Blue Jays’ Norris adrift in a ‘perfect’ storm

The Blue Jays have sent pitching prospect Daniel Norris to Buffalo to work on his control, and his self-control.

Since the middle of spring training, pitching coach Pete Walker and catcher Russell Martin have been reminding Norris that perfection is unattainable, and that when he makes a mistake, he must let it go and focus on the next pitch.

His blue-chip talent has long been obvious, and was evident in flashes during his five starts for the Jays this season. But Norris, who often describes himself as a perfectionist, has frequently found it difficult to forgive himself for a pitch that was hit hard or missed the strike zone in a key situation.

He does not rant and rave on the mound or throw things in the dugout. But often in those moments of disappointment, his jaw tightens, and he covers his face with his glove and barks at himself, as he did when he left the mound in Cleveland on Thursday night, done after three innings and 78 pitches — and yes, no runs.

Off the field, Norris is a soft-spoken, laid-back sort. But he readily admits that he demands a lot of himself, and when pressured, will admit he sometimes demands too much for his own good.

So when the Jays decided to send him to the minors, they were hoping to keep a trend from becoming a long-term habit. Norris has a 3.86 ERA, the lowest among Jays starters, but he was also throwing too many pitches — on average, about 19 per inning. He had walked 12 in 231/3 innings while striking out 18.

Martin summed up the two sides of Norris after the game in Cleveland, marveling at his ability to hold the Indians scoreless in spite of allowing three baserunners in the second inning and two in the third.

“He put himself in trouble but he also pitched his way out of it,” Martin told reporters. “It just shows the type of competitor he is.

But, Martin added, “he demands a lot of himself and he gets frustrated with himself. He gets himself in trouble with being angry at himself and tensing up a bit. I’d like to see him breathe a little bit, and relax, and not put so much pressure on himself.”

In a bid to make the team, Norris floored the accelerator from the start of spring training. In seven spring games covering 272/3 innings, he posted a 2.93 ERA while walking only eight and striking out 30.

Perhaps that’s one reason he cited “a dead-arm phase” after an April 19 start in which he lasted only 22/3 innings against Atlanta. But in his next start, on his birthday, he was brilliant over seven innings, allowing only one run, walking three and striking out seven.

Then came Cleveland, when he departed early and left a heavy burden on the bullpen. The relievers responded and the Jays won 5-1.

Perhaps Norris could have worked out his problems in the big leagues. The Jays, however, are banking on him catching his breath, settling into a positive groove and returning to their rotation in a relatively short period. No one is doubting his skills, but as manager John Gibbons has stressed repeatedly, rookies — even the best ones — often hit an early bump in the big leagues and need to return to the minors for more seasoning.

Meanwhile, Marco Estrada will come out of the bullpen and take over Norris’s starting spot. The Jays called up Saskatchewan native Andrew Albers from Buffalo to provide long relief.

With the addition of Albers, the Jays have five Canadians on the roster, at least for the moment. To make room on the 40-man roster, they transferred Maicer Isturis to the 60day disabled list.

Albers, a left-hander, had a 1-3 record and 3.09 ERA as a starter for Buffalo.