Tylor Megill Helps Mets Snap Skid With Stellar Outing Against Best Team In Baseball
Although he didn't receive the run support he deserved, Tylor Megill continued to add to his impressive rookie resume on Wednesday.
And in his latest start, Megill delivered six stellar innings against the best team in baseball in the San Francisco Giants.
With the Mets in danger of losing their sixth straight game and getting swept for the second straight series, Megill gave up just one run on five hits, to go along with six strikeouts on 90 pitches.
The 26-year-old lowered his ERA to 3.21 on the season across 11 starts, despite having to face the Dodgers and Giants in his previous two outings.
And manager Luis Rojas was satisfied with what he saw from his young pitcher.
"It was a really good outing by him and I think a guy like him with his poise is going to get better," said Rojas. "There's going to be some struggles in his career and those struggles are going to make him better because of how he is and the ability that he has to throw the ball."
According to Megill, the key to his success in this outing came from a different pitch that was working well for him yesterday. And that was his slider.
"I felt like all my pitches were working today," said Megill. "I mixed all of it in, fastball, slider, curve, change. I feel like my slider was really there and had a lot of success. That was kind of my game plan too. I've been so dominant in my last few outings with my fastball and changeup, but I didn't really have a slider, so I was able to get it in the works this weekend and figure it out and it showed up today and really helped me and I kept it off the barrel."
Megill's lone blemish in this contest came in the third-inning when the Giants recorded three straight hits off of him, which led to Wade LaMonte's RBI double. But that's all the damage he allowed in this outing.
Megill certainly pitched well enough to get the win, but due to a lack of run support, he was on the hook for the loss until the Mets came roaring back to tie the game in the ninth off Giants closer Jake McGee.
And the rest is history, as Kevin Pillar's three-run homer in the 12th led the Mets to a much-needed victory in extra innings. However, they never would have gotten the chance to comeback if not for another dominant performance from Megill.
After not pitching in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Megill has come back to throw a career-high 96.1 innings between the minors and majors. This is something Rojas and the Mets are monitoring.
"He showed up today against a really good offensive team so when you are asking about the amount of innings he has pitched this year, that's something we talk about which is why we lifted him at 90 pitches," said Rojas. "We are aware of him not being able to pitch last year and then having to ramp up this year so we have our eyes open on it and we are seeing how he is going to respond next."
As for Megill, this aspect is something he is conscious of as well, but it hasn't hindered him to this point.
"Definitely the most innings I've thrown in my whole career," said Megill. "My arm is feeling really good and I just have to stay to my prep work in between starts and keep myself healthy. I feel good throughout the game, I'm maintaining my velocity so that's the most positive sign."
