The Dodgers released pitcher Bud Norrris, who had been designated for assignment to make room for Alex Wood on Sept. 20.
Norris went 3-3 with a 6.54 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 13 appearances (nine starts) for the Dodgers.
Bud Norris bides his time during batting practice in front of a Budweiser ad in the Dodger Stadium outfield. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff photographer)
The Dodgers activated pitcher Alex Wood from the 60-day disabled list today, as expected. Pitcher Bud Norris was designated for assignment to make room for Wood on the 40-man roster.
“For our roster right now it just made sense to get Alex (Wood) going,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. (Video link.)
Wood will join the Dodgers bullpen. He’ll work as a situational lefty, and Roberts said Tuesday that he’d prefer to bring Wood in at the beginning of innings at the outset. He’s 1-4 with a 3.99 earned-run average in 10 starts this season, with 62 strikeouts in 56 ⅓ innings.
Norris had a 6.54 earned-run average in 13 games (nine starts) for the Dodgers this season. He took Clayton Kershaw‘s place in the rotation when Kershaw went down with a back injury in June. But he never had a regular role after being felled by a back injury in his final start of July. By September, he’d been relegated to the bullpen.
Norris recently told me that he chose entrance music that was both good and underappreciated. He chose this for his last home start on Aug. 26 against the Chicago Cubs:
DENVER >> Dave Roberts dropped maybe his best one-liner of the season prior to the first game of today’s doubleheader between the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.
It came up in the context of Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill, who warmed up to start Tuesday night’s game, only to see the game postponed due to rain immediately after the Rockies took the field in anticipation of the first pitch:
Continue reading “Why Rich Hill isn’t a shoo-in to start Game 2 of Dodgers’ doubleheader today.” »
Bud Norris returned from the 15-day disabled list Friday, only to get shelled by the Cincinnati Reds for six runs in a 9-2 Dodgers loss. The box score is here.
A successful 78-pitch simulated game left Rich Hill feeling ready to make his Dodgers debut on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. Clayton Kershaw will try throwing off a mound Saturday for the first time since July.
Chase Utley hit two home runs for the Dodgers in his first game ever in Philadelphia as a visiting player. (Getty Images)
Chase Utley hit two home runs Tuesday, including a grand slam, in his first game as a visiting player in Philadelphia. The Dodgers beat the Phillies 15-5 and took over first place later in the day when the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants. The box score is here.
Utley, 37, said he wants to play next year.
The latest adjustment to the Dodgers’ starting rotation will see Ross Stripling start Thursday in Philadelphia, followed by Bud Norris Friday in Cincinnati and Brett Anderson on Saturday.