Cardinals LHP Tyler Lyons to Make Rehab Start Wednesday

PEORIA, IL - The Peoria Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals have announced that Cardinals lefty Tyler Lyons will start for the Chiefs on Wednesday in a rehab start against West Michigan at 11:00 a.m. Lyons was placed on the disabled list May 2 with a right intercostal strain and will be followed in Wednesday's game by the Chiefs regularly scheduled starter, LH Ian Oxnevad.
    Lyons last pitched on May 1 out of the bullpen for the Cardinals in a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers. In that outing he walked one and didn't allow a hit or run over an inning before landing on the DL the next day. He also pitched in the Majors on April 27 against Toronto allowing one hit and one run over two innings while striking out two.

     Lyons began the season on the Cardinals disabled list while recovering from right knee surgery and was sent on a rehab stint to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on April 6. With Memphis this season he started three games with no record and a 1.29 ERA as he allowed two runs on 11 hits over 14 innings while striking out 14 and walked two. After a start on April 17 he rejoined the Cardinals.
     Lyons made a career-high 30 appearances out of the Cardinals bullpen in 2016 going 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA while striking out 46 over 48 innings. He bounced back and forth between St. Louis and the Minors in 2013, 2014 and 2015 with a combined 28 MLB appearances and 12 starts while going 3-5. In Memphis in 2015 he was 9-5 with a 3.14 ERA and two complete games in 16 starts while striking out 96 over a career-high 94 2/3 innings.
     A native of Lubbock, Texas, Lyons was drafted by the Cardinals in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of Oklahoma State University. He skipped the Midwest League and didn't pitch for Quad Cities as he started his pro career in 2011 with High-A Palm Beach where he threw the first no-hitter in franchise history. Lyons split 2012 between Double-A Springfield and Memphis before making his MLB debut with the Cardinals on May 22, 2013 against San Diego.
    At Oklahoma State Lyons won 22 career games and was named to the Clemson All-Regional Team in 2009 after beating Alabama. He was All Big-12 second team as a sophomore with 12 wins and was named to the Stillwater All-Regional team after beating Western Kentucky in the NCAAs. He played quarterback as an All-State selection at Frenship High School while also striking out 162 batters in 94 innings.
     Lyons will be the Chiefs first MLB rehab of the 2017 season. Last year Jhonny Peralta played five games on the infield for the Chiefs. The last MLB pitcher to rehab with the Chiefs was Cardinals LHP Jaime García who threw the first five innings on a no-hitter against Clinton on July 23, 2015. Jon Jay also rehabbed for the Chiefs in the outfield in 2015 while Jake Westbrook threw seven innings in a win against Quad Cities on June 9, 2013.
    Tickets for Wednesday's game are available at the Dozer Park Box Office or online at www.peoriachiefs.com. Per the Chiefs ticket policy, the Never-A-Wasted Ticket exchange plan is suspended for all MLB Rehab appearances. Wednesday's game begins at 11:00 a.m. and is an Ameren Illinois Education Day and a Bang for Your Buck Wednesday with $1 hot dogs, $1 nachos and $1 sodas.
Tickets and Promotions:
      Season ticket packages, including full-season, a 35-game ticket package, an 18-game ticket package, a Flex Plan or Pick-Six Plan are currently on sale by calling 309-680-4000. Individual and group tickets are also available online at www.peoriachiefs.com. All game times and promotions are subject to change. Fans can keep up with all Chiefs news at www.peoriachiefs.com and on twitter: @PeoriaChiefs.