Injury and Trade

Clayton Kershaw wound up on the disabled list with a back injury:

The Los Angeles Dodgers say ace Clayton Kershaw received an epidural injection for his sore lower back and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Manager Dave Roberts said before Thursday’s game in Milwaukee that Kershaw received the epidural Wednesday and the team should know in a few days how he responded to it.

Roberts did not know how long Kershaw is expected to be out or who would take his scheduled start on Friday at home against Colorado.

The Dodgers lose the best player on their team, and maybe the best player in the majors. That’s never a good sign. However, they moved quickly to fill his spot in the rotation:

With Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list, the Dodgers have made a move to plug their starting rotation. The team has acquired Atlanta starter Bud Norris in a five-player deal. The Dodgers will also receive minor-league outfielder Dian Toscano and a player to be named later.

Norris, a 31-year-old right-hander, has posted a 4.22 earned-run average in 22 games for the Braves. In five June starts, he went 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA.

In exchange, the Dodgers gave up a pair of minor-league pitchers, left-hander Phillip Pfeifer and right-hander Caleb Dirks.

Norris owns good career strikeout number, but his walks are a little high. He also has a history of a higher ERA than FIP. The Dodgers have a decent defense, so many Norris will benefit from that. Toscano was an on-base star in Cuba, but is 27 years old and hardly a prospect. Pfeifer is a high strikeout reliever who walks a ton of batters. Dirks is a reliever who might actually be good.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/295XPEd