Montero hurls eight innings of one-hit ball for Vegas

Right-hander Rafael Montero, the Mets' No. 6 prospect, threw eight scoreless innings Tuesday to lead Triple-A Las Vegas to a 3-0 victory at Sacramento.

Montero struck out a season-high 11 batters and held the River Cats to one hit and two walks while throwing 105 pitches, 73 for strikes.

Montero began the game with four hitless innings before Nick Buss led off the fifth with a single. It would be the last baserunner Montero allowed. He retired the final 12 batters he faced to complete his second straight scoreless outing. He threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against El Paso in his last start.

Right-hander Chase Bradford struck out the side on 10 pitches in the ninth to complete the combined one-hitter and earn his third save of the season.

Center fielder Matt den Dekker, the Mets' No. 19 prospect, went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk to lead the offense. He now has six multihit games in his last nine starts.

Montero began the season with Las Vegas and made his Major League debut May 14. He made four starts for the Mets, posting a 5.40 ERA in 20 innings, before getting sent back to Triple-A. After returning to the Minor Leagues, he strained his left oblique and spent a few weeks on the disabled list.

Now healthy once again, Montero is 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 15 starts with Las Vegas this season. He has struck out 75 batters and walked 32 in 74 innings.