A's Claim Walden off Waivers from Toronto; Option him to Sacramento

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A's claimed right-handed pitcher Marcus Walden off waivers from Toronto and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento, the club announced today.

Walden was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in three relief appearances with Triple-A Buffalo. He spent last season in the starting rotation at Double-A New Hampshire where he went 6-14 with a 3.71 ERA in 26 starts. The 25-year-old right-hander was named to the Eastern League All-Star Game and led the league in innings pitched (162.1 ip). Walden was originally selected by Toronto in the ninth round of the 2007 First Year Player Draft. The Fresno, Calif. native is 32-33 with a 3.73 ERA in 114 appearances, including 90 starts, in seven professional seasons. He has yielded just 23 home runs in 526.2 career innings, an average of 0.39 per nine innings.