With Justin Lehr scheduled to get the start tonight against Colorado, I thought we'd take a closer look at a pitcher you might not know much about.
- Justin Lehr was drafted out of USC in the 8th round by the A's in the 1999 draft. That was the same draft the A's got Barry Zito in, who's making roughly 9 figures more than Lehr has in his lifetime.
- After putting up decent numbers in the minors as a starter and a reliever, he got called up in 2004 to pitch for the A's out of the bullpen. He went 1-1 with a 5.24 ERA in 32 2/3 innings of work.
- He was traded in the offseason to the Brewers, along with Nelson Cruz, for Keith Ginter. In Milwaukee he was up and down for the next two years.
- In 3 seasons in the big leagues (2004-06), he's 4-3 with a 5.31 ERA in 83 innings, all of them out of the bullpen. Tonight will mark his first big league start.
- In 2007 he signed with the Mariners, where he put up a 3.99 ERA for their AAA team. In the offseason, he saw some time in the Mexican League.
- The Reds first saw Lehr with Louisville in 2008. He went 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 64 1/3 innings, with 8 of his 16 appearances coming in starts.
- In a surprising move, in the middle of the 2008 season he signed with the Doosan Bears, a team in the Korean Baseball Organization. He was a popular promotional tool there, but didn't pitch well enough to stick around. He came back to the Reds in August of that year.
- In the offseason, he signed a contract with the Phillies, but didn't make the team out of spring training. He started 7 games in Lehigh Valley before the Reds traded for him, marking his third stint with the team.
- So far this season he's 13-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 117 innings.
Recaps of last night's games are after the jump.
- Louisville lost 5-1 in 6 innings in a game against Toledo that was shortened by rain. Travis Wood didn't have as much luck in his second AAA start, as he had some trouble out of the gate, giving up 4 runs in the first inning. He ended up pitching 5 innings and giving up 5 runs. Darnell McDonald was 2-for-3, and Kevin Barker drove in the Bats only run. Up next: The Bats take on Toledo at 7:05. With Justin Lehr taking the start in Cincinnati, Louisville's starter hasn't been named.
- Carolina lost 3-2 against Chattanooga. Shaun Cumberland was 3-for-4 and Jake Kahaulelio had two hits to lead the Mudcats offense. Camilo Vazquez gave up 3 runs in 5 innings in his start, but Sean Watson pitched a perfect inning of relief and Ramon Geronimo pitched 3 perfect innings of relief, but the offense couldn't come back. Up next: Scott Carroll takes Chattanooga at 7:15.
- Sarasota struck early with 5 in the first to beat Brevard County 6-4. Matt Fairel was decent in his High-A debut, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5 and walking 3. Kyle Day had two hits, and Devin Mesoraco and Kevyn Feiner drove in 2 runs each. Up next: Travis Webb takes on Brevard County at 7:05.
- Dayton was rained out. Curtis Partch takes on Burlington at 7.
- Billings lost to Missoula 4-2. After Blair Carson's shaky start, Hector Santana and Adian Kummet pitched scoreless outings, 3 1/3 and 2 innings respectively. The Mustangs managed 4 hits, with Yorman Rodriguez going 1-for-3. Up next: Leonardo Astorga takes on Helena at 9:05.
- The GCL Reds beat the GCL Twins 4-3 in 10 innings. Jefry Sierra and Trey Manz had two hits each, with Manz and Oliver Santos homering for the G-Reds. Tyler Cline started the game, giving up 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Up next: The GCL Reds have the day off.