Minors: Trevor Megill making name for himself in El Paso, Ty France keeps homering

Trevor Megill’s curveball was fine.

It got the job done in A-ball and even during a small sampling in the Double-A Texas League, but the 6-foot-8 right-hander knew he needed something more if he was going find success in more advanced circuits.

He needed an out-pitch.

He knew his curve wasn’t it. Even after honing his slider with a new grip suggested by agent Lenny Strelitz, the 25-year-old Megill was unsure of what he had until pitching coordinator Eric Junge pulled him aside early in spring training.

“There were a lot of swings and misses,” Megill said. “Our coordinator came up to me … and said it was the first time he’d seen it as a swing-and-miss pitch. That was a confidence boost because I never saw it as that much of a pitch.”

He does now.

Before allowing a run in his second inning of work Thursday in Triple-A El Paso’s 7-6 loss to visiting New Orleans, Megill had run his scoreless streak up to 17 1/3 innings.

That run began with Megill’s opening assignment to Double-A Amarillo, continued at high Single-A Lake Elsinore after a month-long stay on the injured list due to a flexor strain and had really accelerated following a late May promotion to El Paso.

On Thursday, Megill turned in a one-two-three fourth inning before walking two batters, hitting another and giving an RBI single in the fifth inning, the fifth straight appearance in which he’d been asked to fetch more than three outs.

Before that hiccup, Megill had struck out 21, scattered 11 hits and had walked just three batters in 16 1/3 innings innings. The last free pass he issued before Thursday’s free pass was on May 16 in Stockton in the California League and he’s only walked six batters all season.

“The kid is a strike thrower,” El Paso pitching coach Bronswell Patrick said. “He pounds the zone. He’s throwing the ball over the plate and throwing every pitch with intent.”

A seventh-round pick out of Loyola Marymount in 2015, Megill lost all of 2016 to bone spurs. He pitched well in relief in 2017 (2.63 ERA) and was solid again in 2018 (3.35 ERA) but was still left unprotected – and undrafted – in last year’s Rule 5 draft.

This year, a biting, 84-86 mph slider as the out-pitch off a four-seamer that’s been up to 96 mph had helped Megill hold hitters to a .194/.239/.210 batting line entering Thursday. His 12-to-6 curveball also remains part of a mix that could put Megill on the radar of a major league staff desperate for consistency out of its middle relief arms.

“I know it’s reachable,” said Megill, who has an 0.90 ERA and a 26-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 20 1/3 innings this season. “I just have to keep plugging and wait my turn.”

Back at it

Ty France’s marching orders were simple when he was optioned back to Triple-A El Paso to make room for a healthy Fernando Tatis Jr. exactly a week ago Thursday: “Just get back to playing my game and doing what I was doing before I went up.”

That box has been checked.

The 24-year-old France homered in a third straight game Thursday night, has hits in five of six games played since returning to the minors and has pushed his OPS to 1.403. He’s sitting on 12 homers, has struck out just 18 times in 25 games and has amassed a .901 slugging percentage that would lead a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League by more than 100 points if he hadn’t spent more than a month in the majors.

There, France hit .235/.290/.357 with two homers, 10 RBIs and 25 strikeouts against four walks in 34 games.

The trick now, as it is for any call-up, is to bridge that gap in production, as video-game-like as it has been to start his second year with El Paso.

“Just be more consistent with it,” said France, who had a .914 OPS after last year’s promotion to the PCL. “It was my first taste of the big leagues and it was definitely a little overwhelming at times, a little bit of anxiety that I don’t have as much down here. I’m just trying to slow the game down like I do here.”

THURSDAY’S GAMES

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (42-24)

• New Orleans 7, Chihuahuas 6: In addition to France, 2B Luis Urias (1.123 OPS) extended his career-best total with his 15^th homer. LF Michael Gettys (.742 OPS) also homered, his 14^th. LHP Dillon Overton (2-3, 6.60) allowed six runs in three innings in the start. Before the game, CF Franchy Cordero said it was his left quad that he injured on the bases Thursday night. He is day-to-day.

DOUBLE-A AMARILLO (31-33)

• NW Arkansas 10, Sod Poodles 8: RHP Ronald Bolanos (1-1, 9.00) allowed eight runs in three innings in his second Texas League start. 1B Kyle Overstreet (.698 OPS) went 2-for-5 with his third homer and 2B Ivan Castillo (.857 OPS) and SS Owen Miller (.778 OPS) both had two hits.

HIGH SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (33-32)

• Storm 14, Rancho Cucamonga 8: CF Aldemar Burgos went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in his first game since a promotion to the California League. 1B Olivier Basabe (.668 OPS) drove in three runs on four hits, including a triple, and C Luis Campusano (.895 OPS) drove in three runs on three hits, including a double.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (31-34)

• TinCaps 8, Bowling Green 3: DH Luis Roman (.782 OPS) drove in three run on two hits, including his second homer, and 2B Xavier Edwards (.812 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs scored and his 15^th steal. C Blake Hunt (.686 OPS) singled in a pair of runs. RHP Henry Henry (7-1, 3.66) allowed one run in two innings for the win after LHP Ramon Perez (6.00) allowed two runs – one earned – in four innings in the start.

ROOKIE-LEVEL DSL PADRES (6-5)

• D-Backs 8, Padres 7: 1B Axcel Peralta (.535) went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored and C Alex Ramirez (.769 OPS) doubled twice, drive in a run and scored a run. 2B Neifi Antunez (.746 OPS) went 2-for-5 with a run scored.