Mets' Tylor Megill mad at himself after 'embarrassing' outing against Astros
Tylor Megill, who now boasts a 5.17 ERA this season, said “I just need to trust my stuff,” to end struggles on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Credit: AP/David J. Phillip
HOUSTON — Tylor Megill was more blunt than usual in his self-assessment Wednesday following his shortest start of the season.
The Mets lost to the Astros, 10-8, largely because he lasted only 2 1/3 innings. He gave up five runs (four earned), four hits and four walks.
His problem, he said, is a lack of control of his fastball and a lack of confidence in himself.
“To say the least, just very frustrated and [ticked] off about it,” said Megill, who also used the word “embarrassing” in describing his outing. “I just need to trust my stuff, go out there and fill it up, know I’m better than the person standing across from me. Just go out and do it.”
Manager Buck Showalter said: “Tylor is better than that. He had some counts in his favor, 0-and-2 to walk. Just pitches that are balls right out of your hand. You don’t get any chases on pitches that are balls right out of your hand. He didn’t get many early outs. He had to work so hard for every out.”
As the most consistently available member of the Mets’ rotation, Megill leads the team in starts (15) and innings (71 1/3, tied with Kodai Senga). But his hold on a roster spot has felt tenuous in recent weeks, even more so now.
Megill’s 5.17 ERA would be fifth-worst among qualified pitchers — if he had enough innings to quality.
Pitching coach Jermey Hefner’s advice: Don’t think so much about mechanics.
“He just needs to get back to who he was when he was just throwing the baseball,” Hefner said. “Downhill, ability to throw up in the zone, come-right-after-you guy. He’s not really that guy right now. But he certainly can get back to it.”
Chief among the Mets’ alternatives is lefthander Joey Lucchesi, who has a 2.35 ERA and more than six innings per outing in five starts since the Mets sent him to Triple-A Syracuse.
The Mets expect Jose Quintana (rib surgery) back in early July.
Game notes
A few tidbits from the Mets’ loss Wednesday:
• Pete Alonso hit his 23rd homer of the year. Despite his 10-day stay on the injured list, that leads the National League and is one shy of Shohei Ohtani’s major-league lead.
• After going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Daniel Vogelbach said he has enjoyed “getting back to being myself.” In five games since returning to the lineup, he is 7-for-17 with three extra-base hits and seven RBIs.
• Jeff McNeil, who stayed in the game after fouling a pitch hard off of his right knee in the third inning, said he was fine. He already had a large, multi-colored bruised on that part of his leg, but the foul ball got a “different spot,” he said.
• Reliever Josh Walker should be OK for Friday, Showalter said, after exiting the game in the seventh inning. He took a comebacker off of his quad (and then took a tumble trying to field and throw the ball).
Pitching plans
Showalter still wants to break up Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in the rotation order, as the Mets did with Scherzer and Jacob deGrom last summer. The idea is that if those guys are most likely to have long outings, separating them will help manage the bullpen’s workload.
“That was the plan coming out of spring (training),” Showalter said. “It’s just a matter of when.”
Against the Phillies this weekend, the Mets’ probable pitchers are: Kodai Senga on Friday, Carlos Carrasco on Saturday and Scherzer on Sunday.
Extra bases
Drew Smith, whose foreign-substance suspension is scheduled to run through Sunday, has been working out at the Mets’ spring-training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida . . . Showalter was unhappy with the degree of cleanliness at Minute Maid Park, including cockroaches in the dugout. “This place is filthy,” he said . . . Mets-Phillies on Friday will air exclusively on Apple TV+, a streaming service that requires a subscription. It will not be on SNY.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
