Mason Montgomery put together the kind of August that usually comes with hardware. For the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander, though, the National League Reliever of the Month Award went to Milwaukee’s Trevor Megill instead.
Montgomery still made his case loudly. Over 11 outings and 10.2 innings in August, he didn’t allow a run or an earned run, gave up just four hits and one walk, and struck out 20 hitters. He finished the month with a .111 batting average allowed and a 0.47 WHIP.
Megill had a strong month too. In 11 games and 12 innings, he allowed no earned runs, gave up two hits and three walks, and allowed one run while issuing two intentional walks and striking out seven. He posted a .053 BAA and a 0.42 WHIP.
The numbers pointed to Montgomery as the more overpowering arm, while Megill was a touch more efficient. Montgomery led the NL in K/9 at 16.88, K/BB at 20.00 and strikeout rate at 54.1%. His FIP was an eye-popping -0.37, with the next-best mark in August belonging to Miami Marlins right-hander Calvin Faucher at 1.10.
The difference in save totals may have helped swing the vote. Both pitchers were perfect in save chances, but Megill had eight saves to Montgomery’s five.
Even without the award, Montgomery’s second-half run has turned him into the Pirates’ clear closer for the rest of this season and into 2027. The only runs he has allowed in the second half of 2026 came on July 26, when Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki hit a two-run homer at PNC Park.
Since the All-Star break, Montgomery has logged a 0.87 ERA over 20.2 innings in 21 appearances, with 35 strikeouts against five walks, a .113 BAA and a 0.63 WHIP. That’s a major jump from his first-half line of a 4.14 ERA over 37 innings and 38 games, with 55 strikeouts, 17 walks, a .221 BAA and a 1.30 WHIP.
A big part of the turnaround has come from his work with Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy. Montgomery added a two-seam fastball and a curveball to a mix that already featured a four-seam fastball and slider, and the result has been a much more efficient and effective pitcher.
His surge has also matched a stronger Pirates bullpen after the trade deadline additions. Montgomery may not have won the monthly honor, but he has looked every bit like one of the best closers in baseball, and one of the better trade acquisitions in general manager Ben Cherington’s tenure.
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The late surge has put Ashcraft in the same conversation as Paul Skenes as part of the teams present and future on the mound. Pittsburgh has spent much of the season looking for dependable starting pitching, and Ashcrafts ability to recover from that midseason dip only makes the role he now occupies more significant. The question from here is whether this version of Ashcraft is the one the Pirates can count on the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]