5 takeaways from Cardinals series win over the Brewers

Montgomery continues to impress new team

Jordan Montgomery earned his second win as a Cardinal. He pitched six innings to kick off an important series with the Brewers. He gave up four hits and walked two but did strike out eight batters and induced 14 swings and misses.

Montgomery told MLB.com’s John Denton he’d been the right fit for the Cardinals because he’s been able to work with Yadier Molina, a 19-year veteran and a likely future Hall of Famer. He said the catcher restored his confidence in throwing his fastball inside to righties, which is something he had abandoned in New York.

Montgomery had this funny anecdote about trusting in Molina. Montgomery admitted to shaking off Molina, with Victor Caratini leading off the third inning. He said he threw an 0-2 changeup where he wanted, and Caratini got a hit.

Montgomery told Denton of Molina,  “After that, I was like, ‘I’m with you the rest of the night.’”

Of course! Good call, Jordan!

After pitching the seventh inning, Andre Pallante got his fifth hold of the season. He gave up two hits, and one earned run. This is impressive, considering he faced Luis Urias, Victor Caratini, Tyrone Taylor, and Christian Yelich. Pallante is an impressive young arm with a bulldog-like intensity. He will be exciting to watch for years to come.

Ryan Helsley earned his 12th save of the year but did so with two innings of work. He gave up two hits and struck out three while inducing eight swings and misses. Helsley’s max velocity hit 102.5 mph.