the nightcap.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa collected three hits in the second game for the Yankees, who recorded their fifth win in seven outings.
"Tonight we were able to play a little bit of small ball," Kiner-Falefa said.
Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan may be limited to pinch-hitting duty on Sunday. He sat out the Saturday's games with a sore arm.
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