Rich Harden #40

James Richard Harden...wife, Kelsey (Vorderbruggen)...1999 graduate of Claremont Secondary in Victoria, BC...attended Arizona Junior College in 2001 and led all Division I junior college pitchers with 127 strikeouts in 2001 and tied for fifth with a 2.14 ERA.

2012

Did not pitch professionally due to a right shoulder strain; underwent shoulder surgery to repair right rotator cuff January 31, 2012.

2011

Returned to Oakland after signing December 21, 2010...did not appear in a spring training game and began the season on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain...transferred to 60-day disabled list April 18...made two rehab starts for Triple-A Sacramento and was reinstated July 1...recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts (7.0 IP) August 19 vs. Toronto...struck out 10 batters September 5 vs. Kansas City, marking the 12th double-digit strikeout total of career...ranked eighth in AL in strikeouts (83) after the All-Star break.

2010

Was 5-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 20 games, 18 starts in a season where he was bothered by injuries and control problems much of the season, which resulted in two stints on the disabled list...the ERA was the highest of his major league career...issued 62 walks in 92.0 innings, an average of 6.07 per nine innings...that was the highest ratio in the majors among pitchers with 90 or more innings pitched...it was also sixth highest in team history and the highest since 1987 (Bobby Witt, 8.81; Mitch Williams, 7.79)...walked five or more batters in six of his 18 starts, including a season high six April 18 at New York and May 14 at Toronto...tied for 10th in the American League in hit batters (9)...tied for fourth on the club in strikeouts (75), was fifth in starts and pitched the sixth most innings (92.0)...was also second on the team in hit batters and third in walks...allowed a .256 opponents batting average, including .238 (40-for-168) against right-handed hitters and .273 (51-for-187) against left-handers...yielded a .228 opponents batting average the first time through the lineup, .220 the second time and .372 after that... his career numbers are .197 (237 for 1205), .223 (245 for 1100) and .266 (212 for 797)...posted a 4.40 ERA at home and 6.70 on the road...was 2-3 with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts on four days rest and 3-2 with a 6.47 ERA in his other nine starts...compiled a 0-3 record and a 7.43 ERA in six outings during the day and was 5-2 with a 4.96 ERA in 14 night games...went 5-5 with a 5.34 ERA in 18 starts and 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in two relief appearances...his longest outing was 7.0 innings twice and he tossed six or more innings in six of his 18 starts...the Rangers were 11-7 (.611) in his starting assignments...went 2-0 in four starts with run support of four or more and is 41-0 in 55 such starts in his career.

TEXAS: Opened the season as Texas' number two starter, going 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA in his first four outings...recorded his first win as a Ranger April 28 against Chicago (AL)...two of his five wins came against the White Sox...worked 7.0 shutout innings and struck out a season-high nine to win at Oakland in next start May 3...went 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA over a three-start stretch from April 28 to May 8... then went 1-2 with an 8.28 ERA over his next six starts before going on the disabled list June 12 with a left gluteal muscle strain...surrendered a career high four home runs in his final start before the injury, June 11 at Milwaukee...went 0-2 with a 5.19 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment...was reinstated July 31 and allowed one earned run in 7.0 innings in a win at Los Angeles (AL) that night...lasted just 2.1 innings in his next outing Aug. 7 at Oakland and returned to the DL Aug. 15, retroactive to Aug. 8 with right shoulder tendinitis...made another rehab start Aug. 18 against Reno, allowing one unearned run in 6.0 innings...was reinstated Aug. 23, working 6.2 no-hit innings that day against Minnesota before leaving the game with five walks and 111 pitches...Matt Harrison recorded the final out in the seventh and Darren O'Day worked a hitless eighth before Joe Mauer singled off Neftali Feliz with one out in ninth for the Twins' only hit in a 4-0 Rangers win...it was the longest hitless outing ever by a Texas starter who did not finish the game and second longest in majors in 2010 to the Twins' Kevin Slowey who tossed 7.0 hitless innings against Oakland Aug. 15...prior to that pair, no pitcher had posted at least 6.2 hitless innings in a non-complete game since Braves' Damian Moss (7.0 ip) May 3, 2002 at St. Louis...was 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts following his return from the DL before going to the bullpen at the start of September...pitched twice in relief (4 er in 2.2 ip) before completing the season with a no decision in a spot start Sept. 29 vs. Seattle...was not on the Rangers postseason roster.

2009

Went 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA (64 ER/141.0 IP) in 26 games/starts for Chicago-NL, his only full season in the National League...was the 2nd-highest single-season starts total of his career (31 GS in 2004) and his 3rd-highest innings total...team was 13-13 in his starts...worked at least 6.0 frames in 15 starts and 7.0-or-more innings 5 times...allowed 2-or-fewer earned runs in 18 of 26 outings with 14 quality starts...had an ERA nearly 3 times higher at Wrigley (5.99) than on the road (2.00)...went 6-2 in 11 starts on road, 3-7 over 15 starts at home...had a 2.55 ERA (19 ER/67.0 IP) in 12 starts after the All-Star break, this after 5.47 figure (45 ER/74.0 IP) before the break...his 2.81 ERA (26 ER/83.1 IP) in 14 night games was more than 3 runs lower than his 5.93 mark (38 ER/57.2 IP) in 12 day games...was team's 4th starter to open the year.

2008

Rich set a career high with 181 strikeouts in 25 starts between Oakland and Chicago ... struck out 10 or more batters in six starts, five coming with the Cubs ... was 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA (34 ER/148.0 IP) in his 25 outings. © Went 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA (14 ER/71.0 IP) in 12 starts for Chicago, allowing two or fewer runs in 11 of those outings. © Was unbeaten in his final 10 starts of the season dating to July 26 ... was 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA (13 ER/58.2 IP) in that stretch. © Struck out 10 or more in six starts on the season, including five times with the Cubs. Struck out 10 in each of his first three starts for Chicago ... according to Elias, he is the first pitcher since 1900 to strike out 10-or-more in each of his first three career starts for a team. Struck out 39 hitters in his first four starts for the Cubs ... since 1900, just three other pitchers have had that many strikeouts in their first four starts for a club: Randy Johnson (44, Arizona, 1999), Pedro Martinez (44, Boston, 1998) and Herb Score (40, Cleveland, 1955). © Had a 1.65 ERA (11 ER/60.0 IP) in his first 10 starts as a Cub, the thirdlowest ERA for any hurler in his first 10 starts with Chicago (since 1912) ... the only pitchers with a lower mark than Harden were Hippo Vaughn (1.23 ERA, 1913-14) and Hank Wyse (1.61 ERA, 1942-43). © Was unbeaten in five of six calendar months, with his only two losses coming in July. © His 11.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and .183 batting average against led major league starters (min. 25 GS). © Struck out a career-high 11 batters June 26 vs. Philadelphia (with Oakland) ... turned the trick again August 24 vs. Washington with the Cubs. © Went 7-1 with a 1.68 ERA (15 ER/80.1 IP) in 13 night games compared to a 3-1 record with a 2.53 ERA (19 ER/67.2 IP) in 12 day games. © Produced a 1.80 ERA (8 ER/40.0 IP) in seven home starts for Chicago, with the club going 6-1 in those contests. © Was 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA (14 ER/65.2 IP) in 11 starts after the break, limiting opponents to a .149 batting average. © Limited right-handed hitters to a .167 batting average (46-for-276) while left-handed batters had a .200 mark (50-for-250). © Landed on the 15-day disabled list April 3 with a strained right shoulder ... activated May 11 after rehab assignments at Single-A Stockton and Triple-A Sacramento. © Went 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA (18 ER/72.0 IP) in his first 12 starts this season with Oakland ... joined Chuck Dobson in 1971 and Dick Bosman in 1976 as the only other A's to go undefeated through their first 12 starts. © Got the start in Game Three of the NLDS in Los Angeles and was tagged with the 3-1 loss ... was his first post-season start since October 13, 2006, with Oakland against Detroit.

2007

Had his season interrupted by injury for the third consecutive year as two stints on the disabled list limited him to seven games, including four starts...was 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA...went 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts before going on the DL for the first time on April 23 retroactive to April 16 with a strained right shoulder...was reinstated from the DL on June 21 and began his return in the bullpen...did not allow a run in three relief appearances (4.0 ip) before being moved back into the starting rotation on July 7 against Seattle...allowed four runs in 2.2 innings and took the loss...was placed back on the DL on July 12 retroactive to July 8 with a strained right shoulder and missed the remainder of the season...it was the second consecutive season he had two stints on the DL and he now has five career stints on the disabled list...is 5-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 16 games, 13 starts, over the last two years and 15-7 with a 3.19 ERA in 38 games, 32 starts, over the last three years...was 1-2 with a 2.91 ERA in his four starting assignments and 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA (4.0 ip, 0 h) in his three relief appearances...now has a 0.82 ERA (1 er in 11.0 ip) and .105 (4 for 38) opponents average in eight career relief appearances...allowed a .202 opponents batting average, which included a .098 (4 for 41) mark against righthanded hitters and .292 (14 for 48) against left-handers...opponents were just 1 for 14 (.071) with runners in scoring position and he has allowed a .211 (73 for 346) career average with RISP...allowed a .114 opponents batting average the first time through the lineup, .241 the second time through and .375 after that...has allowed a .133 (15 for 113) opponents average the first time through the lineup over the last two years...did not allow a run (11.0 ip) and held the opposition to a .086 batting average in four games on the road compared to a 4.30 ERA and .278 opponents average in three starts in Oakland...opponents were 9 for 23 (.391) with four walks when leading off an inning...allowed one run or less in two of his four starts and had a win and a no decision in those starts...has allowed one run or fewer in 28 of his 76 career starts (36.8%) but is 15-0 with 13 no decisions in those starts...is 27-0 in 33 career starts with run support of four runs or more...the A's were 2-2 in his four starting assignments and are now 49-27 (.645) in his 76 career starts...tossed at least six innings in three of his starts, allowed two runs or fewer three times and walked two batters or fewer three times...first batters faced were 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his three relief appearances and he did not inherit any runners... combined with Jay Marshall and Huston Street on a three-hit shutout in his first start, a 9-0 A's win at Seattle on April 4...allowed all three of the hits in 7.0 innings and is now 16-3 with a 1.52 ERA (33 er in 195.1 ip) in 26 career starts where he pitches at least seven innings...took the loss in his second start, the A's home opener on April 9 against Chicago...it marked his first loss since August 9, 2005 against Los Angeles and snapped his winning streak at a career high tying six games...posted a 3.05 ERA and .181 opponents batting average over that 14-game, 11-start stretch that dated back to August 19, 2005...also won six straight from July 15 to August 31, 2004...the loss also snapped a streak where the A's won 11 consecutive games in which he started...that tied for the fourth longest such streak in Oakland history...had a no decision in his third start on April 15 against New York, a game the A's won 5-4 on Marco Scutaro's walk-off home run...allowed just one run in six innings and left in the seventh inning with tightness in his right shoulder...went on the disabled list and made one rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento on June 20 against Tacoma (1.0 ip, 1 h, 1 so) before he was reinstated from the DL...was placed in the bullpen upon his return...did not allow a run or hit in three relief appearances and retired 12 of the 14 batters that he faced, six by strikeout...made his fourth and final start of the season on July 7 against Seattle, a loss in the A's 4-0 decision...left after 2.2 innings, his shortest outing as a starter since June 26, 2004 against San Francisco when he tossed 2.1 innings...went back on the DL and continued to rehab towards a possible late season return...was transferred to the 60-day DL on August 22 and was eventually shut down for the remainder of the season in late September.

2006

Harden made just 19 starts in 2005 because of two injuries, and made just nine in 2006 because of two stints on the disabled list. He missed 34 games from April 27-June 3 because of a muscle strain in his back, and 94 games from June 5-Sept. 20 with a sprained ligament in his right elbow. The A's won all nine games that he started during the regular season. Harden allowed a .191 opponents batting average and allowed a .179 average with runners in scoring position. Harden is 26-0 in 32 career starts with run support of four runs or more. He tossed seven or more innings in three of his starts and threw five or fewer innings in his final five starts.

2005

Was 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA but appeared in just 22 games, including 19 starts, as his season was interrupted by injury twice...began the season by going 2-3 with a 2.80 ERA over his first seven starts before he was placed on the Disabled List on May 15 retroactive to May 14 with a strained left oblique muscle...returned on June 21 and went 8-2 with a 2.54 ERA and .184 opponents batting average over his next 12 starts through August 19...did not pitch from August 20 through September 24 because of right lat strain...pitched exclusively in relief following his return and did not allow a run in three outings (5.0 ip, 3 h, 1 bb, 7 so)...was 10-5 with a 2.63 ERA (36 er in 123.0 ip) in his 19 starts...the A's went 12-7 (.632) in his 19 starting assignments but were a combined 3-11 (.214) in games started by the pitchers who took his turn in the rotation (Etherton 1-2, Glynn 0-3 and Kennedy 2-6)...the A's are now 38-25 (.603) in his career starting assignments...his ERA was a career low as were his .201 opponents batting average, .271 opponents on-base percentage and .294 opponents slugging percentage...did not qualify for the leaguer leaders as he tossed just 128.0 innings...however, based on a minimum of 100 innings pitched, he had the lowest opponents batting average and slugging percentage and the fewest home runs per nine innings (7 hr, 0.49 per nine innings) in the American League...also had the second lowest ERA (Roy Halladay, TOR 2.41 in 141.2 innings) and the third lowest opponents on-base percentage...his opponents batting average was third lowest in Oakland history using the 100 inning minimum and the slugging percentage was fourth lowest...tied for fifth in the AL with the first shutout of his career and tied for 10th with his first two complete games...his batting average broke down to .179 (40 for 223) against left-handed hitters and .221 (53 for 240) against right-handers...his mark against lefties was fourth lowest in the AL...his opponents average dropped to .191 (18 for 94) with runners in scoring position, including .083 (3 for 36) with RISP and two outs...was 5-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 11 starts before the All-Star Break and 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 11 games, eight starts, after the break...is now 8-9 with a 3.67 ERA (65 er in 159.1 ip) in 27 games before the break and 18-7 with a 3.55 ERA (92 er in 233.0 ip) in 41 games after the break...is 18-7 with a 2.95 ERA (74 er in 226.0 ip) and .213 (175 for 821) opponents batting average in 37 games, 34 starts, since the 2004 All-Star Break after going 8-9 with a 4.49 ERA and .256 opponents batting average over the first 31 games, 29 starts, of his career...tossed at least seven innings in eight of his 19 starts in 2005 and 22 of his 63 career starts...is 12-3 with a 1.35 ERA (25 er in 166.1 ip) in his career when pitching seven or more innings...walked two batters or fewer in 14 of his 19 starts and allowed two runs or fewer 12 times...has allowed one run or fewer in 22 of his 63 career starts but is just 12-0 with 10 no decisions in those outings...the A's scored just 12 runs while he was pitching in his losses and no decisions this year (58.1 ip, 1.85 per nine innings) and 59 runs in his 10 wins (64.2 ip, 8.21 per nine innings)...in his career as a starter, he has run support of 2.61 (63 r in 217.0 ip) in his losses and no decisions and 8.18 (153 r in 168.1 ip) in his wins...is 22-0 in 26 career starts with run support of four or more...was 3-1 with a 1.48 ERA and .159 opponents batting average in seven games, six starts, during the day and 7-4 with a 3.06 ERA and .220 opponents batting average in 15 games, 13 starts, at night...is now 11-5 with a 3.09 ERA (48 er in 139.2 ip) in 24 career outings during the day and 15-11 with a 3.88 ERA (109 er in 252.2 ip) in 44 outings at night...was 7-1 with a 2.75 ERA in 11 starts when pitching on four days rest and 3-4 with a 2.48 ERA in eight starts when pitching on five or more days of rest...is now 18- 7 with a 3.56 ERA (91 er in 230.1 ip) in 38 career starts on four days rest and 8-9 with a 3.77 ERA (65 er in 155.0 ip) in his other 25 starts...agreed to terms on a four-year contract through the 2008 season with a club option for 2009 on April 2...tossed 8.0 shutout innings on April 16 against Los Angeles but ended up with a no decision, the third time in his career he received a no decision after not allowing a run...finished April with a 2-0 record and a 2.10 ERA in four starts...tossed his first career complete game in the A's 3-2 loss to Texas on May 2...allowed a solo home run to Dellucci in the third inning of that start which snapped a 48.1 inning, 195-batter homerless streak dating back to his last home run on September 11, 2004 against Cleveland (Hafner)...had his only losing streak of the season when he lost each of his three starts in May (3.72 ERA), matching his career high (also August 10 to 21, 2003)...left his start on May 13 against New York after 3.1 innings with a strained left oblique muscle...was placed on the DL retroactive to May 14...made one rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on June 17 against Colorado Springs (3.0 ip, 1 h, 7 so)...returned from the DL on June 21 at Seattle and won each of his first three starts following his return...including June 26 against San Francisco when he combined with Ron Flores and Kiko Calero on a one-hit shutout in the A's 16-0 win...tossed his first career shutout, a two-hitter in the A's 6-0 win over Texas on July 14...tossed just 80 pitches which was the fewest by an Oakland pitcher in a nine-inning complete game since pitch counts were tracked starting in 1988...it marked just the 15th time since 1988 that a Major League pitcher has tossed 80 or fewer pitches in a nine-inning complete game, the fifth time by an American Leaguer (source: Stats, Inc.)...retired each of the first 22 hitters he faced before Soriano singled with one out in the eighth...that started a season best four-game winning streak through July 29 (2.54 ERA)...extended his scoreless streak to a career high 17.0 innings in the A's 3-1 win at Los Angeles on July 19...allowed a career high 12 hits in an 8-4 win over Detroit on July 29...went 5-1 with a 2.77 ERA in six starts in July...those were his most wins ever in a month...tied for second in the AL in wins in July (Zito, 6) and ranked fifth in ERA...then went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts in August before he was sidelined with a right lat strain...returned on September 25 and pitched in relief that day against Texas (1.0 ip, 1 h)...it was his first relief appearance since September 28, 2003, snapping a streak of 50 consecutive starts...each of his final three appearances came in his relief and he tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, retiring 15 of the 19 hitters that he faced...finished the season with a 16.1 inning scoreless streak.

2004

Was one of the top pitchers in the American League after the All-Star Break as he went 8-2 with a 3.49 ERA (38 er in 98.0 ip) and a .229 (82 for 358) opponents batting average in 15 starts after the break...tied for fifth in the AL in wins after the break and ranked sixth in opponents batting average and ERA...was 3-5 with a 4.52 ERA (46 er in 91.2 ip) and .254 (89 for 350) opponents batting average before the break...struck out 91 batters in 91.2 innings before the break and 76 in 98.0 innings after the break...was 11-7 with a 3.99 ERA and .242 opponents batting average in 31 starts overall...ranked eighth in the AL in strikeouts with a team leading 167 and was tied for seventh with 81 walks...allowed just 16 home runs in 189.2 innings, an average of 0.76 per nine innings which was fourth lowest in the AL...tied with teammate Tim Hudson for the second lowest opponents slugging percentage in the AL (.366) and tied for the fifth lowest opponents batting average (.242)...allowed a .202 (51 for 253) opponents batting average the first time through the line up, .221 (52 for 235) the second time through and .309 (68 for 220) after that...had a 2.65 ERA (36 er in 122.1 ip) in the first four innings of a game and 6.42 (48 er in 67.1 ip) after that...had 13 no decisions which tied for third most among AL starting pitchers and equaled the second most ever by an Oakland starter...the record is 15 by Ron Darling in 1993 (5-9 in 29 starts)...left with the lead (and pitched at least five innings) in three of his no decisions only to have the bullpen blow the save...the A's were 7-6 in his no decisions and were 18-13 in his starting assignments...the A's are now 26-18 (.591) in his starting assignments for his career...allowed one run or fewer in nine of his starts in 2004 but was just 3-0 with six no decisions in those starts...including two no decisions in two starts when he did not allow a run...is now 5-0 with eight no decisions in 13 career starts when allowing one run or less...the A's scored 37 runs in his seven losses and 13 no decisions (118.1 ip, 2.81 runs per nine innings) and 66 runs in his 11 wins (71.1 ip, 8.33 runs per nine innings)...in his career as a starter, he has run support of 2.89 (51 r in 158.2 ip) in his losses and no decisions and 8.16 (94 r in 103.2 ip) in his wins...is 14-0 in 17 career starts with run support of four or more...was 6-3 with a 3.02 ERA (32 er in 95.1 ip) and .216 (75 for 347) opponents batting average in 15 starts in Oakland compared to 5-4 with a 4.96 ERA (52 er in 94.1 ip) and .266 (96 for 361) opponents batting average in 16 starts on the road...had the fourth best home ERA in the AL...is now 9-4 with a 3.25 ERA (47 er in 130.1 ip) in 21 career starts in Oakland and 7-7 with a 4.97 ERA (74 er in 134.0 ip) in 25 games, 23 starts, on the road...ranked seventh in the AL with a 3.74 ERA (52 er in 125.0 ip) during night games...his opponents batting average broke down to .227 (74 for 326) against right-handers and .254 (97 for 382) against left-handers...allowed a .213 (38 for 178) opponents batting average when leading off an inning which was fourth lowest in the AL...tossed at least six innings in 21 of his 31 starts, allowed three runs or fewer 19 times and walked two batters or fewer 17 times...came out of spring training as the A's fifth starter and was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on April 3 as the A's had two off days over the first eight days of the season...made one start for Sacramento on April 10 and he had a no decision in the River Cats 5-3 loss to Edmonton in Yuma, Arizona (5.0 ip, 6 h, 3 r, 3 er, 3 bb, 6 so)...left the game with the score tied at three...recalled to Oakland on April 15...got off to a slow start with the A's as he went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA (10 er in 16.2 ip) in three starts in April..allowed a career high 11 hits in his first start on April 15 at Texas and tossed just 4.0 innings...then went 2-1 with a 3.02 ERA (15 er in 44.2 ip) over a seven-start stretch from May 1 to June 4...picked up his first two wins of the season in consecutive starts on May 6 against New York and May 12 at Detroit...went 1-2 with a 6.23 ERA (21 er in 30.1 ip) over a six-start stretch from June 9 to July 8...lost consecutive starts on June 16 at St. Louis and June 21 at Anaheim, one of two losing streaks he had in 2004 (also lost two straight in April)...left his start on June 26 against San Francisco after just 2.1 innings with a left shoulder subluxation...was injured covering first base on a Ray Durham ground ball...it was his shortest outing ever as a starter...began the second half of the season with a career high six-game winning streak from July 15 to August 31...went 6-0 with a 2.55 ERA (19 er in 67.0 ip) and .208 (50 for 240) opponents batting average over that 10-start stretch...went 2-0 with a 3.49 ERA (15 er in 38.2 ip) in six starts in July and is now 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA (17 er in 59.2 ip) in nine career starts in July...tossed a career high 8.2 innings and a career high 125 pitches on July 20 against Toronto and did not allow a run but ended up with a no decision in the A's 1-0 win in 14 innings...went 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA (13 er in 39.1 ip) in six starts in August, the first time in his career he has won more than two games in a month...tied for fourth in the AL in wins in August and ranked sixth in ERA...tossed 8.0 shutout innings on August 25 against Baltimore but had a no decision in the A's 3-0 win...finished the season by going 2-2 with a 5.52 ERA (19 er in 31.0 ip) in five starts in September...picked up his 10th win of the season on September 16 against Texas to become the fifth A's starter to win 10 games...that marked the first time the A's have had five starters win 10 games since moving to Oakland in 1968.

2003

Began the season at Double-A Midland and made two starts there and 16 games, 14 starts, at Sacramento in his Triple-A debut before he was promoted to Oakland on July 17...went 5-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 15 games, 13 starts, with the A's...went 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA (4 er in 27.0 ip), .213 (19 for 89) opponents batting average and no home runs allowed over his first four starts and 2-4 with a 6.23 ERA (33 er in 47.2 ip), .280 (53 for 189) opponents batting average and five home runs allowed over his last 11 games, nine starts...began his major league career with 13 consecutive starts before pitching in relief on September 26 (1.0 ip, 1 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 bb) and 28 (1.0 ip, 1 bb, 1 so) at Seattle in preparation for a possible relief role in the playoffs...was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA (15 er in 35.0 ip) in six starts in Oakland and 2-3 with a 4.99 ERA (22 er in 39.2 ip) in nine games, seven starts, on the road...was 4-1 with a 2.51 ERA (9 er in 32.1 ip) in six games, five starts during the day and 1-3 with a 5.95 ERA (28 er in 42.1 ip) in nine games, eight starts, at night...allowed a .259 opponents batting average which broke down to .278 (45 for 162) with four of his five home runs allowed against left handers and .233 (27 for 116) against right handers...opponents batting average dropped to .169 (12 for 71) with runners in scoring position...allowed a .321 (42 for 131) opponents batting average and four of his five home runs against the first four hitters in the order and .204 (30 for 147) to the bottom five batters in the line-up...the A's were 8-5 in his 13 starting assignments...tossed seven innings in each of his first three starts but just once over his last 10 starts...allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his starts, walked two or fewer seven times and did not allow a home run 10 times...was selected from Sacramento on July 17 and made his major league debut on July 21 in Kansas City in just his third professional season...became the 30th pitcher in Oakland history to start in his major league debut...at the age of 21 years, 233 days, he became the youngest A's pitcher to start a game since Steve Karsay on August 17, 1993 at the age of 21 years, 146 days...had a no decision in the A's 6-1 win...shutout the Royals on three hits and a walk over the first five innings before allowing his only run in the sixth...left after seven innings with the scored tied at one and the A's scored five in the ninth for the win...first major league win came in his second start, an 8-1 A's win at Anaheim on July 26 (7.0 ip, 7 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 bb, 3 so) and he had two of his five wins against the defending World Champions...struck out nine, including eight over a nine batter stretch, and tossed seven shutout innings for his second win on July 31 against Cleveland...extended his winning streak to three games on August 5 at Detroit, but then lost each of his next three starts from August 10 to 21 (16 er in 11.2 ip, 12.34 ERA)...allowed his first home run on August 15 against Toronto after starting his career with 34 consecutive homerless innings...walked a career high seven on August 21 at Boston, the most walks by an A's pitcher since Kevin Appier walked seven on June 5, 2000 against San Diego...after a no decision on August 26, he snapped his losing streak on August 31 against Tampa Bay when he struck out a career high 10...was selected by the A's in the 17th round of the 2000 draft but did not sign until May 28, 2001...is the first A's pick from that draft to make it to the majors...was born in Victoria, British Columbia and becomes the sixth Canadian to play for the Oakland A's...joins Mike Kilkenny (1972), Dave McKay (1980-82) Vince Horsman (1992-94), Matt Stairs (1996-2000) and Cody McKay (2002)...was named Minor League Pitcher of the Year by SportsTicker after going 11-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 18 games, 16 starts, at Midland and Sacramento...struck out 108 and walked 35 in 101.2 innings and allowed a .201 (72 for 358) opponents batting average...went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts at Midland and 9-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 16 games, 14 starts, at Sacramento...tossed six or more innings in 10 of his 16 starts at both minor league stops, allowed three runs or fewer 14 times (including no runs six times) and did not allow a home run 12 times...did not allow a base runner in his two starts at Midland, retiring all 39 batters that he faced...tossed six perfect innings and combined on a one-hit shutout at Round Rock, 5-0, on Opening Day, April 3...won at Round Rock again on April 8, tossing seven shutout innings...was promoted to Sacramento on April 10 and retired the first eight batters he faced in his Triple-A debut in the second game of a doubleheader at Edmonton on April 13, giving him a season opening stretch of 47 consecutive batters retired...the streak was 57 in a row dating back to his final start of 2002...his second Triple-A appearance came on April 19 against Edmonton in relief of a rehabbing Jim Mecir and he struck out a season high 11 in 6.0 innings for the win...was 2-1 with a 5.94 ERA over three starts at Sacramento before he was placed on the disabled list April 26 with a right ankle sprain...was activated on May 9 and went 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA and .215 opponents batting average in 10 starts in May and June...tossed a season high 7.1 shutout innings on June 20 against Salt Lake and earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors on June 23...lost both of his starts in July and his final Triple-A appearance came in relief on July 11 at New Orleans (1.0 ip) in preparation for the Futures Game and the Triple-A All-Star Game...started for the World Team in the Futures Game on July 13 in Chicago and had a no decision (1.0 ip, 1 h, 1 r, 1 er, 2 bb, 3 so)...did not pitch in the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 16 as he was called up to Oakland the next day.

2002

Split his season between Single-A Visalia and Double-A Midland and combined for 187 strikeouts, the second best figure in all of minor league baseball...trailed Clint Nageotte of San Bernardino (214)...the strikeout total came in 153.0 innings, an average of 11.00 strikeouts per nine innings which ranked sixth among minor league starting pitchers...added a 12-6 record and a 2.94 ERA in 28 starts...led the A's farm system in ERA and strikeouts and tied for second in wins...allowed six home runs in 153.0 innings or one per 25.5 innings...allowed a .210 opponents batting average which broke down to .202 by left-handers and .216 by right-handers...average dropped to .179 with runners in scoring position...had five games of 10 or more strikeouts...began the year at Single-A Visalia where he went 4-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 12 starts...struck out 85 and walked just 24 in 67.2 innings...was named California League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 15-21 as he did not allow a run in two starts that week (11.0 ip, 5 h, 3 bb, 14 so)...was the lone Visalia player named to the Carolina/California League All-Star Game but was promoted to Midland on June 4 and did not play in the game...went 8-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts with the Rockhounds...led the staff with 102 strikeouts and tied for second in wins despite joining the club two months into the season...put together a five-game winning streak and compiled a 2.12 ERA over a six-start stretch from July 21 to August 17.

2001

Began his professional career with Vancouver in the Short-Season Single-A Northwest League and was 2-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 18 games, 14 starts...struck out 100 and walked 38 in 74.1 innings...tied for the league lead in strikeouts and was first among starters in strikeouts per nine innings (11.94)...finished second in walks and opponents batting average allowed by a starter (.182)...led Vancouver in strikeouts and finished second in games started and innings pitched...allowed just three home runs in 74.1 innings or one per 24.8 innings...allowed a .179 opponents batting average overall...was 1-2 with a 1.80 ERA and .132 opponents batting average in 11 home games and 1-2 with a 5.83 ERA and .241 opponents batting average in seven road games...began the season in the bullpen and made four relief appearances without allowing a run (8.0 ip)...finished the season with 14 starts, going 1-4 with a 3.80 ERA...had a season high 12 strikeouts in his last start on September 4 against Everett.