ST. LOUIS -- It wasn’t the result that Jordan Montgomery and the D-backs were hoping for on Wednesday, but the long-term ramifications are promising.

While the D-backs suffered a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals in the rubber game of a three-game series, what Montgomery (1-1) was able to do in just his second start of the season looms large for a team decimated by injuries, especially within its pitching staff.

“He’s a great competitor,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He wants the baseball and he's going to make pitches and he's going to be able to get big outs at the right time. He's got a great demeanor when he takes the mound.”

Montgomery, in his first return to Busch Stadium since the Cardinals traded him to the Rangers last July, allowed three runs (two earned) in seven innings. He gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one on 87 pitches (62 strikes).

“I got my pitches and I got seven ups, and other than losing, there's some positives, but we lost, so it stinks,” Montgomery said.

The lefty looked dominant through the first five innings.

Even though Montgomery allowed the leadoff hitter to reach in three of the first four innings, the Cardinals rarely threatened to score. The only runner in scoring position for the Cardinals through five came on a leadoff double by Paul Goldschmidt in the second, but he was left there as Montgomery ended the threat by striking out both Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn looking.

The Cardinals finally got to Montgomery in the sixth, taking a 2-1 lead on a Nolan Arenado RBI single and a run-scoring wild pitch. They tacked on another unearned run in the seventh.

“I really tried to stick with my strengths and let the defense play behind me,” Montgomery said. “They did great. Tucker [Barnhart] did great. Gabby [Moreno] did great the last inning, and I’ve just got to bear down those last two innings.”

Montgomery pitched the second half of the 2022 season and the first half of the 2023 season for the Cardinals. He had a 6-3 record with a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts with St. Louis in 2022, then posted a 6-9 mark with 3.42 ERA in 21 starts as the team as a whole struggled in ‘23.

St. Louis dealt Montgomery to Texas at the Trade Deadline last July, and he went 3-1 in the postseason and helped guide the Rangers to their first World Series.

“We faced him in the World Series last year,” D-backs outfielder Jake McCarthy said. “The guy's really good, and it's nice to be on his team and, you know, defending behind him instead of at the plate. He's a really good pitcher and we're going to keep this thing going.”

Montgomery, 31, signed with the D-backs in late March. His presence is even more significant now that Merrill Kelly (right shoulder strain) is expected to miss an extended period of time after being placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday.

“The fact that he chose us and found us and we found him, it's been a great marriage so far,” Lovullo said. “And we still have quality starting pitching and you know, he's one-fifth of that group. And we're going to miss Merrill, of course, but having somebody step in like him has been a great luxury for us.”

Arizona, as it did on Monday’s loss, had several early chances to take a commanding lead.

The D-backs loaded the bases with one out in the first, but managed just one run on a Christian Walker sacrifice fly. They had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, but Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson got out of the jam by striking out Kevin Newman.

“I think they felt like they got away with something in the first thing when we walked away with one run,” Lovullo said.

The D-backs stranded seven runners and hit into three double plays after putting up 14 runs the night before.

“We’ve got to find a way to toggle between nights like last night and days like today,” Lovullo said. “How are we going to continue to have quality at bats and put pressure on the opposition? We just didn't do that today.”