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The trades of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander reopened a spot in the Mets’ rotation this month for Tylor Megill, and the righty posted his finest start since early this season Monday night against Scherzer’s new playoff-contending team.
Megill tossed six innings of one-run ball — but Trevor Gott couldn’t hold a 3-2 lead in the ninth — as the Mets’ bullpen let them down again in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, at Citi Field.
“We got a really good outing from Tylor and some outs [from the bullpen],” Buck Showalter said. “We were one pitch away, but they’re a good team.
“That was really good to see from Tylor. … I wish we could have rewarded him with the win he deserved.”
Scherzer, who won’t pitch in this series in his first trip back to Flushing following his trade-deadline move to Texas, received more boos than cheers when the Mets (60-72) welcomed him back with a video tribute minutes before the first pitch.
Megill provided a rare bright spot in his season, allowing five hits and striking out a season-high eight before turning over a 3-1 lead to the bullpen to start the seventh.
“It just seemed like all my stuff was on tonight,” Megill said. “I feel like over these last three, four starts, regardless of the results — a good one, a couple of bad ones — I’m attacking the strike zone with the heater, which previously has been my go-to.”
The 28-year-old Megill had spent more than six weeks at Triple-A Syracuse earlier this summer after a mostly ragged first half, but he was recalled following the white-flag trades of Scherzer and Verlander in late July.
Megill hadn’t been much better over his first four outings since rejoining the rotation, posting a 6.86 ERA over 19 ²/₃ innings, including five earned runs apiece in starts against the Orioles and Braves.
But Megill had it all working against the team with the highest OPS (.795) and most runs scored (727) in the American League through Sunday.
Brandon Nimmo had staked him to a 2-0 lead in the third with a two-run blast to right off Rangers starter Jon Gray, extending his career-high total to 19.
DJ Stewart also went deep with a solo blast to right in the fifth, his sixth in 12 games.
The Rangers (74-57) got to Megill (96 pitches) for a run in the sixth on doubles by Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia.
They added another run — charged to Brooks Raley — in the eighth before grabbing the lead with two in the ninth.
Gott nearly escaped with two runners in scoring position with strikeouts of Leody Taveras and Semien.
Following an intentional walk to Corey Seager, however, Nathaniel Lowe ripped a two-run single to right to put Texas ahead for the first time.
“I thought we were going to get out of it,” Gott said. “I wish that pitch [to Lowe] had been a little more in. … He did what he’s paid to do.”