Orioles right-hander Bud Norris has pitched almost exclusively as a starter in the majors, but his season-long struggles have him headed to the bullpen.
According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, Orioles manager Buck Showalter made it official today that Kevin Gausman will start Tuesday against the Twins. This pushes Norris into a long relief role.
Norris had a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts last season and made two starts during the postseason, but he has struggled to the tune of a 6.79 ERA over 11 starts this season. His strikeouts (6.3 K/9) are down and his walks (3.1 BB/9) are up, but the big issue has been the home run ball, as he has already allowed 11 of them in just 55 2/3 innings. The Orioles have eyes on another postseason berth, so they couldn’t afford to keep him in the rotation any longer.
