Mets starting pitcher prospect Rafael Montero won for the third time in four starts for Triple-A Las Vegas Saturday. Montero allowed one run for the second straight start, while at least going seven innings.
The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and .120 opponents' batting average in two August starts. He's now 4-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts for Las Vegas after having some trouble following his promotion from Double-A.
"At times, you'll see guys shy away from the strike zone a little bit because we're here in Vegas," Las Vegas manager Wally Backman said, per MLB.com. "And really just seeing him grow over the course of the time we've had him, the kid just attacks the strike zone now and he's really good when he does it. At 22 years old, to be able to locate his fastball and throw his secondary stuff for strikes when he has to is pretty impressive."
As far as a promotion to the majors in 2013, it seems unlikely, according to ESPN. Montero is at 131 2/3 innings this season after tossing 122 innings in 2012. The Mets are likely to allow Montero to throw another 20-30 innings before being shut down, ESPN reports.