While most of Detroit slept Saturday morning, Daniel Norris was getting bullpen work for the MLB All-Stars in their ongoing tour of Japan. The Tigers left-hander pitched in relief for the second time in three games of the series, delivering 1 1/3 innings in MLB’s 12–6 loss Saturday at Tokyo Dome.
Though Norris said going into the offseason that he expected to make a couple starts as he tries to accumulate innings he lost recovering from groin surgery this past summer, the MLB roster includes several other starters. Erasmo Ramirez, the former Mariners starter and current free agent, and Red Sox swingman Brian Johnson pitched three-plus innings in what amounted to a piggyback start.