O a M G - Oakland Athletics

2007—Was second on the Cubs with 73 relief appearances behind Bob Howry (78)…posted a 3.48 ERA
with a 2-3 record…stranded 33 of 38 inherited runners, the second-best rate of success in the National
League (86.8%)…teammate Carlos Marmol led the NL with an 87.8% success rate…posted a 2.48 road
ERA compared to a 4.15 ERA at Wrigley Field…lasted at least 2.0 innings on nine occasions, including
a season-high 2.1 innings Aug. 31 against the Astros…limited hitters to a .210 batting average with
runners on base…had a season-opening, 11.0-inning scoreless streak snapped April 25 vs. Milwaukee…
allowed his first inherited runner to score July 17 vs. San Francisco, snapping a streak of 20 runners
stranded to begin the season…pitched 1.2 shutout innings in two post-season appearances for the Cubs
in the NLDS against Arizona, with a walk and two strikeouts.
2006—Posted a 2.66 ERA in 41 relief appearances and finished the season with a 3-1 record…appeared
in 30 games for Triple-A Iowa and was 6-0 with 10 saves and a 1.73 ERA…stranded 21 of 37 inherited
runners and retired 28 of 41 first batters faced with Chicago…started the season with a 6.75 ERA in three
appearances for the Cubs before being optioned to Iowa April 15…also had a one-game stint from May
21-27…was recalled to the big league club July 23 and remained there through the end of the season…
recorded a 1.95 ERA in 37 outings after his final promotion…tossed 11.1-consecutive scoreless innings
from Aug. 18-Sept. 2…ended the season with a 0.87 ERA in his final 10 games (Sept. 9-30)…his 1.73
ERA at Iowa led all I-Cubs relievers…went 1-0 with two saves and a 1.23 ERA in 10 relief appearances
for Iowa before being called up May 21.
2005—Spent his first full season with the Cubs, going 6-2 with a 3.81 ERA in a team-leading 75 relief
appearances…held opponents to a .219 batting average…retired the first batter he faced in 54 of his
outings…stranded 36 of 50 (72.0%) inherited runners…worked more than 1.0 inning in 20 of his appearances,
including a season-high 3.0-inning stint Aug. 31 against Los Angeles (NL)…had a seasonhigh
7.0 scoreless-inning streak, Aug. 29-Sept. 5…allowed three hits and struck out 13 batters in the
four-game span.
2004—Had four stints on the Cubs roster (April 2-30, May 20-June 4, June 27-July 11 and Sept. 6
through the end of the season), going 1-0 with one save and a 4.34 ERA in 31 games…made his major
league debut Opening Day, April 5 at Cincinnati, retiring all three batters he faced…earned a hold in the
7-4 Cub win, striking out Jason LaRue and Ryan Freel before inducing a groundout from Juan Castro…
struck out 30 batters in 29.0 innings, a ratio of 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings…was unscored upon in 23
of his 31 games, including a 14.0-scoreless inning streak June 2-Sept. 26.
2003—After beginning his career as a starter, he saw action both as a starter (16 starts) and as a reliever
(27 appearances) for Triple-A Iowa…threw 124.0 innings, going 3-9 with his first professional save and
a 4.57 ERA…in his starts, he went 2-9 with a 5.40 ERA…as a reliever, he posted a 2.77 ERA in 39.0
innings…earned his first save July 29 against Omaha, working 2.0 innings.
2002—Spent most of the campaign in Triple-A Iowa’s starting rotation, going 9-5 with a 5.55 ERA…
struck out 131 batters, the fifth-highest total in the Pacific Coast League…made his first professional
relief appearance May 30 at Oklahoma – and picked up the win (11-1) by allowing one run in 6.0 innings…struck
out a season-high 10 batters in a 4.0-inning stint July 29 against Omaha.
2001—Spent the season at Double-A West Tenn, going 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA in 27 starts…was fifth in
the Southern League in strikeouts (135) and tied for fifth in starts…threw a 7.0-inning complete-game
two-hit shutout May 16 at Greenville…struck out eight in the 3-0 win.
2000—Went 12-7 with a 3.78 ERA in 28 starts for Single-A Daytona…tied for the Florida State League
lead in starts, tied for second in wins and complete games (3), ranked third in innings pitched (171.1)
and fifth in strikeouts (142)…fanned a season-high 11 batters July 18 at Sarasota.
1999—Tied for the Midwest League lead in starts (28) at Single-A Lansing, going 11-12 with a 4.80
ERA…struck out a season-high 12 batters June 18 against Clinton.
1998—Began his pro career at Single-A Williamsport, where he went 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA.
2011 Oakland athletics Media Guide < 227
2011 athletics