Cloyd, Kennelly Carry 'Pigs Past Indians, 4-0
Kennelly, who entered Tuesday's contest with 19 home runs in 509 career minor league games, hammered a 1-1 offering from Indians starter Jeff Locke into the Capital BlueCross Lawn in the fifth inning for a 2-run shot that gave Lehigh Valley control of the game, 3-0.
The Perth, Australia native, signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2003, was promoted from Reading earlier in the day where he was hitting .225 with a home run and 12 RBI for the R-Phils in 24 games this season.
In a pitching rematch from last Thursday, Cloyd outdueled Locke for a second straight start as the 24-year-old continues to his torrid start to the 2012 season.
After six more shutout innings on Tuesday earned him his fourth win with the IronPigs, Cloyd has now allowed just two earned runs 26 innings lowering his already minuscule ERA to 0.69 in four Triple-A starts.
Add his four starts in Reading to the mix and Cloyd is 7-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his first eight starts of the season. If you go back to 2011, the Bellevue, Nebraska native is 12-2 with an impressive 1.85 ERA in his last 20 outings.
Locke (3-3) was solid in his own right allowing just three runs - two earned - in seven innings in the defeat.
Rich Thompson gave Lehigh Valley an early 1-0 with an RBI double in the third inning, plating the newest IronPig Kennelly from second base. Thompson, one of the IronPigs most clutch performers this season, entered Tuesday's contest hitting .435 (10-for-23) with runners in scoring position.
Thompson's eighth inning triple set up the IronPigs final run of the game as Andres Blanco brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
The 'Pigs centerfielder finished 3-for-4 and raised his average to a team best .307 on the season.
Tyson Brummett and Michael Schwimer combined to toss three perfect innings to preserve the shutout - the IronPigs third of the season.
The IronPigs will seek a third consecutive win on Wednesday night in game two of the four-game set against the Indians at Coca-Cola Park. RHP Scott Elarton (4-1, 2.39) is slated to get the nod for Lehigh Valley opposite Indy RHP Daniel Cabrera (1-0, 3.24).
Bacon Bits: Former IronPig Jake Diekman won his first career Major League game on Tuesday in his Big League debut tossing 1 ⅓ scoreless innings with three strikeouts in the Phillies 4-3 extra inning win... According to IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg, LHP Joe Savery is on his way to join the Phillies in Chicago for his third stint in Philadelphia this season... Tuesday's game got underway after a 50-minute rain delay... Indians RF Brandon Boggs was ejected in the 8th inning for arguing a check swing, third strike by home plate umpire Sean Barber.