HOUSTON — Tylor Megill ended last year on a roll, and Friday night resumed from that spot to begin his new season.
The Mets would have liked to receive another inning from the right-hander to lessen the bullpen load, but at this early juncture of the season it’s a quibble.
On this night Megill’s stuff was sharp and the Mets benefited.
Megill’s performance, with an assist from the bullpen and Juan Soto’s thunder, helped the Mets get their first victory of the season, 3-1 over the Astros at Daikin Park.
Soto’s first homer in a Mets uniform, a solo blast against Hunter Brown in the third, was the offensive highlight.
Megill, who won a rotation spot in spring training after Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea were sidelined with injuries, gave the Mets a chance by limiting the Astros to one run on three hits and one walk over five-plus innings.
He struck out six and walked one over 77 pitches.
“If I can go out and do what I did tonight and keep that going forward throughout the whole year I am going to be in good shape,” Megill said. “Obviously not five innings but getting deeper into games. Consistency is going to be the name of the game.”
It’s the same Megill the Mets saw beginning in late August last year following his return from Triple-A Syracuse.
Over those final six starts he pitched to a 2.32 ERA and helped the Mets secure a National League wild-card berth.
“Early on tonight he was attacking — they hit some balls hard, but that is what we were asking him to do: throw strikes and stay on the attack,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
The Mets unveiled their high-leverage relievers, receiving a scoreless inning apiece from Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz.
Five hits was enough for the Mets, who built a 3-0 lead through three innings before letting their pitching handle the rest.
Brandon Nimmo was caught dead in an attempted steal of second in the second inning, but Brendan Rodgers dropped Brown’s throw, after Brown had stepped off the rubber.
Nimmo was safe and Mark Vientos’ ensuing double gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Jesse Winker followed with an RBI single.
Soto fell behind 1-2 in the count with two outs in the third but received a 96-mph cutter that he launched off the facing of the mezzanine in right field for his first Mets homer.
It was a redeeming moment of sorts for the star outfielder: a day earlier Soto struck out against Josh Hader to end the game with the tying runs on base.
“It’s always great to have the first one,” Soto said, referring to his homer. “A lot of guys want to get the first one out of the way early and try to get that pressure off, so it feels pretty good.”
Megill retired the first nine batters he faced before consecutive singles by Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes gave the Astros a rally in the fourth.
Yordan Alvarez’s sacrifice fly sliced the Mets’ lead to 3-1 before Megill struck out Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz to leave Paredes stranded.
“When they scored that run, [Megill] kept making pitches and settling in nicely and limited the damage, which is something we also want to see,” Mendoza said.
Cam Smith walked with one out in the fifth, but one pitch later Megill escaped the inning: Rodgers hit a grounder to Vientos that started a 5-4-3 double play.
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Brett Baty, who started his first major league game at second base, fired the relay to Pete Alonso for the final out.
Soto and Alonso walked in succession to begin the sixth, but Brown got Nimmo to ground into a double play before retiring Vientos.
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Brown struck out seven and walked three with four hits allowed over 96 pitches. Of the three runs he allowed, one was unearned.
Megill, at 70 pitches, continued into the sixth. But after Jake Meyers reached first on a wild pitch on strike three and Altuve singled, Garrett was summoned.
Garrett walked Alvarez with one out to load the bases before striking out Walker and Diaz.
“That was huge,” Megill said. “It keeps us in the ballgame with the lead. I was fired up for [Garrett]. He was fired up.”
