Married Katie … has three children: Katherine, Harrison and Caroline … attended the University of Kentucky, where he was a Baseball America pre-season All-American and a First Team All-SEC selection as a junior in 1997 … was named to Baseball America's freshman All-America team in 1995 … graduated in 1994 from Pleasure Ridge (Ky.) Park High School, where he was selected as Kentucky's Mr. Baseball.
2013
Splilt the season between the Angels and Atlanta, combining to go 4-4 with a 2.49 ERA (12 ER/43.1 IP), 37 strikeouts and 26 holds in 68 appearances … tied for 10th in the major leagues in holds … went 2-3 with a 1.84 ERA (6 ER/29.1 IP) and 18 holds in 43 games with the Angels before being traded to the Braves on 7/29, where he went 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA (6 ER/14.0 IP), 15 strikeouts and eight holds in 25 games … went 4-0 with a 1.57 ERA (5 ER/28.2 IP) at home and 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA (3 ER/30.1 IP) at night … did not allow a run in 15 games (10.0 IP) vs. the American League Central … pitched 17 times with no rest … made 29 consecutive scoreless appearances from 5/5-7/23 (18.0 IP), posting 13 holds while lowering his ERA from 3.27 to 1.24 … earned the victory in his Braves debut on 7/29 vs. Colorado, throwing 1.1 scoreless IP … 14 of his first 15 outings with Atlanta were scoreless, going 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.1 IP) … posted a 15.00 ERA (5 ER/3.0 IP) in September, raising his ERA from 1.56 to 2.49 … was not on the Braves postseason roster.
2012
Completed second season with Angels and 11th campaign of career with a 1-1 record, nine saves, 24 holds and a 3.15 ERA (45.2 IP - 16 ER)...Matched career high in saves and led Angels' staff with 57 appearances...Opened 2012 season with 21 consecutive scoreless outings (19 IP)...Experienced best first half of career, leading MLB relievers with a 0.30 ERA (30 IP - 1 ER)...Fanned Baltimore's Chris Davis on July 7 to record 500th career strikeout...Missed 20 games from July 28-August 17 on disabled list with a left shoulder strain...Missed four games on Family Emergency List, Aug. 29 - Sept. 1.
2011
Signed three-year deal with Angels, Dec 10, 2010 and finished
season 6-3 with 25 holds, one save and a 1.34 ERA (53.2 IP - 8 ER)
in 60 appearances...Set career best with a 1.34 ERA, previous best
was 1.78 in 2008...Downs' ERA was second among A.L. relievers
(min. 30 games)...Six wins tied his career high set with Toronto in
2006 and matched win total from previous three seasons combined
(6-11)...Registered a 0.35 ERA (25.2 IP - 1 ER) at the Big A, the
lowest home ERA in club history (min. 25 games), previously held
by Donnie Moore (1.01 ERA in 1985)...Allowed a run at home in
the eigth inning of game number 159, snapping a 25-inning (27
appearances) scoreless streak...Was scored upon in just eight of 60
outings...Stranded 28 of 38 inherited runners and Halos went 41-9 in games he made an appearance...Opened
season on 15-day D.L. (fractured big left toe), was activated April 10...Missed 13 games while on the D.L. with
a gastrointestinal virus (April 14 - April 29)...Left-handed hitters were held to a .179 clip (15/84) compared to
.214 (24/112) mark against right-handed hitters...Wife gave birth to third child Caroline Worthington.
2010
In 2010, compiled a 5-5 record with a 2.64 ERA (61.1 IP - 18 ER) in 67 appearances with Toronto...Allowed
47 hits (3 HR) while walking 14 and striking out 48...His 67 appearances were third most on club...Recorded
a club-high 26 holds on the season which was good for T-3rd in the AL...On Apr. 18 vs. LAA struck out Juan
Rivera to record the 400th strikeout of his Major League career...Had a club-high scoreless streak of 20.1 IP
over 21 games from Jun.10-Aug. 10 where he allowed only 11 hits, walking four and striking out 16 over that
stretch...Also had a scoreless inning streak of 14.1 IP from Apr. 29-May 24...Limited opposing batters to a
.211 (47/223) average, with left handed hitters batting .152 (12/79) and right handed hitters batting .243
(35/144)...Pitched two scoreless innings, May 7, pitching two-or-more innings for the first time since Apr. 18,
2009...Also picked up first win of the season that same day, snapping a three-game losing streak... Ranked
T-5th in the AL, allowing only .44 home runs per nine innings (min 60 IP), and over the last four seasons ranks
first in the AL with a .49 total (min 220 IP).
2009
In his 5th season with the Blue Jays appeared in 48 games, his lowest total since 2005... SETTING THE
PACE: Did not allow a run in 13 of his first 14 outings through May 5... Posted three saves with a 0.59 ERA over that span,
holding batters to eight hits and a .143 average in 15.1 innings... Prior to the all-star break recorded all nine of his saves
with a 1.91 ERA, while after the break recorded a 4.91 ERA, going 0-3 in save situations... Allowed runs in only 10 of his
48 outings throughout the season... COMFORTS OF HOME: Appeared in 27 games at Rogers Centre, posting six saves
and a 2.22 ERA... Held opponents to a .183 avg at home as opposed to .343 avg on the road... DAYTIME BELIEVER: In
19 day games, held the opposition to a 2.61 ERA, with only three walks in 20.2 innings... In fact since moving to bullpen
full-time with the Blue Jays in 2006 has posted a 1.47 ERA in 80 day games... LIKES TO WORK: When working on consecutive
days or one day of rest, pitched to a 1.67 ERA in 27 games... When pitching with two days or more of rest, pitched
to a 4.87 ERA in 21 games... DOWN AND OUT: Was placed on the disabled list two days after injuring his left great toe
running to first after batting in interleague play at PHI June 16... Was activated July 8, before returning to the DL on Aug.
2 after re-aggravating the toe... Returned to active duty Aug. 24, however his season ended prematurely after suffering a
hamstring injury Sept. 16 at NYY.
2008
Was 2nd on the club with 66 appearances
and his 1.78 ERA was the lowest on the club... Ranked 5th
in the AL with 24 holds... Recorded five saves, a new career
high... SCORELESS STREAKS: From May 2-June 29 had
a string of 26.0 innings over 26 games without allowing a
run, the longest by a Blue Jay in 2008... Also had streaks of
17.2 innings and 11.2 innings without being scored on... Of
his 66 games, was scored on in just eight of those outings...
TOUGH ON LEFTIES: Held LH hitters to a .194 avg. the
lowest mark on the club... Walked only seven LH hitters
holding them to an OBP of .263... RISE AND SHINE: Appeared
in 18 day games, and did not allow a run in 19 innings...
Allowed only nine hits for a .145 opponents avg.
during the day... Did not appear in a game after re-injuring
his right ankle on Sept 13... First suffered the injury on Aug.
13 in DET.
2007
Marked the first time in his major league
career to go a full season without making a start...AL
LEADER: Was T-1st in the AL and led the club with 81 appearances
a new career high...T-4th in the AL with 24
holds...Ranked 7th in the AL among relievers with a 2.17
ERA, his lowest career figure...BIG TIME LEFTY: His .209
opponents average vs. LH hitters ranked as the lowest of
any AL lefty reliever... Ranked 17th in the AL and led the
club allowing only 26% of inherited runners to score
(13-50)...TOUGH TO SCORE ON: June1-July 17 had a
stretch of 22 outings (17.1IP) without being scored on... It
marked the 2nd longest streak by a Toronto pitcher in
2007... Also did not allow an earned run in 10 straight
games from August 10-29...Did not allow an earned run in
the entire month of April (12 games) and June (13
games)...Was scored upon just once in each of July (15
games) and September (13 games)...His first 15 games of
the season were scoreless (9.1 IP)...NOTABLES: Sept. 18
vs. BOS picked up his only save of 2007, 2nd career...In 12
games where he tossed more than one inning he did not allow
an earned run (20.2IP)...The more rest between outings
the more effective he was...On 0 days rest ERA was 3.78 in
26 games, 1 days rest - 2.12 ERA in 24 games, 2 days rest -
1.80 ERA in 17 games, and 3+ days rest ERA was 0.00 in 14
games.
2006
Was 6-2, with a 4.09 ERA in 59 appearances (five
starts)... Was 5-1, 2.77 as a reliever (11th in the AL)... Retired
41 of 48 (85%) first batters faced batting avg., ranking
5th in the AL... Ranked 2nd in the AL, holding batters to a
.134 batting avg. with runners on base, and 3rd, with runners
in scoring position at .111 (relief only... Had a stellar
3-1 record with a 1.50 ERA in 20 day game appearances...
Finished strong with a 1-1 record, and a 2.70 ERA over the
final two months of the season, and was 4-2, 2.83 after the
All-Star break... Allowed only one run over his last 13 relief
appearances (14.1IP, 0.63 ERA)...Set a new high with his
six victories and appearances (59)... His ERA of 4.09 is the
lowest of his career...Was 1-1, with a 9.39 ERA as a starter,
however the team was 3-2 in his starts... Followed his Apr.
14 start with a relief appearance on Apr. 16 at CWS
(2.0IP)... It marked the 1st time a Blue Jay pitcher started
and relieved in the same series since Dave Bush did it back
on Aug. 19 (start) & 21 (relief), 2005 at DET... June 6 at BAL
picked up the win in relief... It marked his 1st career win in a
relief appearance... Earned the victory in back-to-back
contests (July 15-16 vs. SEA)... Is the 1st Blue Jay to win in
back-to-back team games since Brian Bowles in 2002... At
Rogers Centre opposing hitters batted .213... On the road
they batted .293... Appeared in his 100th career game Aug.
2 at NYY... Recorded his 200th career strikeout June 6 at
BAL.
2005
Was 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 26 games (13 starts)...
Set new career high in strikeouts (75)... Matched innings
pitched (94.0)... Started the season with Syracuse (AAA)...
Had his contract purchased on May 12. Made his Blue Jays
debut and the first relief appearance of his career on May 13
at CLE (2H, ER, HR)... Was the 8th starter (out of nine) the
Blue Jays used... Was the 2nd out of 5 pitchers to be used
in a starting and relief role (Walker, Gaudin, Bush,
McGowan)... The Blue Jays were 8-5 when Downs
started... Won 2-1 on August 11 vs. DET. Was his first win as a Blue Jay and first ML win since Sept. 8, 2004 at CHC (As a
member of the Montreal Expos) also threw a season high
7.0IP (matched that on 9/2 vs. TB)... Had five consecutive
quality starts from August 11 to September 2. Over that
span was 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA (32.2IP/8ER)... Struck out 59
batters over his last 12 starts... September 2 vs. TB, set a
new career high with 11 strikeouts... The 11 strikeouts were
the most by a Blue Jay in one game last season and T-2nd
all time by a Blue Jays LHP... Led the team with 28 strikeouts
in September... Ranked 1st among Blue Jays starters
in strikeouts per nine innings (7.18)... Ranked 2nd among
Blue Jays starters in home ERA (3.53)... Ranks 2nd in Blue
Jays starters Opp. Batting average (.253)... In 11 home appearances,
had a 3.53 ERA. In 13 road appearances had a
5.23 ERA... Held opposing batters to a .167 batting average
in May, which tied him for 2nd on the team... Ranked
5th in team ERA for the month of May (2.03)... Had a
4.30 ERA as a starter, 4.32 as a reliever... In his 13 starts, received
63 runs of support, for an average of 4.8 per
start...Was 0-0 with a 4.32 in 13 appearances... May 24 vs.
BOS entered the game in the 4th to relieve Bush & worked a
season high 3.2IP (matched the longest outing by a Blue
Jay reliever)... May 28 vs. MIN worked a perfect 3.1IP (entered
game in 5th inning)... June 5 at OAK surrendered two
home runs & allowed five earned runs (matched most by a
Jays reliever in 2005)... Worked 2.0IP or more in nine of his
13 appearances. Threw 3.0IP or more in three of those outings...
Was 9-for-13 in first batter efficiency... Allowed 1 out
of 5 inherited runners to score...Opponents batted .253 off
Downs... As a starter, opponents batted .259... As a reliever,
opponents batted .237... LH hitters batted .234,
while RH hitters batted .262... At Rogers Centre opposing
hitters batted .240. On the road they batted .269... Allowed
12 home runs (Three to LH hitters, nine to RH hitters)...Was
2-3 with a 4.81 ERA in seven starts at Syracuse (AAA)...
39.1IP, 45H, 21ER, 5HR, 3BB, 35K.
2004
Had contract purchased by Montreal for the first time
on June 25... After four starts was optioned back to Edmonton
on July 21... Allowed only one unearned run in 7.0 innings
to earn the win on July 11 vs. PIT in Puerto Rico... The
win was his first at the big league level since pitching for CHI
on July 17, 2000 atKC...Was again recalled on Aug. 26 and
was a member of the rotation until the end of the season...
Became the first Montreal left-handed pitcher to earn a win
in a starting role since Matt Blank turned the trick in a 10-3
win on June 21, 2001 at NYM... Exactly 500 games passed
between Blank's win and Downs' victory... Scattered five
hits and a walk en route to his first career shutout as the Expos
blanked CHI, 6-0, on Sept. 8 at Wrigley Field... Downs
faced the minimum until Aramis Ramirez singled with two
outs in the 8th... Was the first Expos left-handed starter to
toss a shutout since Carlos Perez turned the trick on Sept. 3,
1997 in a 1-0 victory vs. BOS... Was named Pacific Coast
League Pitcher of the Year... Also garnered a spot on the
post-season All-PCL Team as a left-handed starter... Was
selected to pitch in July 14 Triple-A All-Star Game in
Pawtucket, but did not attend, as he was pitching in the big
leagues... Finished with a 10-6 record and a 3.52 ERA in 22
starts for Edmonton... With Edmonton he went 4-0 with a
stellar 0.62 ERA (2 ER/29.0 IP) in four starts for the Trappers
in June to earn his first big league promotion since 2003...
After three weeks with the Expos, was optioned to
Edmonton on July 21.
2003
Downs was optioned to Edmonton on March 14...
Was recalled by the Expos on Aug. 8... Optioned back to
the Trappers on Aug. 20... Pitched in only one game for the
Expos, but returned to the big leagues for the first time since
the 2000 campaign.
2002
Downs experienced a delay in starting his 2002 season,
as he continued his recovery from left elbow ligament
reconstruction in 2001... Was placed on the 60-day disabled
list March 27 for rehabilitation purposes... Began an
injury rehabilitation assignment with Brevard County (A)
May 16... Had his injury rehabilitation assignment transferred
to Ottawa (AAA) June 1 and reinstated from the
60-day DL June 10, while being optioned to Ottawa... Was
placed on the Lynx seven-day disabled list on Aug. 4 with a
right oblique muscle strain... Would not pitch for the
remainder of the season.
2001
Downs was sidelined the entire 2001 season... Was
placed on the 15-day disabled list on March 23 and transferred
to the 60-day DL on March 31... Underwent elbow
ligament reconstruction by Dr. James Andrews at Birmingham,
Alabama... Spent the summer in rehabilitation at the
Expos complex in Jupiter, FL.
2000
Made ML debut on April 9 at CIN...His first strikeout
victim was Barry Larkin in the first inning... On April 15 vs.
FLA at Wrigley Field, picked up his first ML win in a 4-2 decision...
In the process, became the first left-handed starting
pitcher from the Cubs' farm system to earn a win for the club
since Jamie Moyer's nine-win season in 1988... First ML hit
on April 25 at HOU (single off Shane Reynolds).
1999
Saw action with four minor league clubs and went
13-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 28 games... Opened the year with
Minnesota's New Britain (AA) affiliate and had no record in
six games (three starts)... After being reacquired by the
Cubs' organization on May 21, he went to Daytona Beach
(A) and was 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in seven starts... Was promoted
to West Tennesee (AA) on June 29, going 8-1 with a
1.35 ERA in 13 games... Was an honorable mention selection
to Baseball Weekly's minor league all-star team.
1998
Spent the 1998 season at Daytona, starting 27
games and going 8-9 with a 3.90 ERA.
1997
Made 10 starts during his first pro campaign, seeing
action at both Williamsport (A) and Rockford (A).
