Jordan Lyles
From BR Bullpen
Jordan Horton Lyles
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 185 lb.
- High School Hartsville High School
- Debut May 31, 2011
- Born October 19, 1990 in Florence, SC, USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Jordan Lyles was drafted by the Houston Astros out of high school in the 1st round of the 2008 amateur draft, with the 38th pick. He was signed by scout J.D. Alleva and scouting supervisor Clarence Johns for a $930,000 bonus and made his pro debut that summer.
In the 2010 Futures Game, Lyles pitched the 6th inning for the USA in a 9-1 win. Relieving Mike Minor, he retired Hak-ju Lee and Yonder Alonso. Pedro Báez pinch-hit for Alex Liddi and singled but Lyles got Carlos Peguero swinging to end the inning. He was relieved by Shelby Miller.
Lyles was the youngest player in the major leagues when he made his debut for the Houston Astros on May 31, 2011. Pitching against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, he was outstanding, holding the Cubs scoreless through 7 innings, before giving up a pair of baserunners to start the 8th; both of them came to score as the bullpen faltered (one of the runs being unearned) and he stood to be the losing pitcher in spite of his great performance. He had given up only 5 hits, walked none and struck out 4 over the 7 innings. However, his teammates picked him up with a 6-run outburst against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol in the top of the 9th to win the game, 7-3; he ended up with a no-decision. He struggled in his second start on June 5, though, allowing 3 1st-inning runs to San Diego and leaving after 4 innings, being charged with a 7-2 loss. He was in fact winless in his first 11 career starts, an Astros record, before coming out on the right end of the ledger on August 3rd, when he beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, to improve his record to 1-5. He got some support from former minor league teammate J.D. Martinez, who hit his first major league homer and added a two-run double in the game. After he won his second game on August 20th, the Astros announced he would be sent down to AAA to finish the year pitching out of the bullpen, in an effort to limit the number of innings he would pitch that season.
