Downs was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School, where he was selected as Kentucky\'s Mr. Baseball. He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 12th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft, but he opted to attend the University of Kentucky instead of signing a professional contract. At the end of his junior season at Kentucky, he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in 3rd round (94th overall) of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft. In 2000, Downs married his college sweetheart Katie Sisler, and lives with her and their children in Lexington, Kentucky.\n', '

Downs made his debut for the Williamsport Cubs, of the New York–Penn League a Low-A affiliate of the Cubs. He made his way through the minor leagues and eventually made the Cubs roster for opening day 2000. Between the time Downs started in the Cubs\' system and when he made the major leagues, he was briefly in the Minnesota Twins system as he was sent by the Cubs to the Twins in November 1998 as a player to be named later from an earlier trade that had brought Mike Morgan back to the Cubs for a second stint. Downs was traded back to the Cubs by the Twins in May 1999 as part of a trade that also saw Rick Aguilera go to Chicago.\n', '

Downs made his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs on April 9, 2000. he finished with a 4–3 record with an ERA of 5.17.\n', '

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