Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday, August 5, 2023 • 7:05 PM
Oriole Park at Camden Yards • Baltimore, Maryland
RHP Tylor Megill (6-4, 5.17) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (10-6, 4.53)
SNY

The Mets’ descent continued last night. The Orioles won 10-3 and now the Mets are on a four-game losing streak. If they lose tonight, the Mets will be ten games below .500. There are only 3.5 games separating the Nationals and the Mets at the bottom of the NL East.

David Peterson was a bright spot for the Mets last night as he had a solid return to the Mets’ starting rotation. Now Tylor Megill looks to do the same tonight.

Mets Lineup

Tylor Megill has made 15 starts (71 1/3 innings) with the Mets this year posting a 5.17 ERA, 5.09 FIP, 1.668 WHIP, and an 80 ERA+. Things have been rough for Megill since he was sent down to the minors. He’s allowed 24 runs over five starts, with the only start in that stretch being a quality start. His last one was a bit better, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings. He has a tough first start back in the majors though against the Orioles. The only Oriole who has faced Megill in an official game is Adam Frazier who is 2-for-3 with a double.

Opposing Lineup

The Mets bats will see a sort-of familiar face in Kyle Gibson tonight. The long-time Minnesota Twin spent part of the 2021 season and all of last year with the Phillies. This year he has pitched,d 133 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.308 WHIP, and a 92 ERA+. He’s currently leading the league in hits allowed at 132. Gibson has much better recently posting a 3.00 ERA. 2.82 FIP over his last three starts. In those 18 innings, he has allowed only 15 hits while striking out 18 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

Game Notes

Francisco Alvarez has hit 21 home runs this season. He joins Pete Alonso (53, 2019) and Darryl Strawberry (26, 1983) as the only Mets rookies to have 20 or more home runs in a season.

Drew Gilbert made his debut with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and went 0-for-3. Gilbert was the main prize of the Justin Verlander trade.

Tylor Megill’s last start in the majors was back on June 21 against the Astros. In Houston, Megill struggled and allowed four runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Three Things To Watch For

    1. Returning Mets! Last night we saw the return of Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte to the lineup. Nimmo had a very Nimmo night going 0-for-1 but working two walks. Starling Marte went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. If the Mets are going to have any hope of winning ballgames for the rest of the season, they’re going to need both players to stay healthy and get consistent.
    2. Francisco Lindor is the Mets’ offense right now. While the rest of the Mets bats have been struggling lately, Lindor has been raking. In his last six games, he has gone 9-for-22 at the plate with two doubles and three homers. He’s having one of the best seasons by a shortstop in Mets history (again).
    3. Tylor Megill’s next two months. The rest of the season feels almost like a two-month audition for Tylor Megill. Right now the Mets have three openings in their rotation next season. Megill has been great at times. He’s been terrible at times. The Mets are going to need to send him out every five days now. This is his moment to gain some momentum and fight for a rotation spot next year.
    4. Bonus! Me! I’ve been writing a Mets blog since 2007, 213 Miles From Shea, because I was raised outside of Baltimore, 213 miles from Shea Stadium. I now live only 20ish miles from Citi Field, but I almost always take advantage of a Mets / Orioles series in Baltimore to see my hometown. Baltimore is important to me and it’s part of the reason that I had to purchase a Buck Showalter Mets shirsey. So if you see someone wearing a Mets Showalter shirsey at the game tonight, it’s probably me! Please say hello!

Let’s go Mets!