News Every Day | 11 September 2023, 16:00

Tylor Megill Delivers Strong Performance As Mets Win

In a season riddled with adversity and inconsistency, Tylor Megill has certainly seemed like he might have figured out what he’s needed to figure out.

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, Megill worked through five scoreless innings for the Mets, giving up only two hits and striking out two while issuing four walks. This performance marked the second time in his last three starts that Megill delivered solid results. In his previous outing on August 28, he limited the Rangers to just one run over six innings.

His afternoon started out a bit shaky, as he faced a challenging situation in the third inning when the Twins had runners on second and third with two outs. Luckily, he managed to retire Royce Lewis to stop any possible damage. During that inning, he allowed a single and a walk, but a potential hit was nullified when Jeff McNeil made a crucial play by catching Alex Kirilloff‘s sinking line drive to left and throwing out Willi Castro at second base.

Tylor Megill gets Royce Lewis to groundout to end the inning and prevent the Twins from scoring pic.twitter.com/arB43LnqBb

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 10, 2023

He engaged in a pitching duel with Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez, and it wasn’t until the ninth inning that the Mets and DJ Stewart finally broke the scoreless tie to secure the win. This outing marked Megill’s fifth consecutive start in which he allowed three or fewer runs, bringing his ERA down to 3.12 for that stretch and lowering his season ERA to 5.03 and helping end a three-game losing streak.

“Overall, I’m just attacking hitters and throwing my offspeed in the zone for strikes,” Megill said. “I feel like my offspeed has been very competitive in the zone and not where it’s just a ball out of the hand. It’s more so being able to attack the zone with the offspeed. Then, obviously, my fastball is a lot better than where it was.”

Megill’s performance on the mound in August and early September showed both highs and lows, which has been the story for most of his season. Initially, after his recall in early August, he struggled in his first two games, resulting in losses against the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves, in which he gave up 10 runs in both of those starts combined. However, he made a strong comeback against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching five innings and conceding only two earned runs, earning a win for himself.

He then faced the Braves again and delivered a decent performance, allowing three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings but ending with another loss. Against the Texas Rangers, Megill delivered, as he pitched six impressive innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out eight, despite not receiving the win.

On September 3, Megill’s performance against the Seattle Mariners was also notable. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, surrendering three earned runs on five hits while striking out six batters and walking two. Although he allowed two home runs and hit a batter, Megill secured the win as the Mets prevailed 6-3. He faced 23 batters and throwing 85 pitches, with 50 strikes while also inducing eight ground balls, 13 fly balls, and six line drives.

With the playoffs no longer in the picture, this phase of the season has been dedicated to evaluating the talent within the current Mets roster. The departure of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander has created opportunities for pitchers like Megill to stake their claim for a spot in the team next season.

Although his initial performances after his recall were shaky, Megill has progressively shown greater consistency and has delivered solid results in his recent outings. In a team that has openings on the pitching staff for the upcoming season, along with the possibility of a bullpen role, Megill’s ability to provide quality starts and maintain consistency serves as a strong argument for his inclusion on the major league roster in the coming year.