• Audio: Montanez's historic night
• Box score • Lou Montanez's player page • Eastern League batting leaders • Try on an authentic Baysox cap It will be bacon, eggs and french toast again tomorrow morning for Lou Montanez. Montanez hit for the cycle and drove in a career-high eight runs Friday as the Bowie Baysox pounded the Altoona Curve, 19-3, at Blair County Ballpark. "I don't know how I feel, I've never had a day like this before," said the former first-round pick, whose superstitious breakfast routine has produced a 16-game hitting streak and the third cycle in Baysox history. "I'm just taking it all in and all the attention I'm getting for it." Montanez hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to join Mike Fontenot and Decomba Conner as the only players to hit for the cycle in Bowie's 16-year history. He went 5-for-6, tied the team record for RBIs in a game and is hitting .476 (30-for-63) during the hitting streak. "My phone's been ringing off the hook. Even players on the other team were congratulating me after the game," said Montanez, who had a "natural" cycle. "One of the roving coaches for Altoona had to leave early, but even he stuck around to see my last few at-bats." Time well spent for everyone in both dugouts, who watched Montanez single and score in the first, line a two-run double in the third, hit a two-run triple in the fifth and smack his 25th homer in the sixth. He added an RBI single in the eighth to raise his average to .332, scored three times and was one of four Baysox to go deep. The Miami native said his only superstition this season has been eating the same breakfast, a diner classic. "I do everything the same every day. I wake up, eat the same breakfast, go to the gym at the same time, it's the same routine every day," he explained. "It's a luck thing. If it works, I'll stick with it. You've got to get that food in you." Montanez admitted he was swinging for the fences in his fourth plate appearance. "You just put a little more uppercut to the ball," he said. "I was already 3-for-3, so there wasn't much pressure. It's weird, knowing there's potential for even more." It wasn't exactly a Ruthian called shot. "After I hit the triple, I stepped on third and I told my coach, 'I have two more at-bats, I should take a couple of swings to try and get it.' He told me, 'Hey, go for it.' And, sure enough, I put it into the left-field seats." Montanez, selected third overall by the Cubs in the 2000 Draft, is the second player in the Eastern League to hit for the cycle in four days -- Erie's Casper Wells did it on Tuesday at Akron.
"This ranks up there," Montanez said. "It was just one of those nights where you can't do anything wrong. After my fifth at-bat, my teammates said, 'Sit him down, he's had a perfect night, can't get any better.'" Ironically, the only out Montanez made came in the ninth against Altoona catcher-turned-pitcher Milver Reyes. The eight RBIs tied the team record set by Doug Gredvig on July 15, 2002 and matched by Cory Keylor on July 9, 2006. "I've been hot lately and this is icing on the cake," said Montanez. "[My teammates] couldn't believe it, they had an awesome time." Montanez's five hits tied another team mark, last accomplished by Val Majewski on April 16, 2004. The recent hot streak has only added to Montanez's lofty stats. He leads the Eastern League in batting (.332), homers (25), RBIs (94), hits (146), extra-base hits (60), slugging percentage (.578) and runs scored (85) and is second with 31 doubles. "I've been asked what I'm doing differently and the truth is I'm doing the same thing I've always done," Montanez said. "It's been working out in my favor the last few months. But it's true, you get into a groove and you can't explain why you're in them. ... I cant explain why I'm swinging the bat so well." Bowie pounded out 19 hits. Sebastien Boucher went 4-for-5 with a homer and five runs scored, Nolan Reimold homered and drove in three runs and Jeff Nettles hit two solo shots, his second coming off Reyes in the ninth. Montanez, in his ninth Minor League season, could be in line for his second stint at Triple-A Norfolk. He was a Futures Game selection in 2005 and signed with Baltimore before the 2007 season, splitting the year between Bowie and Norfolk. He earned Eastern League All-Star honors in July and was named Player of the Week on May 26. "I've heard people talk to me about [the Orioles] giving me a lot of thought," said Montanez. "It's a good possibility when rosters expand, but I've been in this position a couple years and it still hasn't happened. "I'm not really going to get my hopes up too high, I know a lot of things can happen. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and see if it will work out." Jason Berken (10-3) allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win for Bowie (65-49). Derek Hankins (1-8) was reached for nine runs -- seven earned -- on nine hits over five innings for the Curve (51-62).
Danny Wild is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
