Braves left-hander Alex Wood felt well enough on Saturday to play toss on the field and said he should have no problem making his next scheduled start after missing his last turn because of a stomach virus.
“I feel better, energy-wise,” Wood said. “My stomach is still bothering me a little bit but, energy-wise, I was feeling good, which is the main thing for me.”
Wood wasn’t able to make his start on Friday and is next scheduled to start on Wednesday at the Dodgers. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wood would be available to pitch out of the bullpen during Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers.
Missing a start altered Wood’s routine but he said that won’t be a problem and noted that he’s pitched on a nontraditional schedule before. Wood started 11 of 31 games in 2013 and pitched out of the bullpen for the first two months of 2014 before becoming a permanent fixture in the starting rotation last June.
Wood is 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA in eight starts this season. Left-hander Eric Stults started in Wood’s place against the Brewers on Friday and took the loss while allowing seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
“It stinks and puts guys in a tough situation when you have to make a spot start like that,” Wood said. “It’s hard mentally and physically every fifth day, much less getting the call Friday morning telling you that you are starting. With ‘Stultsy,’ it was tough from that standpoint. But tomorrow maybe I will plug in for an inning or two and help the bullpen and then get back to my normal schedule.”
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