Montas takes no-hitter into seventh inning

Right-hander Francellis Montas may have been regarded as something of an afterthought in the three-team deal that sent Jake Peavy to the Red Sox and Avisail Garcia to the White Sox last July. But Chicago also picked up three Minor Leaguers, with Montas chief among them.

Montas, the White Sox No. 16 prospect, showed Thursday night that he's more than just a footnote on that Trade Deadline deal, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning and striking out 11 batters as Class A Advanced Winston-Salem beat Boston's Salem affiliate, 6-3.

Montas gave up just one run on two hits and one walk over eight innings against his former employer's Carolina League club. The Red Sox had managed only one baserunner against Montas entering the seventh inning, which he began with a strikeout. But he served up a one-out double, Salem's first hit, followed by an RBI single that broke up the shutout bid.

Montas promptly ended the inning by inducing a double-play grounder, then he struck out his final two batters in a perfect eighth inning.

Montas struggled last season, finishing 5-11 with a 5.43 ERA. But the 21-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four starts this season, holding opponents to a .171 average while recording 26 strikeouts and only four walks.