Colson Montgomery smacks triple for first career hit as Sox, Sosa pound Rockies

DENVER — Rookie shortstop Colson Montgomery was a few feet away from a home run for his first career hit, but he settled for an RBI triple off the tall right field wall at Coors Field in the first inning Saturday off Rockies’ starter Germán Márquez. 

The Sox’ No. 5 prospect went 3-for-5 in his second game as the Sox pounded the Rockies 10-3 in this weekend’s second matchup between the two worst teams in Major League Baseball.

Montgomery’s three-bagger knocked in Brooks Baldwin on a 106.7-mph rocket that sailed 387 feet and would’ve been a homer in 25 other ballparks, according to Baseball Savant.

"Once I got the first one out of the way, I just was like, all right, now we're just playing," the 6-foot-4 potential shortstop of the future said.

Montgomery wasted no time tagging his second hit, a 94.2-mph single to right in the third inning. He grounded into a double play in the fifth, swatted another single in the seventh and flied out in the eighth.

The Sox poured it on with a season-high 15 hits against Colorado. Second baseman Lenyn Sosa went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and four RBI, and outfielder Michael A. Taylor slammed a two-run homer halfway to the Rocky Mountains, a 464-foot blast that marked the Sox’ longest of the season.

Montgomery went 0-for-2 with a walk and a catcher’s interference call in his MLB debut Friday, when he stole his first big-league show with a diving, over-the-shoulder catch in left field.

Adrian All-Star?

The Sox were looking for an innings-eating veteran and a possible trade chip when they signed right-handed starter Adrian Houser.

They ended up with one of the American League’s most valuable commodities heading toward the trade deadline — and maybe even an All-Star.

Houser, 32, put the latest exclamation mark on his short but strong season with eight dominant innings Friday night against a tepid Rockies offense, striking out six, yielding two unearned runs and lowering his ERA to 1.60.

That’s the second-lowest mark in the AL since the Sox picked up Houser for $1.35 million on May 20, and he has pitched at least six innings in seven of his eight starts.

The lowly Sox didn’t come close to getting an All-Star starter despite a dark-horse fan effort to vote in Palatine native Mike Tauchman as a designated hitter.

But they’ll have at least one player named Sunday night to the Midsummer Classic, and Houser has emerged as a legitimate candidate. All-Star pitchers and reserves are selected via player ballots and the commissioner’s office.

Rookie starter Shane Smith appeared headed for an unlikely All-Star appearance for a Rule 5 Draft pick until three consecutive losing starts that have seen him surrender 16 earned runs in his last 11 innings.

Smith will aim to turn it around in his start Sunday, and he could get the nod because he has pitched in twice as many games for the Sox as Houser. Despite those recent struggles, Smith still has a respectable 3.86 ERA, going 3-6 with 74 strikeouts.

Whoever ends up working over the All-Star break, Houser will be getting lots of attention after it as the July 31 trade deadline nears. He might even command a better return as a rental than struggling center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who has taken batting and fielding practice this weekend as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.