Inside The Mets

Megill Solid; Mets Redeem Themselves To Split Doubleheader With Pirates

Tylor Megill had seven more strikeouts across 3.2 innings, as the Mets split their doubleheader with the Pirates in a 4-2 nightcap win.
Pat Ragazzo|
Megill Solid; Mets Redeem Themselves To Split Doubleheader With Pirates
Megill Solid; Mets Redeem Themselves To Split Doubleheader With Pirates

After losing Game 1 of their doubleheader with the Pirates on Saturday afternoon, the Mets bounced back to notch a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Mets rookie Tylor Megill continued to show promise in his young big-league career with another impressive performance in his fourth major league start. Although Megill only lasted 3.2 innings, he allowed one run on four hits, and struck out seven batters. 

Megill now has 26 punch outs through his first four outings as a Met, which is tied for a franchise record.

"My goal coming into the season was to finish here, but I never expected it to come this early," said Megill, who holds a 3.50 ERA across four starts to begin his MLB career.

Facing fellow rookie Max Kranick, who was making just his second career start, the Mets struck first in the bottom of the first when Jeff McNeil stroked a two-run double into the right center gap to put his team up 2-0 early. 

McNeil collected two hits on the day, and is beginning to look like himself at the plate again.

"(I'm) starting to see the ball better and I have my barrel where it is back," said McNeil, who is 6-for-17 (.353) with four RBIs in his past seven games. "Been able to kind of shoot some balls all over the field. That just comes from playing a good amount of time there. Just getting the amount of ABs, feeling good again, it’s there, and feeling a lot better.” 

“He’s getting there," said manager Luis Rojas. "We all know how good of a hitter Jeff is. He hasn’t been consistent yet, but you can see when he starts getting hot, and I think he’s looking just like that. … This guy, he’s a natural hitter. And right now, he’s not thinking about anything. He’s just going in there and finding his pitches.”

After the Pirates cut things to 2-1, Pete Alonso smacked his second home run of the series, and 17th of the season, to give the Mets a little more breathing room.

But the pesky Pirates wouldn't go away when Jacob Stallings homered off Seth Lugo in the top of the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-2.

However, the Mets were able to answer back in the bottom of the sixth, as pinch hitter Billy McKinney drove in a much-needed insurance run on a two out single.

With a 4-2 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh, the trumpets were sounded, signaling closer Edwin Diaz, who came on for the save. Despite some recent command issues, Diaz looked sharp, striking out the side on 10 pitches to record his 19th save of the season.

At 47-39, the first-place Mets will look to finish off the first half of the season with a series win on Sunday. New York has yet to name a starter for this contest, and will face Pirates righty Chase De Jong.

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the main publisher and reporter for the Mets On SI site. He has been covering the Mets since 2018. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has appeared on several major TV Networks including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is a recurring guest on ESPN New York 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM. Pat is also the Mets insider for Barstool Sports personality Frank "The Tank" Fleming’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter/X and Instagram: @ragazzoreport.

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