A compelling case exists for Keider Montero as the Detroit Tigers’ Most Valuable Player this season.

Montero has bounced between the starting rotation and long relief, consistently providing quality innings in either role. He will start the opener of a three-game home series against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Montero (7-5, 3.14 ERA) is currently in the rotation in part because Jack Flaherty (right flexor inflammation) is on the injured list. The Tigers are also going through a 13-game stretch without a day off.

In his last outing on Wednesday, Montero started in Chicago and limited the Cubs to one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings, while recording eight strikeouts. In his previous appearance, Montero closed out a game against the Los Angeles Angels with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“His versatility is one thing,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Everybody can see it on the field. He’s pitched in a lot of different innings, maybe in every inning of the game so far it feels like. But more importantly, it’s his buy-in to just do his best and give everything he has in the role that he’s being given. He hasn’t asked a lot of questions. He hasn’t complained at all. He’s accepted whatever his responsibility is that day.”

As a starter, Montero has held opponents to a .210 batting average and .611 OPS. He’s been even more stingy in a relief role, limiting the opposition to a .176 average and .446 OPS.

“He’s an animal out there,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “He attacks the zone, gets ahead, puts guys away. I mean, he’s the real deal. I love playing behind him.”

Montero has faced the Orioles three times, posting one win and a 3.86 ERA.

Kyle Bradish (7-9, 3.49) will start the series opener for Baltimore. Bradish has posted quality starts in five of his last six appearances, including all three of his July starts.

In his first outing since the All-Star break, Bradish held Boston to one run and four hits in six innings on Wednesday. Baltimore ended the Red Sox’s 15-game winning streak in the process.

“I definitely went out there with that on my mind, trying to end it,” he said.

Bradish signed a five-year, $90 million extension just after the break, making him the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history.

“We all know who K.B. is and what he’s capable of,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “It was just great to see him go out there and kind of be that stopper for us. And he did a great job of pounding the strike zone. Fastball shapes were great. Breaking balls were outstanding, and he did a great job getting us through six.”

Bradish gave up three runs in 4 2/3 innings in his lone career outing against Detroit in 2023.

The Tigers lost a pair of one-run games to Kansas City over the weekend, snapping a three-game winning streak. The Orioles have lost four of their last six games, including a 3-2, 11-inning decision to the visiting Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm combined for nine RBIs as the Philadelphia Phillies throttled the visiting New York Yankees 11-4 on Sunday night to avoid a three-game sweep.

Cristopher Sanchez (13-4) allowed three runs in six innings for Philadelphia, which had lost six of eight to open the second half of the season. The All-Star left-hander gave up six hits and three walks while striking out six.

Stott finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs, while Bohm drove in four runs and scored twice. Trea Turner chipped in with two hits and two runs scored for the Phillies.

New York starter Will Warren (7-5) surrendered six runs and six hits in three frames. All-Star Ben Rice doubled, homered and scored twice for the Yankees, who had been 5-1 in their previous six games.

After Philadelphia took an early 1-0 lead, Stott doubled the advantage when he slugged a solo shot against Warren in the second inning.

Bohm delivered a three-run double in the third to make it 5-0 before Stott followed with a single to tack on an additional run.

New York chipped away with three runs in the fifth, capped by Anthony Volpe’s RBI double that got the visitors within 6-3. Sanchez allowed three hits, walked a batter, committed an error and uncorked a wild pitch in the frame.

After escaping the fifth inning, Sanchez needed only 10 pitches to get through the sixth.

That set the stage for the Philadelphia offense to create some separation in the sixth against lefty Ryan Yarbrough. The Phillies opened the inning with four consecutive soft hits, including Turner’s RBI single to left.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Yarbrough hit Bohm with a pitch to force in a run. Stott followed with a three-run double to create an 11-3 advantage.

Rice homered in the seventh against southpaw Tim Mayza to complete the scoring.

–Field Level Media

The Pittsburgh Pirates envision themselves as contenders for a playoff spot with the trade deadline on the horizon.

Sitting one game out of a wild-card spot in the National League, the Pirates will look to improve their standing at the expense of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Arizona has lost two in a row and is the team holding that final wild-card spot in front of Pittsburgh. Four other teams are within three games of the Diamondbacks as the major league trade deadline looms on Aug. 3.

“We have the resources to win games and be playing baseball in October,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “We have to go do our jobs, and I don’t think anything’s changed. We believe this team is capable of doing that. We gotta continue to do the work to actually make that a reality.”

Ryan O’Hearn did his part on Sunday, celebrating his 33rd birthday by belting a grand slam in an 8-7 victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

Esmerlyn Valdez launched his 14th homer in 37 games and Shawn Ross also went deep for the first time while playing in his second career game.

“Amazing, especially with my family here, my mom and dad,” said Ross, who is from Puerto Rico. “They come to the States (to see my play) once, I was really happy for that. Really emotional.”

Brandon Lowe collected three hits and scored two runs in the win. He went 5-for-9 with two solo homers to help Pittsburgh win two of the three meetings against Arizona in early May.

The Pirates will send Mitch Keller (6-7, 4.90 ERA) to the mound on Monday against the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly (8-8, 5.12) in a battle of right-handers.

Keller struggled in his first two starts in July before scattering three hits over five scoreless innings on Wednesday, albeit in a no-decision against the New York Yankees.

“I’m trending in the right direction,” Keller said. “I don’t think I have it all figured out yet but a lot of positives, for sure.”

Keller, 30, picked up the win in his last encounter against Arizona, yielding two runs on four hits in six innings of a 4-2 win on May 7. He is 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA in six career appearances (all starts) versus the Diamondbacks.

Kelly answered a five-start losing streak in June by going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA thus far in July. He permitted two runs on five hits in five innings of a 15-5 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, we can take the momentum of the baseball we’ve been playing at home and take it on the road and squeak out some wins,” Kelly said. “That way we can put ourselves in a good place to be on the right side of the ball for the deadline.”

Kelly, 37, is 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five career appearances (all starts) against the Pirates.

Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte each belted a solo homer and Gabriel Moreno drove in a pair of runs in Arizona’s 10-7 setback to the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

–Field Level Media