Braves left-hander Paul Maholm was eligible to come off the disabled list on Monday but is just beginning to throw off the mound again as he recovers from a bruised left wrist. He is probably still at least a week to 10 days away from pitching in a game.
Maholm threw 30-35 pitches in a side session Sunday in Philadelphia and said his wrist responded well to it. He’ll add another 15 or 20 pitches in another side session on Tuesday as he continues to build back up. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said if all continues to go well, Maholm would likely then throw some live batting practice and then head out for a minor league rehabilitation game.
“Not being on the mound in two weeks, it’s more of the hand felt good and everything else was a little rough (command-wise),” Maholm said Monday. “That’s something that throwing every other day is going to take care of. Everything else feels good. I’m taking it as a positive, be healthy and finish up the season - hopefully pitch well enough to be a part of something at the end.”
Rookie left-hander Alex Wood has won each of his past two starts in Maholm’s place, while allowing four earned runs in 13 innings.
Notable
Wood won Sunday night’s game against the Phillies on ESPN, while wearing initials on his cap of a close high school friend who was in a canoeing accident on the Catawba River near Charlotte, NC Saturday. Wood said he got word Monday that after spending two days in a coma, his friend had woken and was talking. “It’s been a good day,” said Wood.
Wood had also received a text from a friend that said watching Wood pitch Sunday night brought a smile to the face of one of their mutual friends who was on the river Saturday when the accident happened….
Catcher Gerald Laird is recovering from a procedure to remove a kidney stone and, depending on his progress, will either start a minor league rehabilitation assignment Wednesday in Single-A Rome or Friday with Triple-A Gwinnett with the idea that he would be activated from the disabled list on Saturday.
