Frankie Montas will pitch Game 4 for Athletics; Astros’ Baker doesn’t name starter

Frankie Montas will start his first career postseason game Thursday in yet another elimination scenario for the A’s as they try to even their American League Division Series against the Houston Astros.

A’s manager Bob Melvin announced Montas as the Game 4 starter Wednesday after the A’s rallied in Game 3 to keep their season alive, winning 9-7.

Melvin’s counterpart, Dusty Baker, declined to name a starter for Thursday afternoon with his team leading the series 2-1.

Montas was the A’s Opening Day starter, but he battled injuries that limited his effectiveness, leading to concerns over whether he would be a candidate for Oakland’s postseason roster. The right-hander made the decision much easier for the A’s when he struck out 13 hitters over six strong innings on the final day of the regular season against the Seattle Mariners.

When he’s on, Montas has one of the most overpowering arsenals of any pitcher on the A’s staff. Oakland pitching coach Scott Emerson believes he’s one of the most well-rounded starters in the American League. When he struggles, Montas typically has issues with command and has trouble finding the strike zone.

Montas was in consideration to start Game 3 of the wild-card series against the White Sox. But the A’s opted for veteran Mike Fiers and chose to use Montas out of the bullpen. He actually fared better than Fiers in the series-clinching win as he tossed two innings of one-run ball in relief. That success moved Montas ahead of his counterpart on the depth chart and made him the clear choice to start Game 4.

Given Fiers’ struggles against Chicago, there’s no guarantee A’s manager Bob Melvin would have him start Game 5 if the A’s are able to extend the series behind Montas. The A’s could also choose to bring budding ace Chris Bassitt back on short rest and make Fiers available in relief over each of the next two days.

Baker’s options may be fairly limited for Game 4.

He noted in naming Jose Urquidy his Game 3 starter that Zack Greinke was suffering from some soreness. Staff ace Justin Verlander is on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this season.

Other pitchers on the ALDS roster who started games this regular season include Josh James and Cristian Javier, but James pitched an inning-plus Wednesday and gave up Chad Pinder’s game-tying home run. Javier pitched an inning in relief Monday, so turning around to start a Thursday game may prove difficult.

Luis García may be Baker’s man if Greinke can’t pitch, unless the Astros choose to remove Greinke from the roster to bring in a fresh starter. If Houston goes that route, Greinke would not be eligible for the Astros’ roster in the next round, provided they advance.

García, a rookie, started one game for the Astros this year among five appearances after making his MLB debut Sept. 4. He was added to the ALDS roster after being left off the wild-card team.

In a potential Game 5, Baker would have those options plus Game 1 starter Lance McCullers, who would also be operating on short rest.