Tyler Cloyd Brutalized While Waiting for Return to Phillies

Tyler Cloyd will be one of the names mentioned many times over the coming weeks, by:

• Reporters saying who has been called up to start
• People claiming he is “solid” and is a “starter of the future.”
• People saying they “like what they’ve seen” from him
• People saying he should be traded with Dom Brown for Albert Pujols
• People saying he is worthless, and should be abandoned

Today, we’re landing somewhere in the middle of the dramatics.  Sure, Cloyd got the Cloyd Cloyd-ed out of him last night.  But it happened with the IronPigs, not with the Phillies, and as we all know, the things that happen in the minor leagues don’t really happen.

In fact, minor leaguers aren’t really people, which is why it’s such a good idea to trade “them” for Hunter Pence.

“…the hell is this thing.” Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

But Cloyd could play a key role this season for the Phillies, with his fate related directly to the health of Roy Halladay.  He’s getting a big chance, presumably, like Jonathan Pettibone or any other young arm that gets the call this season to support a deflating staff.  And if things happen right, he could very well find himself a part of the future of the team.

The bleakness of that future notwithstanding.

So anyway, Cloyd took the mound in Norfolk to take on the Orioles’ affiliate, the Tides, and lasted just over three innings, allowing 11 hits, seven earned runs, and four home runs.  He allowed runs in every inning he appeared and thought he ‘Pigs started piecing together a comeback later, he was already long gone.

Not a terrific showing, but the Tides are in first place, and with last night’s win, are riding a six-game hot streak.  The ‘Pigs, at 16-24, 8.5 games out of first, are, uh.  Not as good.

Cloyd, now 1-4, has hardly been the International League Pitcher of the Year, as he was last year, but that success would have been difficult to deem as sustainable, even at the time.  Hopefully, he bounces back from this performance – especially if his next start is with the Phillies – and starts the uphill process of making “Cloyd” being used as a positive verb and adjective.