Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels scratched due to illness, Tyler Cloyd to make debut
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Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels scratched due to illness, Tyler Cloyd to make debut
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Tyler Cloyd, named the International League's best pitcher a day ago, will make his major-league debut Wednesday only because of an illness to Cole Hamels.
The Phillies announced Hamels will not start as scheduled because of a gastrointestinal illness. Replacing him is Cloyd, who was slated to pitch at triple-A Lehigh Valley. Instead, he will face the New York Mets.
Cloyd, 12-1 with a 2.35 ERA, has become a cause celebre for a fan base craving any sort of drama in the final weeks of a lost season. While posting gaudy numbers in the minors, his rise has been met with skepticism by many scouts because Cloyd rarely throws harder than 90 m.p.h.
Cloyd's strikeout numbers have dropped considerably in 2012 even as his success multiplies. That suggests a great deal of luck. The theory will be tested at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.
An 18th-round pick in 2008, Cloyd was hardly on the radar screen entering the season. The 25-year-old righty was supposed to pitch for double-A Reading but started opening day for Lehigh Valley because of a last-minute suspension to another pitcher.
All he did was toss six no-hit innings with eight strikeouts.
It was the beginning of a charmed season for Cloyd, who finally has a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
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agree with @zub, if this kid Cloyd shows anything, it would have been best for that to have been demonstrated while KK was still an integral piece in the depleted 'pen. I have always looked at KK as the guy who could hold down the setup, 8th inning role better than anyone else they have. Cloyd's promotion and success could have made that happen and, who knows, maybe 4 or 5 losses could have been prevented.
also, @dasher, thanks for the daily dose of good yucks once again.
— advantasux- Glad Kratz will be working with him, to ease any nerves...Cloyd will eat innings...and if he gives up a salami or two, it'll be the solo type. — bearsfriend
- This is about the best way for Cloyd to make an appearance in the bigs this year. A last minute call up and replacing Cole Hamels means less pressure, since nobody expects him to be fully prepared and nobody expects him to compete with what Hamels would have thrown.
I wish the kid good luck and I hope his first taste of the major leagues is fun and a terrific learning experience.— PeteInPhilly - Cloyd should stay and Worley should be shut down for the season for surgery. Diekman should replace B.J. "gasoline on the fire" Rosenberg. I beg to differ with Charlie that Rosenberg needs to pitch at the Major League level. As last and prior seasons proved with Mathieson and Zagurski, velocity means nothing if you don't know how to pitch at the Major League level. Also, remember that Greg Maddux was a control pithcer whose fastball hardly ever cracked 91 mph and sat at 89 - 90 mph. He was a Cy Young Award winner.— dross
- Maddux,Tommy John,Whitey Ford, Randy Jones....none of them could break a pane of glass. — bearsfriend
- Add Robin Roberts to that club and that is more than 1100 Major League wins and three Hall of Fame placques. I'll take Cloyd any day over the "live arms" who have no idea where their pitches are going. And I'd give him at least 2 years to prove he CAN'T pitch at this level before going to plan B.
And for all you would-be scouts here, Greg Maddux in his first 2 years in the majors was 8-18 with a 5.59 ERA. Tom Glavine was 9-21. - Well Rube, looks like another of your long term pitching contracts is set to go bust.— sonnybuoy01
- dasher and s are on a roll. If Cloyd has a poor outing, what is the over/under on the number of posters who rip him and call for Pettibone as the auditions begin in earnest. BTW: for those posters who believe Howard can return to "form" next season, multiply his numbers now by 3.6 (150 games, which is realistic) and look at the Ks, and keep in mind he will still likely have bad wheels next season, given his ankle issues before the achilles. Why any pitcher throws him a fast ball anywhere in his zone is beyond me; throw him a steady diet of slow breaking curves below the knee. Yes, a slam last night (on a 3-2 meatball with no place to put him) to go with three more Ks. He is NOT the Howard of 40+ homeruns and 140+ RBI, which is a concern. Will give Bearsfriend his due: Utley is swinging the bat better, but can he provide 100+ games next season at 34 years old and will he regain his ability to go to his left in the field?— chuckw
- sounds like cole has the shittles. I recommend pepto bismol— lefty1117
- It will be like when he was starter for the International all-star game and
was lit up— baeboo 
Good move for Fightins. Look at Cloyd now. What's the use of waiting and he is 25 years old!— The Monk- After Worley's misery last night, time to shut him down and bring up not only Cloyd but Pettibone or De Fratus too. I pray Cloyd goes at least 5 tonight because the Pen stunk it up last night.— Koons
- Glad to see Cloyd get the start but its a spot start. Despite Worley's health issues, I doubt the phils make a switch and permanently put him in the rotation for remainder of the season. A better idea of what the phils think about Cloyd is to see what happens when rosters expand and what the Phils do with Worley.— PhillyinBmore
- Lefty- Immodium is the best. Wasn't there a big dinner function for the hammers foundation a couple nights ago? intestinal sickness is a way to drop some unwanted pounds off the waistline, I always say.
— road515 - Hamels foundation. iPad typing is challenging.— road515
