Everything was going well for Tylor Megill until it wasn’t.
The Mets were routed by the Atlanta Braves 7-0 in the first game of a three-game series Friday night at Citi Field. Megill, the right-hander who has confounded the Mets with his struggles this season, was responsible for six of those runs (five earned) in his sixth loss of the season (6-6).
However, the loss can’t fully be blamed on Megill. There were defensive miscues behind the big righty and there were empty at-bats against Charlie Morton and the NL-best Braves.
Megill cruised through the first three innings, looking more like the pitcher that won his first three decisions of the season and less like the one that was demoted to Triple-A in June. But then he loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth and Brandon Nimmo misplayed a fly ball from Eddie Rosario in center field. Rosario’s single cleared the bases. Megill then gave up a single, an RBI double and another single before the first out — an outfield assist by Jeff McNeil — was recorded in the fifth. A sacrifice fly by Austin Riley scored the fifth run.
Megill gave up another run in the sixth before he was replaced by right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis, who went 3 2/3 innings, allowing the Mets to save the bullpen for the rest of the series. Yacabonis allowed a run of his own in the seven when Riley homered in the seventh, but that was all he would give up.
It was his 27th of the season. The Mets only have one player who has hit more than that (Pete Alonso, 35). They only have two others who have hit more than 20. The Mets had expected to battle the Braves (73-41) for the division title, but the Mets have beaten Atlanta only once this season and lost six times.
Megill went 5 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out three.
Charlie Morton (11-10) gave the Mets chances in the form of seven walks. He walked Brandon Nimmo twice, Jonathan Arauz twice, Pete Alonso three times and issued free passes to McNeil and Rafael Ortega. Still, the Mets couldn’t push anything across the plate. The veteran right-hander shut the Mets out over five innings, giving up just three hits.
A new season-high was set with 14 runners left on base. It was the 12th time this season the Mets failed to score a run.
The Mets were without Francisco Lindor, who was a late scratch with tightness on his right side. He was replaced by Arauz, who went 0-for-2 with two walks.
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