Alex and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters, Chloe Elle and Everly Pauline...Chloe¡¯s middle name is pronounced like the letter L and is a tribute to Alex¡¯s mom, Lindsay...The couple has a Schnauzer mixed breed named Oscar, who won a poll on MLB.com as MLB¡¯s Best Baseball Dog...Cobb found Oscar as a stray in Port Charlotte during Spring Training 2015 and eventually adopted him...Alex¡¯s mom, Lindsay Miller-Cobb, was a nurse practitioner who passed away from a stroke at age 49 while Alex was in high school...His older brother, R.J., is a U.S...Army commander (4th Brigade, 101st Airborne) and was awarded a Purple Heart for his time in Iraq...Served as a Dodgers bat boy during Spring Training as a child for three years while they were in Vero Beach...Grew up a Red Sox fan and his family would make a nearly annual summer trip back to Boston, where Cobb was born, and take in a game at Fenway Park...Alex¡¯s father, Rick, is an accountant...In addition to playing baseball at Vero Beach High School, Cobb was also a star quarterback...He returned in 2013 to have his high school baseball number (12) retired during a halftime ceremony...Was also the Homecoming King during high school...Cobb is the school¡¯s first alumni to play in the Major Leagues.
2023
Selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career as a replacement for Atlanta¡¯s Bryce Elder...at 35 years, 277 days on the day of the All-Star game, Cobb was the fourth-oldest first-time All-Star in Giants history, and second-oldest in the SF-era...Cobb threw 1.0-scoreless inning with one strikeout at T-Mobile Park. Was one of the best pitchers at home in the Majors...went 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA, 60 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP in 74.0 innings at Oracle Park¡his 1.95 ERA at Oracle was the best home ERA in MLB (min 70.0 ip). Held hitters to a .211 average, eight extra-base hits and a .567 OPS with runners in scoring position¡the .567 opponent¡¯s OPS ranked fifth-best in MLB (min. 150 batters faced with RISP). The Giants were 18-10 in 28 games when Cobb started¡from May 6-July 15, SF was 10-1 when he started. Most commonly used his sinker (39.7%) and split finger (38.7%)...the sinker was worth a +4 run value on Baseball Savant. Went 6-3 with a 2.88 ERA, 77 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP in 17 night games compared to 1-4 with a 5.63 ERA in 11 day games¡his 2.88 ERA at night was sixth-best in MLB (min. 95.0ip). On Aug. 29 vs. Cincinnati, Cobb came within one out of tossing a no-hitter, with a double by Spencer Steer ending the bid¡he went on to finish off the complete game, the sixth of his career. The no-hit bid was Cobb¡¯s second complete game of the season¡his first was on April 24 vs. St. Louis, where he struck out four and allowed six hits and a walk over 9.0 shutout innings¡then 35-years-old, Cobb was the oldest Giant to have multiple complete games in a single season since Mark Gardner had four complete games in 1998 as a 36-year-old. Had two stints on the Injured List, missing a total of 24 games¡the first trip was due to a left oblique strain from June 15 to June 30¡he battled through a left hip injury throughout the season before it forced him to the IL on Sept. 20, ending his season. Underwent surgery on his left hip on Oct. 31 in Vail, Colo. with Dr. Marc Philippon to address his labrum and ongoing impingement issues...timetable to return to pitching is approximately six months.
2022
Finished his first season with SF posting a 3.73 ERA over 28 starts...His 149.2 innings were more than each of the last three seasons...he posted a career high in strikeouts (151) and his 3.73 ERA was his best over a full season since 2017 (3.66)¡the 28 starts matched the second-most of his career (also 2018) and one shy of his career-best 29 from 2017...Missed time from April 19 to May 1 with a right adductor strain that he suffered while running to cover first base...his second IL stint was from June 4-19 after he was scratched from a start due to back tightness and hamstring pain, however he landed on the IL with a neck strain...His 9.08 K/9 was the second best of his career and his 3.51 SO/BB ratio was the best of his career...he had two double digit strikeouts games (4/12 vs. SD and 7/29 vs. CHC)...Had a 1.30 ERA in the first inning, fourth-best in MLB behind ATL¡¯s Max Fried (0.90), KC¡¯s Brady Singer (1.13) and ARI¡¯s Zac Gallen (1.16)¡Used his splitter 42.5% of the time which was second in all of MLB behind ATL¡¯s Kirby Yates...Cobb had the highest splitter usage among starters...opponents were 66-for-269 (.245) with 62 strikeouts and a .227 xBA in at-bats ending with the splitter...He saw an uptick in velocity last on all his pitches...his splitter averaged 89.6 mph which was 2.1 mph faster than at any point in his career...his sinker averaged 94.8 mph, 2.1 mph faster his second fastest velocity...Gave up nine home runs in 149.2 innings giving him a 0.54HR/9 which was sixth best in MLB...Cobb has allowed 14 home runs total in 243.0ip over the last two seasons and his 0.52 HR/9 is the best in MLB (min 240ip) over that span.
2021
Made 18 starts in his first season with the Angels...Had two trips to the injured list: May 8-20 with a blister on his right middle finger and July 30-Sept. 16 with right wrist inflammation...Struggled in April (7.16 ERA in four starts) and June (7.32 ERA in four starts)...Was terrific in three May starts around the blister issue, going 2-1 with a 0.53 ERA (1er, 17.0ip) and 20 strikeouts...Had a great start to July, going 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA (3er, 24.2ip) with 21 strikeouts in four starts before the second injured list stint...Posted a 3.45 ERA in three September starts after returning from the IL...Posted a 24.9 percent strikeout rate in 2021, an 8.1 percent increase over his rate in 2020 (16.8 percent) and much higher than his 2019 percentage (13.3)...His chase rate was in the 93rd percentile of pitchers according to Baseball Savant...Kept the ball off the barrel, posting a 4.2 barrel percentage, by far the lowest since they started tracking his data in 2016 (previous low was six percent in 2017).
2020
Led Orioles pitching staff with 52.1 innings pitched, tied for the Club lead with 10 starts and ranked second with 38 strikeouts...Went 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA (19.2 IP - 6 ER) across his first four starts...Became third pitcher in Baltimore history to allowed two-or-fewer earned runs and four-or-fewer hits in each of his first four starts of a season...Opponents batted .175 (13/75) with three home runs allowed over this span...Missed one start while on injured list from Sept. 4-11...Registered quality starts in each of final two starts of season...Combined to allow three earned runs in 13 IP (2.08 ERA) with nine strikeouts.
2019
Was scheduled to start Opening Day on 3/28 at NYY, but was placed on the injured list with a right groin strain prior; second time in his career an injury caused him to miss starting on Opening Day (2015, TB)...Started the Orioles home opener on 4/4 vs. NYY (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 HR, BB, 4 K)...Allowed a career-high four home runs on 4/26 at MIN...Placed on the injured list three different times (3/25-4/4, right groin strain; 4/9-20, lumbar strain; and 4/28-end of season, lumbar surgery)...Lost his eighth-straight start at Oriole Park (4/20 vs. MIN [G2]) since joining the Orioles...Made four starts during Spring Training, going 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA (8 ER/ 9.2 IP), two walks, and nine strikeouts.
2018
Made his season debut on 4/14 at BOS...Tossed his fourth career complete game on 8/18 at CLE; his first since 8/31/13 at OAK... Ranked tied for first (Bundy) among Orioles starters with 15 Quality Starts and third with 102 strikeouts.. Made 28 starts, the second-most he's made in a season (29, 2017), and also ranked tied for second among Orioles pitchers...Made 11 starts after the All-Star Break, posting a 3-3 record and a 2.56 ERA (17 ER/59.2 IP); his 2.56 ERA ranked fifth-best in the AL among pitchers with at least 10 starts after the break... Received three-or-fewer runs of support in 21 of his 28 starts; his run support average of 3.43 was the third-lowest in the majors, and was the lowest for any season in his career... His 15 losses marked a career-high, and were tied for second-most on the team...Made 11 starts at Oriole Park, going 0-7 with a 4.94 ERA (34 ER/62.0 IP); was the first time in Orioles history (since 1954) that an Orioles starter went winless at home (min. 10 starts).
2016
Returned from Tommy John surgery to make 5 starts for the Rays in September…went 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA (17.2-IP, 6-ER) over his first 3 starts, leaving all of them with the lead or in a tie game…lost his final 2 starts, each time allowing at least 7 runs and failing to pitch beyond the 3rd inning. Was one of 16 pitchers to undergo Tommy John surgery in either 2014 or 2015 and return to the majors in 2016…that list includes his rehab partner, teammate RH Chase Whitley. Made his season debut on Sep 2 vs. TOR, going 705 days between major league starts…got no decision in the Rays 8-3 victory…5 of his first 10 batters faced reached base, then retired his last 10 BF in order including striking out the side in his 5th and final inning. On Sep 14 at TOR, enjoyed his best and longest start in his only win of the season…it was his first victory since Sep 23, 2014 at BOS, with 722 days in between…held the Jays to 1 R/ER in 6.2 IP. Threw changeups for 29.5 pct. of his total pitches, which would have led the majors if he had enough innings to qualify…TOR Marco Estrada led qualifiers at 28.6 pct. Made a combined 8 rehab starts for Class-A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham, going 0-3 with a 6.65 ERA (21.2-IP, 31-H, 16-ER)…began his rehab assignment on July 6 and made 2 starts for Charlotte, and began a second rehab assignment on July 29…progressed to Durham in August and was reinstated from the 60-day DL on Aug 29 when his rehab assignment expired. Was the fourth straight season he missed six weeks or more of action due to injury, and fifth time in six major league seasons overall…in 2014, suffered a left oblique strain in April that cost him six weeks…in 2013, missed 50 games after a concussion suffered on a line drive to the head by KC Eric Hosmer…in 2011, was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which required season-ending surgery in August.
2015
Was the third consecutive season and the fourth time in his five major league seasons that he had missed six or more weeks due to injury...still, his 35 wins over those past five seasons are 3rd among Rays pitchers and his 32 wins over the past four seasons are 2nd…Rays Manager Kevin Cash had named him Opening Day starter on March 4...it would have been his first Opening Day assignment…Made 3 spring training starts including his last mound appearance on March 17 in the Rays 5-3 win over the Phillies at Clearwater...he pitched 3 perfect innings, but left early with elbow tightness and eventually was placed on the Opening Day disabled list.
2014
His 2.87 ERA (166.1-IP, 53-ER) ranked 6th in the AL and 4th in club history...after the All-Star break posted a 1.79 ERA (90.1-IP, 18-ER) over 14 starts, 4th-lowest mark in the majors, and breaking David Price's club record of 2.27 in his Cy Young season of 2012...Is the only AL pitcher with 10-plus wins, a winning record and a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the last two seasons (2013-14)...the only NL pitchers to make this claim are LAD Clayton Kershaw, LAD Zack Greinke, STL Adam Wainwright and SF Madison Bumgarner...His career 3.21 ERA ranks 2nd in club history (min. 300 IP) behind David Price (3.18)...over the past two seasons, ranks 7th in the majors and 3rd in the AL with a 2.82 ERA, behind SEA Felix Hernandez (2.55) and CWS Chris Sale (2.67)...during this same span is 12-4 with a 1.96 ERA (137.1-IP, 30-ER) in 20 starts vs. teams that made the postseason the year before, while the Rays are 14-6 in those games...Suffered a left oblique strain on April 12 at CIN and spent more than a month on the DL (April 13-May 21)...the Rays went 12-23 (.343) in his absence, tied with Houston for worst in the majors during that span...at the time, he'd recorded a 1.89 ERA in 3 starts (19-IP, 4-ER)...Set a club record by making 12 consecutive starts allowing 2 runs or fewer...prev. was 7 straight by Matt Moore (twice, 2012-13 and 2012) and Victor Zambrano (2003)...this tied for the 3rd-longest streak by an AL pitcher since records are first available (1914), trailing SEA Felix Hernandez (17 in 2014) and DET Al Benton (15 in 1945), and tying KC Zack Greinke (2008-09), WAS Barry Moore (1968-69) and BOS Babe Ruth (1916)...Yielded 1 run or fewer in 13 of his 27 starts, most on the Rays staff...Received the lowest run support in the AL at 3.63 runs per 9 IP (67-RS, 166.1-IP)...received only 12 runs over his first 10 starts of the season...during his 24.2-inning scoreless streak from April 1-May 27-a club record for a starter-the Rays offense scored only 1 run behind him: a solo homer by James Loney on April 12 at CIN...Held opponents to a .325 SLG and .619 OPS, each ranking 4th in the AL and 2nd in club history, behind David Price 's 2012 Cy Young campaign (.318 SLG, .602 OPS)...Set a franchise record by throwing 82.1 consecutive innings without allowing a home run, according to the Elias Sports Bureau...the home run by CLE David Murphy in the 2nd inning of his final start (Sep 28) was his first allowed since July 18 at MIN (Trevor Plouffe)...broke Jake McGee's club record set only weeks before (76.0, Sep 6, 2013-Sep 9, 2014)...Yielded only 11 HR in 166.1 IP, 2 of which came in his final start...his 0.60 HR per 9 IP ratio ranked 6th in the AL...Ranked 5th in the AL with a 2.19 groundball-to-flyball ratio...his career mark of 2.35 ranks 3rd among actives, behind HOU Dallas Keuchel (2.62) and PIT Charlie Morton (2.38)...Changeups accounted for 38.1 pct. of his pitches thrown, highest rate in the majors...also would've led the majors in 2013 (33.0 pct.) and 2012 (33.8 pct.) if he had enough innings to qualify...85 of his 149 strikeouts (57 pct.) came on the changeup...Had three double-digit strikeout games: June 13 at HOU (11) and consecutive starts, July 23 at STL (10) and July 29 vs. MIL (12)...on July 23, added an RBI double in the 2nd inning to give the Rays a 1-0 lead...he was one of two pitchers in 2014 to record at least 10 SO and a game-winning RBI in the same game, along with CHC Jake Arrieta (Sep 24 vs. STL)...it was the first extra-base hit by a Rays pitcher since Andy Sonnanstine doubled on May 17, 2009 vs. CLE...it was only the fourth time a Rays pitcher recorded a go-ahead RBI, first since James Shields (May 22, 2011 at FLA, reached on E5)...On Sep 11 at NYY, came within 5 outs of throwing the first 9-inning complete-game no-hitter vs. the Yankees since 1958 (BAL Hoyt Wilhelm) and the first in Yankee Stadium since 1952 (DET Virgil Trucks)...the Rays lost 5-4 in the 9th on a walk-off homer by Chris Young off Jake McGee...it was the longest no-hit bid in Rays history on the road...Owns a career 2.60 ERA (253-IP, 73-ER) after the All-Star break in 41 starts...only two pitchers in major league history have made that many starts after the break with a better ERA: LAD Clayton Kershaw (2.20) and HOU Don Wilson (2.52) from 1966-74.
2013
After missing 50 games midseason with a concussion, he returned to become the Rays top starter over the final six weeks of the season going a team-best 5-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 9 starts... The Rays only 2 postseason wins were his starts (he was 1-0 with a win in the Wild Card Game at Cleveland…for more see below under "Postseason")... Was out June 16-Aug 14 after suffering a concussion from a line drive off the bat of KC Eric Hosmer at home on June 15…the ball struck him near his right ear…just 39 days before, TOR J.A. Happ was struck in the head by a line drive hit by Desmond Jennings at Tropicana Field…Happ was out nearly three months, May 7-Aug 5…Cobb also missed one start at the end of the May due to a small cut on his pitching hand... At 11-3 (.786) had the 4th-best win pct. among pitchers with 10 or more wins…since Aug 1, 2012, has gone 18-4 with a 2.87 ERA (210.1-IP, 67-ER), 191 SO and 62 BB in 33 starts... Was 19.2 innings shy of qualifying with the 4thbest ERA in the AL…his .228 opp avg. would have ranked 6th lowest... Was a perfect 7-0 with a 2.81 ERA (83.1-IP, 26-ER) in 13 starts at home…only MIA Jose Fernandez (9-0 in 15 starts) and BOS/CWS Jake Peavy (7-0 in 9 starts) were undefeated at home with 7 or more wins…has an 8-game home win streak over his last 14 starts since losing to Boston on Sep 17, 2012... Went 7-1 with a 1.57 ERA (74.2-IP, 52-H, 14-R, 13-ER, 21-BB, 68-SO) in 10 starts against 2012 postseason teams (BAL, DET, NYY, OAK, TEX)…the Rays won 8 of the 10 games... Had a team-high three 10-plus strikeout games including back-to-back starts Sep 16-21, making him the fourth pitcher in Rays history to do that... On May 10 vs. SD, became the first pitcher in major league history (starter or reliever) to strike out 13 batters in an outing lasting fewer than 5 innings…the 13 SO were a career high and tied for the 3rd-highest total in Rays history…he worked 4.2 innings and left trailing 3-2 after throwing 117 pitches…in the 3rd inning became the second pitcher in Rays history to strike out 4 batters in one inning, joining Jeremy Hellickson (Aug 25, 2011 vs. DET)…became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out all 4 batters faced in an inning but still allow a run... Averaged 6.2 IP per start, 2nd best in the Rays rotation behind David Price (7.0)…made 5 starts of 8-plus innings-as many as Matt Moore (2), Chris Archer (2) and Jeremy Hellickson (1) combined-despite the fact that Cobb spent two months on the DL…averaged 15.5 pitches per inning, 2nd best in the rotation to Price (14.5)…that would have ranked 9th best in the AL if he qualified... Allowed 3 ER or less in 19 of his 22 starts and in 33 of his last 37 dating back to July 6, 2012... His 72.6 groundball pct. would have ranked highest in the majors if he qualified…PIT A.J. Burnett led qualifiers at 72.4…since Cobb's 2012 debut (May 19) his 2.66 groundball-toflyball ratio ranks 3rd in the majors... Allowed just 13 HR in 143.1 IP (0.8 HR/9 IP) and none in his last 4 regular-season and 2 postseason starts…12 of them were solo shots…his lone home run allowed with runners on base was Mike Moustakas' 2-run shot on April 30 at KC…during his career he has faced 570 righthanded hitters and allowed only 7 home runs... Threw 43.4 pct. fastballs, 23.6 pct. curveballs and 33.0 pct. changeups, according to FanGraphs…no qualifying pitcher in the majors threw their changeup more…Jeremy Hellickson threw his changeup 30.6 pct. of the time, most in the majors among qualifiers... Named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sep 22…went 2-0 in his 2 starts with a 1.65 ERA, 22 SO and 3 BB in 16.1 IP... Following his beaning, made 3 rehab starts with Class-A Charlotte, though his first outing on July 23 was cut short due to blisters on his throwing hand (only threw 2 pitches)... POSTSEASON: The Rays went 2-0 in his 2 starts, their only postseason wins…he was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 2 starts..won 4-0 at Cleveland in the AL Wild Card game (6.2-IP, 8-H, 1-BB, 5-SO) with help from Joel Peralta, Jake McGee and Fernando Rodney…it was the Indians' 44th postseason home game in their franchise history, but only the second in which they were shut out... Also started Game 3 of the ALDS at home vs. Boston…he left after 5 IP (5-H, 3-R, 2-ER, 2-BB, 5-SO) with the scored tied, 3-3…Rays won 5-4 on Jose Lobaton's walk-off HR in the 9th.
2012
Started the year at Triple-A Durham but spent the final four and a half months with the Rays...went 11-9 with a 4.03 ERA (136.1-IP, 61-ER) in 23 starts for the Rays...recalled on May 19 to fill the rotation spot of the injured Jeff Niemann...made his season debut that day in a 5-2 win over Atlanta...Went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA (12-IP, 3-ER) in his first 2 starts...from May 30-July 27 went 2-8 with a 5.49 ERA (57.1-IP, 35-ER) in 10 starts...from Aug 1 through the end of the season, tied TEX Ryan Dempster and SEA Hisashi Iwakuma for the AL lead in victories as he went 7-1 with a 3.09 ERA (67-IP, 23-ER) over 11 starts...also tied for the AL lead with 4 wins in August...Allowed 3 ER or less in 14 of his final 15 starts (beginning July 6)...Had a 2.66 groundball-to-flyball ratio, which led the majors after his May 19 season debut...allowed only 4 HR over his first 15 starts (90.1-IP) but yielded 7 HR over his final 8 starts (46-IP)...Combined to pitch 177.2 innings between Durham and the majors, his most ever during the regular season (prev. 139.2 IP for Class-A Columbus in 2008)...exceeded his 2011 total by 57.2 IP...Limited opponents to a .171 average (43-for-252) in his 11 wins, compared to a .336 opp avg. (87-for-259) in his 12 losses/no-decisions...Threw his changeup 33.8 percent of the time, which would have led all major league starters if he had enough innings to qualify...James Shields led all qualifiers with a 28.9 mark...Had a 3.24 ERA (72.1-IP, 26-ER) at home compared to a 4.92 ERA (64-IP, 35-ER) on the road...Opponents hit .292 (78-for-267) in innings 1-through-3...after that (innings 4-through-9), they hit .213 (52-for-244)...The Rays won 7 consecutive games he started from Aug 1-Sep 4, tying a club record (7th time, last James Shields Sep 26, 2011-May 2, 2012)...Received a decision in a club-record 18 consecutive starts from July 24, 2011-Aug 13, 2012...passed Seth McClung (17 in 2005-06)...On Aug 23 vs. OAK, threw the first shutout of his pro career, a 4-hitter, in a 5-0 win opposite Tyson Ross...had 8 SO and 2 BB...On June 17 vs. MIA, recorded a career-high 10 SO (7-IP, 2-H, 1-BB) and teamed with Joel Peralta and Fernando Rodney for a 3-0 shutout over Josh Johnson...it was the 7th time a Rays pitcher recorded 10 or more strikeouts and allowed 2 hits or less in a start...The first complete game of his pro career was the first of its kind in more than 16 years...on June 25 at KC, allowed a career-high 13 hits and 8 runs (later tied, Aug 18 at LAA) while the Rays were shut out, 8-0...the last CG with 13 or more hits and 8 or more runs was thrown by BOS Tim Wakefield in 1996...Wakefield's CG was the only other one like it in the last 27 years...Recalled on April 15 and flew to Boston to join the big league club as a member of the team's bullpen...James Shields pitched 8.1 innings on April 16 and Cobb was optioned back to Durham the next day. ...Has only allowed 14 HR in 189 career innings, including only 3 to right-handed batters...did not yield a homer to a righty batter until his 22nd career start, Aug 1 at OAK (Brandon Inge)-his 220th right-handed batter faced...Allowed 2 runs or less in 6 of his 8 starts at Durham.
2011
Rookie broke into the majors by making 9 starts for the Rays over three stints...was unbeaten (3-0) over his first 7 ML starts, the first AL pitcher to do so since MIN Kevin Slowey in 2007 (8 starts) and the only Ray to do it...suffered his first loss July 30 at SEA as the Rays managed just 1 hit in a 3-2 loss to SEA Michael Pineda...Underwent season-ending surgery Aug 18 to remove a blood clot and blockage in the area of his first right rib...the surgery was performed by Dr. Gregory Pearl at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas...Made his final start on Aug 6 vs. OAK and was removed after 4.1 IP with discomfort in his right hand, later found to be thoracic outlet syndrome...allowed 5 R/ER in that start and saw his season ERA go from 2.79 to season-ending 3.42...Began the season with Triple-A Durham but was promoted on May 1 and made his major league debut that day in a spot start at home vs. the Angels...earned no decision in the 6-5 loss...totaled 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR...was handed a 5-run lead by the Rays in the 1st inning but allowed 4 runs in the 5th inning and left with the game tied...optioned to Durham on May 3...Recalled on May 30 and made 4 starts until he was optioned again on June 18...was recalled a third and final time on July 18...Had a stretch of 5 starts from June 7-July 24 in which he went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA (31.1-IP, 5-ER)...Away from Tropicana Field, went 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA (25.1-IP, 5-ER) in 4 starts, with 21 SO and 3 BB...in 5 home starts, went 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA (27.1-IP, 15-ER), 18 BB and 16 SO...Allowed only 3 HR in 52.2 IP, including a stretch of 40 IP without a HR, after allowing his first homer to LAA Hank Conger in the 2nd inning of his debut...Earned his first major league win on June 7 at LAA, defeating 16-game winner Dan Haren, 4-1...on July 24 at KC tossed 7 shutout innings in a 5-0 victory, avoiding the sweep and earning his third major league win...Combined to go 8-3 with a 2.55 ERA (120-IP, 34-ER) in 21 starts between Durham and Tampa Bay...didn't lose a game at either level until July 2 vs. Gwinnett (Braves), his 15th start of the season...Went 5-1 with a 1.87 ERA (67.1-IP, 14-ER) for Durham, with 70 SO and only 16 BB.
2010
Spent the entire season with Double-A Montgomery and was named the club's Most Valuable Player despite missing the first month of the season with an oblique injury...made 23 appearances (22 starts)...His 2.71 ERA ranked 4th in the Southern League and in the Rays organization...has lowered his ERA every season, with each promotion through the minors...Recorded 128 SO, 3rd most in the SL and tied for 4th in the Rays system...as a starter, his 9.51 SO/9 IP ratio (117.1-IP, 124-SO) led the league...Struck out 10 or more batters in 3 of his final 6 starts, the first double-digit strikeout games of his five-year career...included was a career-high 13 on Aug 25 at Huntsville (Brewers)...Made 7 starts for the Peoria Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League following the season...Participated in the Rays Winter Development Program held in January at Tropicana Field.
