Dodgers rookie Brock Stewart gets starting nod over Bud Norris

PHOENIX -- TheLos Angeles Dodgers have been riding rookie magic all month, and they will lean on it at least one more time.

Manager Dave Roberts announced that rookie Brock Stewart will start Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks instead of Bud Norris, who was penciled in for the outing earlier in the week.

The decision seemed fairly straightforward.

Stewart has a 1.38 ERA over his past three appearances, while opponents are batting .191 against him. The last two of those three outings have been starts, with the right-hander giving up just one earned run in 10 combined innings.

Norris, meanwhile, has just one appearance since Aug. 31, a relief outing in which he gave up two earned runs on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. His last start came at Colorado on Aug. 31, when he gave up five runs on six hits and three walks over three innings.

Roberts was asked why Stewart wasn't just named the starter for Saturday in the first place.

"Brock has thrown the ball well his last couple of starts, and we were having him back up Clayton [Kershaw]in New York, as well as Rich [Hill]yesterday, and since he wasn't used in those two [games], it makes sense for us to start Brock," Roberts said.

Not counting Kenta Maeda's outing Friday night at Arizona, the Dodgers have used a rookie to start eight times this month alone. Those rookies are 5-1 with two no-decisions and a combined 2.76 ERA in those games.

Rookies started four consecutive games Sept. 4-7 at home, with Jose De Leon, Maeda, Ross Stripling and Stewart each winning the games.