Megill and Nimmo Get Mets Back on Track With Win

PHILADELPHIA — Tylor Megill delivered his second straight scoreless start for the Mets, Brandon Nimmo homered and the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0, on Tuesday night.

Francisco Lindor had an R.B.I. single for the Mets, who recovered from blowing a four-run lead in the eighth inning against Philadelphia on Monday night to snap a two-game skid.

Mets 2, Phillies 0 | Box Score | Play-by-Play

Megill (2-0), who got a spot in the rotation only when two-time N.L. Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was sidelined by a shoulder problem in spring training, again looked like an ace for 5 ⅓ innings.

After throwing five shutout innings to win on opening day at Washington, Megill outpitched Zack Wheeler (0-1).

Megill gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out five. The burly 26-year-old righty has allowed just six hits while striking out 11 without a walk in his two starts.

Mets Manager Buck Showalter lifted Megill in the sixth after Johan Camargo singled and went to second on Simon Muzziotti’s sacrifice bunt.

Reliever Chasen Shreve got Kyle Schwarber to ground out and fanned J.T. Realmuto to preserve a 1-0 lead.

Philadelphia threatened again in the seventh when Nick Castellanos doubled with one out, but Drew Smith struck out Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorius to the delight of the many Mets fans among the 26,045 in attendance at Citizens Bank Park.

Shreve and Smith combined to give up one hit in 2 ⅔ scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Edwin Díaz struck out three in the ninth for his first save in the combined five-hitter. He fanned Hoskins with runners on first and second to end it.

Díaz, who was seventh in the majors with 32 saves last season, rejoined the Mets on Tuesday after missing three days while on the bereavement list.

The Phillies’ balky infield defense helped the Mets gain a two-run cushion in the eighth.

A night after Alec Bohm made three errors at third base and then apologized after TV cameras caught him utter an expletive, Camargo started there on Tuesday.

Camargo’s throw to second after fielding Starling Marte’s grounder in the eighth pulled second baseman Bryson Stott off the bag. Stott recovered to force out Nimmo but couldn’t make a throw to first to complete the double play. Marte stole second and scored on Lindor’s single.

Bohm got a standing ovation before grounding out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.

Castellini, also the team’s chief operating officer, is the son of Reds chief executive Bob Castellini, the team’s controlling owner since January 2006. Cincinnati has made the playoffs four times in 15 years, losing in the division series in 2010 and 2012, and the wild-card round in 2013 and 2020. During that span, the Reds finished with a winning record in just five seasons.

Speaking Tuesday on WLW radio before the team’s home opener, Phil Castellini was asked why should a fan maintain trust in him.

“Well, where are you going to go? Let’s start there. I mean, sell the team to who?” Castellini said. “That’s the other thing — you want to have this debate? If you want to look at what would you do with this team to have it be more profitable, make more money, compete more in the current economic system that this game exists? It would be to pick it up and move it somewhere else.

“And so be careful what you ask for. I think we’re doing the best we can do with the resources that we have. We’re no more pleased with the results than the fans. I’m not sitting here saying anybody should be happy. I’m not polishing trophies in the office right now, and that’s what we’re here to do. But the bottom line is — and I do think we’ve had to shift the discipline. We’ve tried a lot of things that didn’t work. And they came this close to working and didn’t. Nobody’s got to tell me it didn’t work. So I think we’ve learned from those things. And trust me, (general manager) Nick (Krall), he is a guy on a mission. And he is a bull in a China shop that has his way to do it and that way’s to grow your own and he’s doing just that.”

During the off-season, the Reds traded former All-Star pitcher Sonny Gray, outfielder Jesse Winker, and third baseman Eugenio Suárez and reliever Amir Garrett.

After the Reds lost 10-5 to the Cleveland Guardians and dropped to 2-3, Phil Castellini issued a statement.

“I apologize to Reds fans and regret the comments that I made earlier today,” he said. “We love this city, we love this team, and we love our fans. I understand how our fans feel and I am sorry.”