When you play for the Oakland Athletics, every outing is an audition for teams that are actually trying to win games. That was epitomized on Thursday when Frankie Montas returned from a shoulder injury to throw three shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers.
It was important to show off his healthy shoulder for the first time since early July. Montas struck out five while giving up a walk and two hits. Oakland would win Thursday’s match, 5-0.
Montas is sporting a 3.16 ERA and a 9.5 K/9 thus far this season. He’s pitched much better than his 3-9 record would suggest and will have better luck, record-wise, should he be traded in the next 10 days.
If he were to be traded, he’d likely improve the odds for his new team to win their respective league. Currently, DraftKings is offering +175 odds on the New York Yankees to win the American League, with the Los Angeles Dodgers at +170 for the National League.