Braves’ Garret Anderson hurts calf

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Garret Anderson pulled his right calf muscle running in warm-ups before Friday night’s 13-0 victory against Houston and was scratched from the lineup.

Afterward he said it would be several days before he’ll know how long he might be out.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, so I don’t have any history with it,” Anderson said. “Just have to see how it responds to treatment in the next few days before you can have a guesstimate, but it’s tissue that needs to heal, and there’s no set time on that.”

The new Braves left fielder was scheduled to play his second consecutive game since making his debut as a Brave on Thursday afternoon. He went 0-2 with a flyout and a pop-up against Venezuela.

“I’ve been working out fine,” said Anderson, who had signed a one-year $2.5 million contract with the Braves 10 days earlier. “And then something out-of-the-ordinary freak happens.”

The 36-year-old Anderson has been on the disabled list only twice in his 15-year career with the Angels - in 2004 (arthritis in upper back) and 2007 (hip). He has played 140 or more games in three of the last four seasons, including time at DH.

Matt Diaz replaced Anderson in left field, and promptly hit his first home run of spring in his first at-bat. Diaz launched a two-run shot to right field, then doubled to left center in his third at-bat and finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Jones will be patient

Chipper Jones’ agent B.B. Abbott said Friday he was in ongoing dialogue with the Braves about a contract extension, but he didn’t expect anything to happen until Jones gets back from the World Baseball Classic at the earliest, and not necessarily then either.

Abbott said Jones has decided to loosen any expectation that he needed to have an extension worked out with the Braves by the end of spring training. Abbott said Jones is willing to continue negotiating after the season starts.

Jones could be away from Braves camp until March 24 with the WBC. Abbott said Jones doesn’t want his contract situation to be a distraction from what he’s doing for the U.S. team either.

But Jones also doesn’t want to force the Braves hand with potentially less than two weeks to work out a deal when he gets back.

“He understands it’s a unique spring training and he doesn’t want to set any parameters that are unreasonable because he does want to finish his career here,” Abbott said.

Jones originally said he didn’t want to have the distraction of a contract negotiation during the season. But Abbott pointed out when they restructured Jones’ contract late in 2005, they worked on it some during the season. Jones left most of it up to Abbott and got involved when things got close. That’s how he plans to play it now.

“He decided to let it happen if it’s going to happen,” Abbott said. “He’s not going to get engrossed in it. He’s a little more comfortable with the process now.”

Reyes shines

Jo-Jo Reyes might be a forgotten guy without a spot in the rotation to fight for, but he has put up a nice spring. He pitched four scoreless innings without allowing a hit Friday night and has allowed only one earned run in nine innings in his first three starts.

Reyes struggled with his control in the first inning, missing the strike zone with 13 of his 24 pitches in the first inning, with two walks and a wild pitch. But he got out of it with a groundout to retire the first of 10 batters in a row to complete his night.

“I made the adjustment in the first inning,” said Reyes, who needed only 24 pitches in the final three innings. “In the past I think I would have tried to go harder instead of making a location adjustment. We were trying to go outside the whole time and then we finally went in.”

Braves starters haven’t allowed a hit in three games, including three innings each from Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe.

Martin Prado and Clint Sammons had two hits apiece. Prado came a few feet from hitting a grand slam to right field, but wound up with a bases-clearing single after he got hung up between first and second.

Radio debut

Don Sutton and Jim Powell made their radio debut as a duo Friday night. Powell, an Atlanta native, joined the Braves after spending 13 years with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Sutton rejoined the Braves after spending two seasons with the Washington Nationals. They will broadcast games Saturday and Sunday on 640 AM WGST as well.