Tylor Megill Fails to Limit Damage Against Pirates

On a night when the Mets desperately needed a deep outing from their starter, Tylor Megill struggled to dodge the traffic on the base paths. The right-hander failed to make it out of the fourth inning and wound up being charged with nine runs (seven earned) while only striking out one batter as the Mets dropped their seventh straight game.

Megill allowed a one-out single to Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the first inning but was able to escape the inning unscathed after striking out Andrew McCutchen and getting a groundout from Carlos Santana. Staked to a 1-0 lead, the right-hander retired Jack Suwinski to begin the second inning but gave up a single to Ke’Bryan Hayes before walking Ji Hwan-Bae. After Josh Palacios flew out to the centerfield fence and a double steal by Hayes and Bae, Austin Hedges gave the Pirates the lead on a ground-rule double.

After the Mets tied the game in the third inning, Megill set down Reynolds to lead off the frame before giving up an infield single to McCutchen. Megill induced a double-play grounder from Santana, but Francisco Lindor failed to pick it up cleanly, giving Pittsburgh extra lives. Megill walked Suwinski, then Hayes lined an 0-2 slider into left-center field to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead. The Mets’ defense didn’t help Megill out on Bae’s squeeze bunt, which Eduardo Escobar threw down the right-field line, allowing two more runs to score and Bae to get all the way to third. The bleeding didn’t stop there, as Palacios lined the first pitch he saw into right field to bring in Bae with the fifth run of the inning. The inning mercifully came to an end when Megill got Hedges to ground into a double play.

Megill set down the first two batters in the bottom of the fourth, but the roof caved in on him once again. He walked McCutchen and allowed a single to Santana before being pulled from the game. Zach Muckenhirn delivered the final blow to Megill’s line, allowing a two-run double to Suwinski to bring home both inherited runners.

When asked why he’s felt he’s lacked consistency, Megill said, “Walks, hits, and getting taken out of the game. As simple as that.”

Megill’s fastball velocity was up in his outing, averaging 95.1 miles per hour compared to his season average of 94.4. However, he generated just one whiff on 17 attempts against his heater, and he only got two whiffs on his slider. Megill didn’t get a single swing-and-miss on his curveball or change-up, giving him a weak eight percent whiff rate on the night. The Pirates’ average exit velocity of 87.6 MPH against Megill was lower than his season average of 89.1, but his failure to miss bats led to the Pirates racking up eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Megill’s ERA is now up to a season-worst 5.14, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll lose his spot in the rotation spot any time soon. He is far from the only Mets pitcher who’s struggled on this road trip, as the staff has allowed 40 runs through the first four games of the trip. Megill’s next start is slated for Friday at home against the Cardinals.