Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Friday night did not get any better for New York Mets reliever Tylor Megill against the Atlanta Braves. Jacob deGrom was out after six innings due to a finger blister, and it was Megill that Mets manager Buck Showalter summoned from the bullpen to keep the game within reach.
Last night marked Megill’s fifth appearance since returning from a right shoulder strain that kept him out for all of July and August. The Braves hit balls hard. Megill entered in the seventh inning; Matt Olson singled, Travis d’Arnaud doubled off the right-center field wall, Eddie Rosario drove a long flyout to center to plate a run, and then the next batter, Orlando Arcia, drove a one-hop double off the left field wall, plating d’Arnaud. Megill’s ERA climbed from 5.04 to 5.36, as the tall reliever went 2/3 of an inning, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out zero. Showalter had seen enough, opting to finish the inning with Trevor May.
Megill’s stat line since returning from the IL: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, and batters are slashing .313/.368/.688.
With the rotation already set for the remainder of the season and the playoffs, Megill will need to build trust with Showalter if he hopes to make it onto the postseason roster and then into games.
Showalter spoke about Megill ins his postgame interview after Friday night’s loss.
“Just up [in the zone],” Showalter said of Megill’s issue. “Guys were catching up with him and staying on top of the ball. He just wasn’t able to land anything soft enough.”
With Megill, already a hard thrower, the expectation was for him to come out of the bullpen and offer the Mets a reliever with a high 90s fastball to go along with a complementary slider. However, on the fastballs put in play last night by Olson, Contreras, Rosario, and Arcia, Megill averaged 95.7 mph on those heaters.
Could it be that Megill still has some rust to work off and learning how to pitch in his new role? After all, it was Megill whom the Mets called on to start Opening Day back on April 7 against the Washington Nationals, where the righty threw five shutout innings en route to a 5-1 Mets win.
Regardless of why Megill is struggling, one thing is for sure; the Mets need to know which relievers the team can count on to get some big middle-inning outs in October and possibly in November. Megill must put Friday behind him and find his groove in time to earn Showalter’s trust. With only five games remaining, time is ticking for Megill.
The post Megill Continues Struggles in Bullpen first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
