Alex Wood to stay in bullpen
Situation: Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had a decision to make: what to do with six starters, since second-year lefty Alex Wood was scheduled to move back from the bullpen to start Saturday at St. Louis so he could keep up his stamina.
The play: Despite Gonzalez's reluctance to use a six-man rotation because of concern that extra rest between starts might adversely affect some pitchers, he announced Tuesday that the Braves would use it for one turn through the rotation and possibly more after evaluating how it worked out.
Result: A day later, Gonzalez said he had changed his mind after talking with pitching coach Roger McDowell and starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, and that Wood would stay in the bullpen for now and the Braves would stick with five starters.
Explanation: Gonzalez said he didn't want to risk disrupting the routines of Floyd and others who would have up to two extra days of rest because of an off day in the schedule plus the additional starter. The manager said Wood would eventually end up in the rotation and be the first option if another starter had a health issue or needed extra rest for any reason.
Uggla benched, Pastornicky plays more
Situation: Long-struggling veteran second baseman Dan Uggla started May 6 against Cardinals lefty Tyler Lyons, then was out of the lineup against six consecutive right-handed starters, leading to questions of whether manager Fredi Gonzalez was now utilizing a second-base platoon without calling it that publicly.
The play: Utilityman Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky split the starts against the six righties, then Gonzalez announced that Pastornicky would get most playing time for a while against righties and lefties, while Pena would return to the utility role where he's had the most success.
Result: When the Braves faced another lefty Wednesday – San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner — Pastornicky got the start at second while Uggla was out of the lineup again, more evidence that patience with Uggla has run out.
Explanation: With Uggla showing no signs of coming around and being productive, Gonzalez wants to see if Pastornicky can handle second base and how he'll hit if given a regular opportunity, rather than isolated starts and occasional pinch-hit appearances. He went 2-for-4 Wednesday.
