Phil

Norton

Norton still has a sore quad after a collision with Sean Casey Tuesday. He’s day-to-day.

This won’t halt the Astros’ search for left-handed relievers. Pitching for the Reds, Norton had a 5.07 ERA and lefties hit .273/.364/.384 against him last season.

Norton allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings during his time with the Cubs.

Norton has done quite well this season as he returns from Tommy John surgery, but one terrible outing left him with a 4.19 ERA in Triple-A. He’ll act as the No. 2 lefty in the Cubs bullpen until Mark Guthrie returns.

Norton missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Since the Cubs have added Mike Remlinger and Mark Guthrie, it’s unlikely that Norton will get a chance to pitch for the team this year.

Norton had been unavailable for a few days with a bruised quad.

This is significant because Norton is the only lefty in the Reds’ bullpen. He’s given up five runs in his last one inning of work, pushing his ERA from 0.00 to 11.25. The team might be forced to find another alternative to retire tough lefties.

Norton was kneed in the leg, and he’s been diagnosed with a bruised quad.

The signing of Kent Mercker meant the writing was on the wall for Norton. He had a 5.07 ERA and lefties hit .273/.364/.384 against him last season.

The Reds probably won’t use Norton as a lefty specialist right now, but they will want to evaluate him against left-handed hitters to see if he can handle the job next year.