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Dodgers News: Bud Norris Dealing With Back Strain, Rich Hill Likely To Start Sunday

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s rare that a day has passed this season without Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts providing an update on injured starting pitchers. Unfortunately for the rookie manager, that’s come with a negative connotation more times than not.

With Brett Anderson, Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood on the disabled list, the Dodgers set out to acquire a starting pitcher prior to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline passing. They landed Rich Hill in a five-player trade with the Oakland Athletics, though Hill at present time is on the 15-day disabled list.

He threw a bullpen session on Wednesday without aggravating the blister that ripped open just five pitches into his July 17 start.

While Hill is on the mend, Bud Norris has a mid-back strain, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

Norris was removed after facing two batters on Sunday due what the Dodgers announced as back muscle tightness. Norris and Roberts both referred to the issue as a lat strain in their postgame comments.

Roberts expressed confidence Norris would make his next turn in the rotation, though the right-hander wasn’t nearly as certain. While Norris is ruled out for a start this weekend, Hill is tentatively scheduled to start on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times:

The Dodgers have put 25 players on the disabled list this season, which is a National League record. They are three shy of breaking the Major League record set by the Boston Red Sox in 2012.

With Hill slotted for Sunday, the Dodgers’ options for Saturday are essentially limited to Jose De Leon and Ross Stripling. De Leon is scheduled to start that day for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but isn’t on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster.

Los Angeles conceivably could opt for a bullpen game, particularly when considering their move to recall Grant Dayton gives them nine relievers. What’s more, among them is swingman Jesse Chavez, who was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The decision to start Hill in place of Brandon McCarthy on Sunday raises a separate set of concerns. Though, the Dodgers could simply be providing McCarthy with extra day after he struggled in two consecutive starts.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com