J.D. Martinez's blast, Tylor Megill's return push Mets past White Sox
Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill delivers during the first inning of a game against the White Sox on Friday in Chicago. Credit: AP/Charles Rex Arbogast
CHICAGO — J.D. Martinez is batting sixth for the Mets these days, demoted from the true heart of the order because he hasn’t been very good, but that comes with a little secret: He actually kind of likes it.
Martinez is 37 years old and frequently generally “banged up,” in his words. He also is very particular about his hitting routine. Put those variables together and you have a guy whose pregame/pre-batting routine takes longer than most. So when the Mets are on the road and thus begin the game at the plate, and when Martinez happens to be third or fourth, that first at-bat can come awfully fast — sometimes too fast.
By moving Martinez down a tad, as was the case again Friday in the Mets’ 5-1 win over the White Sox, manager Carlos Mendoza has been putting him in a better position to succeed.
“If I’m being honest with you, I like hitting later on the road,” Martinez said. “That first at-bat, I always feel rushed through it . . . [Batting lower] helps me slow down getting ready.”
Fully fired up physically, the No. 6 hitter came through with the key hit in a game-deciding sequence in the series opener.
The Mets (71-64) and White Sox (31-105) were tied with two outs in the top of the third when the visitors landed a quick-strike rally against righthander Jonathan Cannon: Pete Alonso walk, Jesse Winker RBI double, Martinez two-run home run.
“On a lot of good teams, those two-out [at-bats] are just as important as no outs,” Martinez said. “If you’re doing that, it’s a winning-caliber team.”
The homer was Martinez’s 16th. Only six of those have come since the All-Star break. In his past seven games, though, he is batting .296 with an .877 OPS. It’s a little something. “Finally,” he said. “I haven’t gotten hot.”
Making those runs matter was a standout effort from the bullpen, featuring Edwin Diaz pitching for a third straight day for the first time since July 2022. “If he’s available and feeling good, you’ll see that,” Mendoza said.
Four relievers combined for 3 2⁄3 perfect innings. That kept the Mets three games behind Atlanta for a National League wild-card spot.
Righthander Tylor Megill pitched well enough in his return to the majors, holding Chicago to one run and five hits in 5 1⁄3 innings.
He encountered early trouble, walking leadoff hitter Nicky Lopez in the first inning for his only free pass and getting into a bases-loaded jam in the second. But Megill settled in from there, at one point retiring 10 consecutive batters.
Called up to fill in for an injured Paul Blackburn (right hand bruise), Megill threw 20 sinkers, a pitch he had only dabbled with previously but has been honing with Triple-A Syracuse. It comes naturally to him, he said.
“The sinker has been a big play lately,” Megill said. “I’m able to throw it with ease. I’m able to throw in a lot easier than with the four-seam. So it’s keeping the batters true, not able to lean out over [the plate].”
Mendoza said: “It’s a pitch he’s definitely been working on.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
