Veteran pitcher Bud Norris’ dramatic improvement came at an opportune time for the Braves, who would otherwise be in desperate straits after starters Mike Foltynewicz and Williams Perez were injured during the six-day trip to southern California that ended Wednesday.
Norris has posted a 1.50 ERA and .167 opponents’ average in two starts since replacing Foltynewicz. After allowing three hits and one run in five innings June 4 at Dodger Stadium on short notice, Norris limited the Cubs to four hits, one run and no walks with six strikeouts in seven innings of a Friday win.
This from a guy who was dropped from the Braves’ rotation after going 1-4 with an 8.74 ERA and .340 opponents’ average in five April starts.
“We go on a road trip and lose two starters,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s never easy to cover, so that was really big that Bud came out and has done what he’s done. Big lift. Big shot in the arm for us.”
Norris’ improvement actually began as soon as he was bumped from the rotation and sent to the bullpen. He has a 1.78 ERA and .196 opponents’ average in 14 games (12 relief appearances) since the move at the end of April, and he gave up one hit and no runs four times in five relief appearances of two innings or more.
He’ll stay in the rotation for now, since neither Foltynewicz nor Perez is expected back within a couple of weeks. Foltynewicz has bone spurs in his pitching elbow and just began making throws from 90 feet after being shut down for a week, and Perez has rotator-cuff tendinitis and hasn’t resumed throwing.
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