Bud Norris walked down the hall to his new team, the Baltimore Orioles, and stepped right into the middle of a pennant race. Norris was dealt from the Houston Astros to the Orioles on Wednesday, a move that enables Baltimore to fortify a rotation that will be without injured Jason Hammel for at least the next two weeks. Baltimore sent outfielder L.J. Hoes and left-handed prospect Josh Hader to the Astros for Norris, a 28-year-old right-hander whose $3 million salary was the highest on a roster filled with young players. "We've been trying to bolster our pitching staff, and in Bud Norris we have a pitcher that can give us some quality innings," said Dan Duquette, Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations. "He's been a very dependable pitcher for Houston over the course of his career." Source: ESPN
