Mets' Tylor Megill on unsteady ground after latest rocky outing in loss to Yankees

Yahoo

17-05-2025

NEW YORK — Through the opening month of the baseball season, Tylor Megill was one of the most dependable starting pitchers in the Mets' rotation.
The 29-year-old right-hander had earned the final spot in the rotation out of spring training following a trio of injuries to Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and Paul Blackburn. Megill was proving he had some staying power for the first time in his career.
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But since the calendar has turned to May, Megill has been dealing with the same struggles that have prevented him from taking a regular role at the major league level.
Megill scuffled for the third straight outing on Friday night in the Subway Series, allowing four earned runs on four hits and five walks in 2⅔ innings and suffering the loss with the Mets falling 6-1 to the Yankees in front of 47,700 fans at Yankee Stadium.
"He lost the strike zone. He didn't throw enough strikes," Carlos Mendoza said. "When you're doing it against a lineup like these guys, they're gonna make you pay."
A nightmarish third inning for Tylor Megill
New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill (38) reacts after giving up an infield single to New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger (not pictured) during the third inning on May 16, 2025, at Yankee Stadium.
The command struggles began early as Megill walked the opening batter of the game and gave up a single, but he was able to reel it in early. He tossed a perfect second inning with a pair of strikeouts but the pressure mounted in the third inning.
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It began with a single against Yankees No. 9 hitter Jorbit Rivas, who moved to second base on a groundout, and snowballed from there. Megill pitched around Aaron Judge for the first free pass of the frame.
Then, Cody Bellinger singled on a soft ground ball to the left side and Paul Goldschmidt singled on a broken-bat single up the middle that Francisco Lindor fielded and threw short of first base as two runs scored. Megill did not throw a single pitch in the zone to Jasson Dominguez to load the bases again.
"I thought he kept going to that slider in that inning and he couldn't throw it for a strike," Mendoza said. "It's filling the zone with quality pitches and we didn't do that today.
And two more runs scored on a sacrifice fly and back-to-back walks to Austin Wells and Oswald Peraza. All told, Megill threw 39 pitches in the inning, forcing Mendoza to make a quick move to the bullpen.
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"Four walks in an inning ain't gonna cut it," Megill said. "That's basically what happened tonight. Got into a tough situation, tried to make some pitches for chase, keep the score close and ended up walking quite a few that inning."
May woes for Tylor Megill
New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill (38) reacts after giving up a walk to New York Yankees third baseman Oswald Peraza (18) during the third inning on May 16, 2025, at Yankee Stadium.
Megill is accustomed to storming out of the gate and this season was no different.
Through March and April, Megill was 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31 innings. With his latest setback on Friday, Megill is now 0-2 with an 8.76 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12⅓ innings. He has allowed four earned runs in three straight starts.
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"Just putting myself in bad situations and falling behind," Megill said of his recent struggles. "I think that's just the main thing is just getting ahead of hitters. I was not really ahead of hitters tonight and then obviously the walks came in and then putting pressure on myself with runners on."
Over the course of his career, Megill has a 2.45 ERA in March and April, while that figure balloons to 5.97 in May.
But Mendoza said he believes he's seen enough from Megill early in the season to believe he can get back on the right track.
"He'll get through it," Megill said. "Stuff is there, as long as he continues to feel healthy and feel good, he's gonna be fine. We have to keep working with him.
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"We gotta go back and watch film and make some adjustments if we need to, but it comes down to him executing, whether it's May, whether it's June, it comes down to him executing pitches and he will."
Reinforcements are around the corner
The Mets starting rotation will be a crowded group in the future, making Megill's recovery from his recent woes all the more important.
Before Friday's game, Mendoza said that Montas, who is working back from a lat strain, was scheduled to throw a live bullpen session in Brooklyn and another on Tuesday as he works into a position where he can make a rehab assignment.
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Manaea, who had an oblique strain, has a series of bullpen sessions on the horizon, including Sunday, as they add to his workload.
Blackburn made his fifth rehab appearance on Friday for Double-A Binghamton and allowed three earned runs on one hit and three walks while striking out seven in 4⅓ innings. He threw 73 pitches and could be nearing a return.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Tylor Megill scuffles in tough outing in loss to Yankees