WASHINGTON _ Bud Norris has made four starts as a Los Angeles Dodger. His first was a tidy, six-inning display. The next three were all various versions of the same calamity. In the latest outing, an 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, Norris could not finish the sixth inning and gave up six runs.
The Dodgers (53-43) mounted little offense against Washington starter Gio Gonzalez.
Norris watched Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper drop jaws with a first-inning swing. Harper demolished a 3-1 fastball, launching a two-run homer into the third deck in right field. Norris gave up two more hits in the inning, but escaped with no further damage.
His teammates cut the deficit in half in the second inning. Scott Van Slyke led off with a single, stole second base and took third on a throwing error by Washington catcher Wilson Ramos. A two-out single by Charlie Culberson, who was called up only a few hours earlier, brought home Van Slyke.
Norris held firm for three more innings but he lost his balance in the fifth. He surrendered a two-out home run to Ben Revere, a light-hitting outfielder with only five homers in the first 2,727 at-bats of his seven-year career.
Already insulted, the injury continued. Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth took Norris deep in the next at-bat. An inning later, catcher Wilson Ramos pounded an RBI double off the wall.
Manager Dave Roberts removed Norris, and the night continued to unravel. Louis Coleman yielded an RBI triple to rookie speedster Trea Turner.
Luis Avilan replaced Coleman after he hit shortstop Danny Espinosa. Avilan picked off Espinosa, but as the Dodgers attempted to run him down, Turner stole home for his team's seventh run.
