Megill steps in masterfully as the Mets overtake the Braves in the World…
Paul Blackburn’s return from the injured list was going to be delayed, so the Mets handed Megill another start on Monday night. The right-hander took the task to heart, winning 3-2 at Rogers Centre with a solid one-hit start.
“I just wanted to go out and compete, give the team our best chance to win tonight,” said Megill. “Threw the ball great tonight, so it felt good. Everything was working.”
That performance capped a seesaw couple of days for Megill, who was informed on Saturday he’d be moved to the bullpen with Blackburn scheduled to come off the 15-day IL for Monday’s start.
But Blackburn — out since Aug. 23 after taking a comebacker to his right hand — felt a lower back issue after his rehab start at Triple-A Syracuse last Tuesday, and it was still bothering him when he went through a running progression pregame on Sunday.
Enter — or re-enter — Megill, who got a third start in this latest big league stint as the Mets pushed Blackburn’s return until the end of the Toronto series at the earliest.
“This came out of nowhere,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the opener in Toronto. “Until yesterday, right before the game, we thought [Blackburn] was going to be able to make today’s start. That’s not the case. And look, Megill will get the ball, he’ll get an opportunity, and he’s going to give us a chance to win a baseball game.”
Check and check.
Megill was as solid as his club could have asked for, pitching six innings of scoreless ball with nine strikeouts, two walks and one hit. He retired the final 16 batters he faced in a row. Megill needed 30 pitches to get out of the first inning, as the Blue Jays loaded the bases with a double and a pair of walks, but he got the outs he needed.
