THE SIDELINES : Strom Quits Dodgers for Astros

Brent Strom, the Albuquerque Dukes’ pitching coach from 1981 to ’83 and from 1987 to ‘89, left the Los Angeles Dodgers organization to join the Houston Astros.

Strom said he will be the pitching coach for the Tucson Toros, Houston’s Class AAA farm team in the Pacific Coast League.

Claude Osteen, a former Dodger pitcher, will replace Strom at Albuquerque, the Dodgers’ AAA farm team in the PCL.

Strom recently severed his connections with the Dodgers rather than accept an assignment as pitching coach at Bakersfield, the Dodgers’ Class A farm club in the California League. “They gave me no reason for the move,” Strom said from his home in San Diego. “I felt it was in my best interests not to go to Bakersfield, so I resigned.”