Brian Michael Lawrence... married to Maripat on Nov. 15, 2003... studied business at Northwestern (LA) State University, helping the Demons to Southland Conference championships as a sophomore in 1997 and a junior in 1998 after a year at Panola (TX) Junior College... at Northwestern State, was named All-Conference in '97 and '98 and was the conference Pitcher of the Year as a junior in '98, when he led the league in strikeouts and innings pitched... was also named All-Louisiana and to the All-South Central Region team as a junior... in two seasons at NSU, went 17-10 with a 2.97 ERA... is the first NSU alumnus to reach the Majors since Jim Willis pitched for the Cubs in 1953-54... baseball's all-time saves king Lee Smith attended NSU and played a season and a half of basketball although he never played baseball for the Demons before signing with the Cubs... graduated from Carthage (TX) High School... as a senior he was named All-State, All-East Texas, Player of the Year and District MVP... signed by scout Mark Wasinger (Padres)... is signed with San Diego through 2006.
2007
Had his contract selected by New York from New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League prior to the game against Milwaukee
on August 2nd...Made the start later that night, his first major league appearance since September 29, 2005...Was optioned to
New Orleans on August 29th...Recalled from the Zephyrs on September 16th...Designated for assignment on September 18th...Permitted three earned runs or less in his first two starts for New York...Had 12 strikeouts over his first 15.0 innings pitched...Collected the win in his Mets debut on August 2nd at Milwaukee...Tossed 5.0 innings, permitting eight hits, three runs, earned, with
no walks and three strikeouts...Made the start for the Zephyrs in Game Three of the first round of the PCL playoffs at Nashville...Tossed 6.0 innings, allowing nine
hits, three runs, earned, with one strikeout...Did not factor in the decision as New Orleans was defeated by Nashville, 6-5, in 10
innings...Went 8-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 regular season starts for New Orleans...In 85.0 innings, he allowed 88 hits, 38 runs, 36 earned,
with nine walks and 57 strikeouts...Allowed three earned runs or less in eight of 13 starts, and one earned run in five of his starts for the Zephyrs...New Orleans was
8-5 in his starts...Recorded a win in five consecutive decisions to finish the season at New Orleans...Was 5-0 with a 3.14 ERA (17 earned runs/48.2
innings) with 31 strikeouts over that span...Went 0-2 with an 8.69 ERA in three rehabilitation starts for Colorado Springs (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League...Placed on the 15-Day Disabled List on April 1st while recovering from right shoulder surgery...Activated from the Disabled List and
designated for assignment on April 19th...Was later released by Colorado on April 26th and signed by the Mets to a minor league
contract on May 9th...Went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three spring training games, two starts for Colorado...In 14.0 innings, he yielded 15 hits, seven runs,
earned, with three walks and six strikeouts.
2006
Was acquired by Washington in an offseason trade with San Diego...in one of his first spring training workouts with the Nats on Feb. 19 in Melbourne, suffered a labrum tear in his right shoulder that was discovered in a Feb. 24 MRI exam...had surgery to repair the tear on Feb. 26 performed by Nats team orthopedic physician Dr. Weimi Douoguih at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C...placed on the DL on March 24, he was moved to the 60-day DL on March 28 for duration of season...had his 2007 option declined by the Nats on Oct. 3...conducted several throwing sessions for clubs over the offseason.
2005
Lawrence continued to show his endurance and durability, but he did not have the kind of consistency and command that marked his first four seasons with the Padres. Struggling with his location, he was 2-6 with a 4.19 ERA at PETCO Park, where he figured to flourish. More than any other Padres starter, he was the victim of poor run support.
2004
In his fourth season in the Majors and third full season, set new career-highs in wins (15) and starts (34)... his 15 wins tied him for 11th place on the franchise single-season wins list while his 34 starts tied him for 14th place... with 42 career wins, tied Craig Lefferts for 12th place among franchise leaders... became just the eighth pitcher in franchise history to reach 200.0 innings in three straight seasons (Ashby, Hurst, Show, Whitson, Benes, Jones and Kirby)... won his 10th game of the season July 5 vs. Houston, tossing 8.0 innings and allowing one run on five hits... with the win became the 13th Padres pitcher and the first since 1998 (Ashby and Kevin Brown) to reach double-digits in wins prior to the All-Star Break... tied his career-high with his 12th win August 20 vs. Florida, allowing one runs on five hits over 9.0 innings... won a career-high four consecutive decisions April 30-May 19.
YOU COMPLETE ME: Tossed back to back complete games, allowing one run to the Florida Marlins on August 20 while shutting out the New York Mets on August 25 to become the first Padres pitcher to accomplish the feat since Andy Ashby in 1998... the complete games were the sixth and seventh of his career and the second and third by a Padres pitcher (Valdez; June 5 vs. Milwaukee) in 2004.
I KNOW IT'S SHORT NOTICE BUT...: Worked on three days rest for the first time in his career May 23 at Philadelphia... took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits over 5.0 innings... started again on three days rest September 19 at San Francisco and did not receive a decision despite allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits over 7.0 innings... four days later made his third and final start on three days rest and took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits over 4.0 innings September 23 vs. Los Angeles.
FOR OPENERS: Was the club's Opening Day starter for the second consecutive season... joined Clay Kirby (1972-73), Randy Jones (1975-77), Gaylord Perry (1978-79), Eric Show (1986-87) and Andy Benes (1993-95) as Padres pitchers to have started in consecutive Opening Days.
DOING THE SPLITS: Went 10-5 with a 3.86 ERA (46 ER/107.1 IP) in 18 road starts compared to 5-9 with a 4.42 ERA (47 ER/95.2 IP) in 16 starts at PETCO Park... despite having an ERA over 1.00 run higher, tallied 13 of his 15 wins at night when his ERA was 4.47 compared to a 2-7 mark and a 3.41 (25 ER/66.0 IP) in day games.
2003
HIGHLIGHTS: Finished second on the Padres with 10 wins, his second consecutive season with double-digit victories...
overall, went 10-15 with a 4.19 ERA (98 ER/210.2 IP)...was more successful at home where he went
6-8 with a 3.18 ERA (45 ER/127.1 IP) than on the road where his ERA was 5.72 (53 ER/83.1 IP)...started off
slowly posting a 5-10 mark and 4.45 ERA (64 ER/129.1 IP) during the first half, but regained his 2002 form
after the All-Star break to go 5-5 with a 3.76 ERA (34 ER/81.1 IP)...allowed three runs or fewer in 22 of his 33
starts including eight of his final nine outings...boasted a 2.53 ERA (9 ER/32.0 IP) in August and a 2.78 ERA
in September (10 ER/32.1 IP).
A HORSE IS A HORSE, OF COURSE, OF COURSE: After tossing a career-high 210.2 innings, became the first Padres hurler
to surpass 200 innings in consecutive seasons since Andy Ashby in 1998 and 1999.
START ME UP: Was the Padres Opening Day starter, drawing the assignment for the first time in his career... did
not receive a decision after allowing two earned runs on three hits over 7.0 IP in a 5-2 loss to the San Francisco
Giants on March 31.
BATMAN: Batted .224 with one home run and five RBI...his home run, the first of his career, was a solo shot off
Colorado starter Darren Oliver in the fourth inning of the Padres 6-4 win April 11...the homer came on an 0-2
pitch and was the 49th home run by a Padres hurler...Lawrence was the first Padres pitcher to take one deep
since Dennis Tankersley on May 26, 2002 at Milwaukee...additionally he was the first Padres pitcher to hit a
home run at Qualcomm Stadium since Joey Hamilton on May 22, 1997 and his shot was the 23rd by a Padres
pitcher at the Q...Lawrence became the 16th different Padres pitcher to hit a home run at Qualcomm.
DOWN AND DIRTY: After leading the league in 2002, finished third among National League hurlers with 346 groundball
outs...trailed only Atlanta's Greg Maddux (375) and Los Angeles' Kevin Brown (374)...also ranked sixth
among NL league leaders with 23 double-plays induced.
registered an ERA of 3.86 in those six starts.
of balls put in play were ground balls.
one appearance against the Giants.
August 2 vs. Philadelphia.
2002
In his first full season, was the Padres' most dependable and consistent starter...led the team in wins (12), shutouts (2), innings (210.0) and strikeouts...averaged a team-high 6.2 in nings per start...established career highs in vir tu al ly every major category...was 11-6 with a 3.25 ERA after posting a 6-2 win on Au gust 14 vs. New York (NL), but went 1-6 with a 5.87 ERA (25 ER/38.1 IP) there after.
AMONG THE BEST: Ranked among National League leaders in shutouts (tied for 4th with 2), fewest walks per
9 innings pitched (tied for 6th at 2.2), hits allowed (4th with 230) and hit bats men (6th with 11).
BETTER THAN YOU THINK: Finished 12-12, but pitched much better...allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in 16
of 31 starting as signments, including one or none 9 times...allowed 3 runs or less in 5 of 8 no-decisions...suffered
from a lack of offensive support, as the Friars plated one run or less in 6 of Brian's 31 starts...registered an ERA
of 3.86 in those 6 starts.
WELL GROUNDED: Led the National League with 386 ground-ball outs...tied with Livan Hernandez for the NL
lead with 29 GIDPs induced...only Tim Hudson (35) and Jon Garland (32) in the AL had more in all of baseball...among
NL pitchers, ranked behind only Mike Hampton (1.41) by recording 1.24 GIDPs per 9 innings pitched...led the NL with a 365/148 ground ball-to-fl y ball ratio (or 2.5/1)...also led the NL as 71.5 percent of balls
put in play were ground balls.
THE OLD WEST: Pitched well against division foes, going 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA (30 ER/82.1 IP) against Los
Angeles, Colorado, San Francisco and Arizona...strangely, faced the Dodgers 7 times (4 starts), but only made
one appearance against the Giants.
PERFECT 10: Recorded his 10th victory in a 5-2 win, August 2 vs. Cincinnati...reached the 10-win plateau
quicker than any Padre since 2000, when Matt Clement evened his 2000 record at 10-10 by earning the win on
August 2 vs. Philadelphia.
THAT'S BETTER: After going 0-4 at home last season, improved to 6-5 with a 3.57 ERA within the concrete
confi nes of Qualcomm Stadium in 2002...posted his fi rst career win at The Q in an 8-0 com plete-game shutout
April 8 vs. Arizona.
INNINGS EATER: On September 13 vs. Los Angeles, became the first Padres to eclipse the 200-inning barrier
since Matt Clement worked 205.0 innings as a rookie in 1999...despite not taking his final 2 turns in the rotation,
missed rank ing among the National League's top 10 in in nings pitched by just 6.0 innings.
FINISH LINE: Tossed 2 complete games: April 8 vs. Arizona and July 17 at Los Angeles...now has 3 career
complete games...has one at each of Southern California's 3 big league ballparks (Qualcomm Stadium, Dodger
Stadium and Edison International Field).
DON'T SEE THAT TOO OFTEN: Fanned the side on only 9 pitches in the 3rd inning on June 12 at Baltimore...set
down Brook Fordyce, Jerry Hairston and Melvin Mora...Brian's feat was the 36th confi rmed 9-pitch, 3-strikeout
inning in the his to ry of the game, the 4th of 2002.
OTHER NOTES: Made his 31st and fi nal start of the year on September 13 vs. San Francisco...would have made a team-high 33 starts, but pitched out of the bullpen the fi nal 14 games of the year as a precaution...went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 4 games out of the bullpen (3 ER/5.0 IP)...recorded his first career hold in an 8-4 win September 20 vs. Los Angeles...fanned a ca reer-best 10 twice: June 1 vs. Milwaukee and August 2 vs. Cincinnati...opposing batters hit just .209 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs...gave up only one home run in the first inning all season (Derrek Lee, August 24 vs. Florida)...if the count reached 2 strikes, opposing batters hit just .174...went 6-for-63 (.095) with 2 doubles and 6 RBI at the plate...ended the sea son in a 1-for-39 swoon.
2001
SUMMARY: In his major league debut season, finished 5-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 27 games (15 starts) for the Padres...enjoyed 4 separate stints with San Diego, joining the Padres for good on July 31...ranked No. 15 among Baseball America's Top 20 Rookies of 2001...made 12 of his first 14 appearances out of the bullpen before making 13 consecutive starts to close out the season...went 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA (35 ER/97.2 IP) in his 15 starts and 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA (9 ER/17.0 IP) in relief...opponents hit .240 (89-for-371) in his starts and .269 (18-for-67) in his relief outings...the Padres went 6-9 in his 15 starts, 10 of which were quality starts...averaged nearly 6.2 innings per start...upon joining the rotation for good on July 15, Lawrence went 4-5 with a 3.13 ERA (29 ER/83.1 IP) over his final 13 games.
UP AND DOWN: Opened the season at Triple-A Portland but was recalled for the first time in his career April 11...optioned back to Triple-A on May 8 after posting no record and a 6.23 ERA (6 ER/8.2 IP) in 6 relief appearances...recalled for the 2nd time on June 6 and made 8 appearances, including his first 2 starts for San Diego, going 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA (9 ER/22.2 IP)...optioned to Portland July 4 but was recalled July 15 to start that night at Anaheim...threw a complete game to beat the Angels 5-1 before again being optioned to Portland the following day...returned for good on July 31, and went 3-5 with a 3.39 ERA (28 ER/74.1 IP) in 12 starts the rest of the way.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Made his major league debut April 15 vs. Los Angeles, working 1.2 innings of no-hit, no-run relief...hit one and fanned one...came on in a 4-4 game with the bases loaded and one out in the 6th inning...after Gary Sheffield, the first hitter he faced, hit a sacrifice fly to center, Lawrence fanned Shawn Green to extinguish the threat...set down the side in the 7th with only one man reaching...he hit Paul Lo Duca with 2 outs...earned his first major league win in his first start (after 11 relief appearances), beating the Dodgers 6-2 June 23 in Los Angeles...allowed 2 runs on 4 hits over 7.1 innings, walking one and striking out 7...collected his first career hit and RBI in the game, lacing a 2-out RBI double off Luke Prokopec in the 4th inning to give the Padres a 3-1 lead.
GOING THE DISTANCE: Threw his first career complete game in a 5-1 win July 15 at Anaheim...recalled from Triple-A Portland to make the one start, he limited the Angels to a run on 7 hits, walking none and fanning 4 in the 104-pitch gem...returned to Triple-A following the start.
MORE GEMS: Beat the Pirates 6-2 August 11 at PNC Park, allowing 2 runs (one earned) on 6 hits over 8.0 innings...walked 2 and fanned 6...August 28 at St. Louis came within one out of his 2nd career complete game in a 5-2 win over Darryl Kile...left with a 5-1 lead and 2 outs in the 9th...was charged with 2 earned runs on 4 hits over 8.2, walking one and striking out 6...in his first start at Coors Field, earned a 3-1 win September 26...limited the Rockies to a first-inning run on 6 hits over 6.0 innings...matched Arizona's Randy Johnson pitch-for-pitch September 2 at The Q, working 8.0 innings of 6-hit shutout ball...walked 4 and fanned 6...neither starter figured in the decision as the Padres prevailed on a leadoff homer by Ryan Klesko off Byung-Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 13th.
KING OF THE ROAD: Was 5-1 with a 2.78 ERA (17 ER/55.0 IP) in 11 road games (7 starts) and 0-4 with a 4.07 ERA (27 ER/59.2 IP) in 16 home games (8 starts)...opponents hit .215 (44-for-205) with 4 homers on the road and .270 (63-for-233) with 6 homers at The Q.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Worked at least 7.0 innings in 7 of his 15 starts, at least 8.0 innings 4 times...gave up 2 or fewer earned runs in 11 of his starts...the Padres managed a total of 10 runs in his 5 losses, including a pair of shutouts...walked 2 or fewer in 12 of his starts, issuing 3 bases on balls once and 4 twice...opponents hit .244 (107-for-438) with 10 homers...lefties batted .281 (55-for-196) with 9 long balls, while righthanders managed only a .215 average (52-for-242) and one homer...opposing base stealers were 7-for-12...posted a 4.47 ERA (29 ER/58.1 IP) in games against N.L. West rivals and a 2.40 ERA (15 ER/56.1 IP) against all other clubs.
AT THE PLATE: Batted .115 (3-for-26) with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 sacrifice bunts, a sac fly and 7 strikeouts...delivered an RBI double off Luke Prokopec June 23 at Los Angeles, doubled off Prokopec again June 28 vs. Los Angeles and singled a run home off the Braves' Kevin Millwood August 23 in Atlanta...hit a sacrifice fly off Colorado's John Thomson October 7 at The Q.
2001 AT PORTLAND: Went 1-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 9 games (8 starts) for Triple-A Portland...fanned 42 in 45.0 innings...allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in 5 of his 8 starts...walked 2 or fewer in 6 of 8 starts, issuing a season-high 3 walks only twice...allowed more than 6 hits only once and 3 or fewer 3 times...earned the first and only save of his professional career July 8 vs. Edmonton, working 3.0 innings of 3-hit shutout ball...walked one and fanned 4...opponents hit .239 (42-for-176) with 3 home runs...lefties hit just .188 (16-for-85) with no home runs...fanned a season-high 10 in 8.0 innings July 21 at Nashville.
2000
SUMMARY: Shared Padres Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors with Jacob Peavy on the strength of an 11-6 record and a 2.29 ERA in a career-best 29 starts for Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Las Vegas...pitching above Single-A for the first time, he led the organization in ERA and strikeouts (165) for the 2nd straight year...ranked 3rd among Padres minor leaguers in wins, trailing only Peavy (13) and Mike Bynum (12)...fanned 4.7 hitters for every walk he allowed, striking out 165 and walking 35 in 173.1 innings...averaged 8.6 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per 9 innings...did not walk more than 3 in a start all season...allowed only 147 hits, an average of 7.6 per 9 innings...Southern League and Pacific Coast League opponents hit just .230 (147-for-639) with 12 homers, an average of one long ball every 14.4 innings...threw only one wild pitch in his 29 starts.
AT MOBILE: Went 7-6 with a 2.42 ERA in 21 starts for the BayBears...in 126.2 innings, allowed only 99 hits and a .217 opponents average...walked28 and fanned 119...14 of his 21 starts were quality starts...surrendered 3 earned runs or fewer in 19 of 21 starts, limiting the opposition to 2 earned runs 5 times, to one earned run 6 times and to no earned runs 5 times...worked at least 6.0 innings in 14 of 21 starts, at least 7.0 innings in 7...threw a season-high 8.0 innings of 3-hit, 10-strikeout ball June 28 vs. Greenville...never walked more than 3, and walked none or one in 11 of his starts...was 1-4 in his first 8 starts despite a 3.06 ERA (16 ER/47.0 IP)...went 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA (18 ER/79.2 IP) in his next 13 outings before being promoted to Las Vegas...in his last 5 Mobile starts, went 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA (4 ER/33.0 IP)...allowed just one unearned run over 3 starts (20.0 IP) July 3-15.
AT LAS VEGAS: Promoted to Triple-A on July 30, Lawrence went 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 8 starts to close out the season...allowed one or no earned runs in 6 of the 8 starts...worked 6.0 innings of 2-hit shutout ball in his July 30 Triple-A debut at Tacoma, and was 1-0 with a 0.51 ERA (1 ER/17.2 IP) in his first 3 starts for the Stars...after allowing 4 runs over 6.0 innings in a win at Iowa in his next start on August 14, surrendered only 2 earned runs in his next 3 starts (17.0 IP) for a 1.06 ERA.
AT THE PLATE: Batted .205 (8-for-39) with 3 RBI overall...hit .241 (7-for-29) with 2 doubles and an RBI at Mobile and .100 (1-for-10) with a double and 2 RBI at Las Vegas...struck out only 6 times in 39 total at-bats.
1999
Went 12-8 with a 3.39 ERA in 27 starts for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga...led the organization in ERA and with 166 strikeouts, while ranking 2nd in wins...led the California League by issuing only 1.48 walks per 9 innings...ranked 2nd in the league in shutouts (3), strikeouts and innings pitched (175.1), and tied for 3rd in complete games (4)...also placed 4th in ERA and tied for 4th in victories and starts...collected a season-high 10 strikeouts over 7.0 innings in a 3-0 victory May 3 at San Bernardino...faced only 28 batters en route to a 3-hit, 1-0 win May 24 at Visalia...allowed no walks and struck out a season-high 11, retiring 14 consecutive hitters at one point...on June 27, faced only one batter over the minimum in a 2-hit, 2-0 win against Lake Elsinore...struck out 8 and walked none to pick up Cal League Pitcher of the Week honors for June 21-27...carried a perfect game through 5.0 innings but allowed a leadoff single in the 6th...won 5 consecutive starts, posting a 2.43 ERA (9 ER/33.1 IP) June 9-July 2...registered his 2nd 10-strikeout outing in a 10-3 triumph over Lake Elsinore on July 28...beat Stockton 3-0 on August 25 for his 3rd shutout of the season...got a no-decision in his lone playoff start vs. San Bernardino...allowed only 2 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6 in 7.1 innings.
1998
Went 8-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 16 starts for Single-A Idaho Falls and Clinton...his 2.73 ERA was 3rd-best among Padres minor leaguers...registered a 5.6/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (100 K/18 BB)...tied for the Pioneer League lead with one shutout, despite making only 4 starts for the Braves...also tied for 4th among PL hurlers with 2 complete games...fanned a then-career-high 12 July 11 at West Michigan in his first Clinton start...established a new career high by collecting 13 K's in a 4-1 win August 5 vs. Burlington...pitched a one-hit, complete game to top Michigan 2-1 August 15 in Clinton...walked 3 while allowing his only hit to the 2nd batter he faced in the first inning...it was the 6th straight start in which he allowed 2 earned runs or fewer.
