Is a 2006 graduate of Mesa (AZ) High School, where he posted a 0.86 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 55.0 innings during his senior season...whiffed 215 batters over 155 innings during his high school career, garnering the Southeast Valley's Best Pitcher award. After high school, attended Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona for one season and went 7-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 58 K's in 50 innings ...was named First-Team All-ACCAC (Arizona Community College Athletic Conference) ... drafted after one year of collegiate ball by Pittsburgh in the 28th round of the June 2006 draft...signed by Pirates scout Ted Williams. Is an avid outdoorsman, as he enjoys hunting, fishing and camping ... once took down an alligator...recently picked up crossstitching as an offseason hobby after his mother taught him the skill a few years ago. Sported a perm in 2010 when he won the Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year award and helped Double A Altoona to the Eastern League Championship ...the following season, Altoona honored Rudy with a "Rudy Owens Perm Hat" giveaway on Aug. 5, 2011. Originally added to a Major League 40-man roster by Pittsburgh on Nov. 18, 2011... acquired by Houston from Pittsburgh as part of the Wandy Rodriguez trade on July 24, 2012 ... signed to a one-year contract by Houston for the 2014 season.
2013
Made four appearances at Triple A Oklahoma City, going 0-3 with a 3.71 ERA (7ER/17IP)...missed the majority of the season due to a stress fracture in his left foot.
2012
For the second consecutive season, pitched the entire year at the Triple A level...began the season
with Indianapolis and went 8-5 with a 3.14 ERA, earning International League Midseason All-Star honors...
finished the season ranking sixth in the IL in ERA...traded to Houston on July 24 as part of the return in the
Wandy Rodriguez trade...assigned to Triple A OKC and went 2-3 with a 4.34 ERA in eight starts...combined
to go 10-8 with a 3.48 ERA (63ER/163IP) in 27 starts at the Triple A level in 2012
2011
Spent entire season with Triple-A Indianapolis...Went 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1ip/2er) in his first two starts before
dropping three straight decisions from 4/22 thru 5/3...Won back-to-back starts on 5/20 and 5/26 and four of his five starts between 5/20
and 6/10...Whiffed a season-high eight batters on 7/6 vs. Toledo...Won three straight decisions from 7/14-30...Suffered loss in final start
on 8/5 vs. Toledo...Missed final four weeks due to left elbow soreness.
2010
Was named Pittsburgh's Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year for the second straight season...Spent entire year with Double-
A Altoona and led Eastern League in ERA...Also tied for third in strikeouts and walked the second-fewest amount of batters among league
starters...Was named to Eastern League's mid- and post-season All-Star teams...Established minor league career highs in starts, innings pitched
and strikeouts...Made first start of the season against Stephen Strasburg on national TV on 4/11 vs. Harrisburg and received a no-decision; gave
up three runs on five hits in 4.2ip and went 1-for-2 with an RBI at the plate...Picked up first win in third start on 4/22 vs. Erie...Won three straight
starts from 4/22 thru 5/4...Retired the first 17 batters he faced and allowed only one baserunner (walk to relief pitcher Craig Whitaker) while nohitting
Richmond for six innings on 5/4...Also struck out career-high 11 batters in win vs. Richmond on 5/4...Won three straight starts again from
5/25 thru 6/4...Lost three straight starts from 7/19-29...Retired last 17 batters he faced on 8/4 vs. Akron...Went 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA (33.0ip/3er)
and walked three batters in six August starts...Did not allow a run in four of his final five regular season starts and recorded a 0.98 ERA (46.0ip/5er)
in his last eight assignments, beginning on 7/24...Made two starts during the post season; gave up five runs (four earned) in 1.1ip and suffered
loss vs. Harrisburg on 9/8 and received a no-decision (5.0ip/2er) while facing Andy Pettitte in Game 1 of Championship Series on 9/14.
2009
Went 11-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 25 combined starts between Class-A West Virginia and Class-A Lynchburg...Was named Pittsburgh's Minor
League Pitcher-of-the-Year...Was also named to the South Atlantic League mid- and post-season All-Star teams...Also a member of Topps Class-
A All-Star team and named Most Outstanding Pitcher in the S.A.L...Held all opposing hitters to a .197 batting average...Tied for fourth in South
Atlantic League in wins (10)...Won his first two decisions with West Virginia before suffering lone loss on 5/2 vs. Hagerstown...Went 8-0 in his
final 14 starts with West Virginia and allowed more than two earned runs just once in that time (three on 6/7 at Kannapolis)...Put together a streak
of 32 consecutive scoreless innings from 6/11 to 7/13 (Augusta scored one run in the 2nd inning on 7/13 to break the streak)...Captured Pitcherof-
the-Week honors on 6/22 and again on 7/6...Surrendered just two earned runs in 26.0 innings after the All-Star break (0.69 ERA) before being
promoted to Lynchburg on 8/1...Pitched 4.1 scoreless frames in his debut with the Hillcats on 8/3, but received a no-decision...Tossed 5.0
scoreless innings in his second start and picked up lone win with Lynchburg on 8/8 at Myrtle Beach...Won Carolina League Pitcher-of-the-Week
honors on 8/10...Suffered loss in third start on 8/18 at Salem (5.0ip/4er)...Tossed a four-hit, 6.0-inning shutout in Lynchburg's Game Two win
over Wilmington in the first round of the Carolina League playoffs...Also received a no-decision (6.1ip/2er) in Game Two of Mills Cup Championship Series.
2008
Spent entire season with short-season State College, where he held left-handed hitters to a .196 (10-for-51) batting average...Lost his
first three starts...Picked up first victory in sixth start on 7/16 vs. Tri-City...Tossed 3.2 innings of relief on 7/21 at Jamestown...Lost three straight
decisions from 7/26 thru 8/16...Suffered loss while making second relief appearance (3.0ip/4er) on 7/31 at Batavia...Went 2-1 with a 2.11 ERA
(21.1ip/5er) in five starts during the month of August...Won back-to-back starts and did not allow a run on 8/24 (5.0ip) and 8/29 (5.2ip)...Pitched
5.0 hitless frames for the win on 8/24 at Mahoning Valley.
2007
Began professional career with the Gulf Coast League Pirates after being selected by Pittsburgh in the 28th round of the First-Year Player
Draft...Suffered loss in debut on 7/30 at GCL Twins and went on to lose all four of his starts...Pitched 4.0 scoreless innings and picked up first
career win in relief on 8/22 at GCL Red Sox...Finished season pitching 2.0 scoreless innings on 8/27.
