KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jordan Montgomery allowed one run over five innings to win in his return from a layoff of nearly one month caused by a knee injury, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Tuesday night.
Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer and scored three runs.
Montgomery (7-5) allowed three hits, walked one and struck out two, throwing 39 of 67 pitches for strikes. The 31-year-old left-hander, signed by the NL champions to a $25 million, one-year contract in March, had been sidelined since June 27 by right knee inflammation. He won for the first time since June 21 at Philadelphia.
''I felt comfortable out there and pain free, and that was nice to be pain free,'' Montgomery said. ''I think it just messed with my delivery a little bit, where I was yanking everything and I didn't want to put any pressure on my legs, but I grinded it out and I'm glad to be here now.''
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Montgomery was nearing his pitch count when he finished a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
''His changeup was in play, and that's a very key pitch for him,'' Lovullo said. ''The first go-round before he got banged up, it was a pitch he was leaving out over the plate. The pitch was very, very effective and he had a lot of confidence in it.''
Montgomery got four swings and misses on 19 changeups and six foul balls.
''It got me through the game,'' Montgomery said. ''I was a little wild with everything else. My four-seam and my changeup really got me through, got me some swing and miss when I needed it.''
