Pill finally gives Mets proper dose

This was an easier pill to swallow. Pitcher Tyler Pill followed up a forgettable major league debut in relief Saturday with a solid first start for the Mets, who beat the Brewers 5-4 in 12 innings at Citi Field on Tuesday.

“It’s a really good feeling, especially going up against a lineup like that,” Pill said. “It kind of reassures you that your stuff is good.”

The 27-year-old righty battled through 5 ¹/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits, walking three and striking out four. Pill mixed his pitches well and continually worked out of trouble.

He stranded seven runners, including two each in the third and fourth innings. The only run he allowed came on a two-out double by Travis Shaw in the first, which could have been worse if not for a 64-3 double play.

“It was a big confidence booster,” Pill said. He continued to show toughness and the resolve expected of him after that.

“He lived up to exactly what I heard about him,” manager Terry Collins said. “He doesn’t give in. He doesn’t beat himself. We got to keep the bases on balls down. Those got him into trouble, but when he moves the ball around, changes speeds, I thought he pitched very effective.”

Pill also worked around an Eric Thames triple to start the fifth. He proceed to get Hernan Perez to pop to third, struck out Shaw and induced a Domingo Santana groundout to end the inning.

“[I] attacked the hitters with all my pitches and was able to pitch out of jams,” Pill said of what he was most pleased with.

Collins pulled Pill, who threw 103 pitches — 62 for strikes — after a leadoff walk to Jett Bandy in the sixth with the Mets leading 2-1. Pill’s chance for a win ended when the Brewers scored three times in the seventh to tie the score at 4-4 — aided by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera dropping a pop-up.

Pill’s outing was a far cry from the tough beginning to his major league career. He took the loss after loading the bases in the 10th inning of the Mets’ 5-4 defeat to the Pirates on Saturday. He worked just two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run, and giving up a hit, a walk and hitting a batter.

Collins was proven correct in thinking his previous outing would calm Pill’s nerves against the Brewers, and preparing for a start would feel more natural because that was his role in the minor leagues with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas.