Twenty-five-year-old Tyler Cloyd got his first taste of Major League baseball on Wednesday night when he took the mound in Citizens Bank Park for his big league debut against the New York Mets, in what would be a 3-2 loss.
Cloyd, who was called up on Wednesday afternoon to start in place of the ailing Cole Hamels, was a bright spot for the Phillies organization this season, where he notched a 2.26 ERA in 26 starts between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The right-hander, who is not overpowering – he touched 90 only once – was solid over six innings, where he threw 102 pitches, 71 of which were strikes. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and he walked two, but struck out five.
He was in trouble early, allowing two singles in the top of the first inning. He pitched out of it, but was not so lucky in the second inning where a leadoff double came around to score which tied the game at one. After allowing a go-ahead, two-run homer in the third, he settled down and kept the Mets off the board for his final three innings. He set down nine in a row at one point and allowed one of his last 12 batters faced to reach base.
All told, it was a good start for Cloyd, who unfortunately took the loss, as the bats failed to provide him with much offensive support. Still, with Vance Worley due to miss the rest of the season, it appears that Cloyd will have the opportunity to use the September as an audition to be a starter in 2013.
