MILWAUKEE — As an excitable guy known for his youthful energy, Alex Wood has never particularly enjoyed the waiting-around part of being a starting pitcher. So the Braves left-hander is pleased to be starting the second game of the season Tuesday at Milwaukee, instead of waiting through an entire series and most of a week if he'd been at the back of the rotation.
I’m ready to get going and get out there and do my thing,” Wood said. “I’m real excited and I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.”
Wood, 23, came to spring training expecting to compete for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. But after injuries to three of the first found starters, including season-ending elbow injuries for Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, Wood moved all the way up to the second spot behind Julio Teheran in a four-man rotation to begin the season.
The Braves expect to add Ervin Santana on April 12 to make it a five-man rotation, and Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd should be ready at some point after April 20. Nothing’s been said by the Braves about what happens then, but as things currently stand, Wood figures to remain in the rotation ahead of journeyman Aaron Harang and rookie David Hale, the Nos. 3-4 starters in the makeshift rotation to begin the season.
As pumped up as he was Monday, Wood was happy there wouldn’t be an off day between the first and second games of the season. The Brewers have a retractable-roof stadium, so they don’t need to schedule an off day after the first home game, the way many teams do in case of a rained-out opener.
“I think I set my alarm clock for 7:50 this morning and I woke up around 7,” Wood said. “I tried to get back in bed and relax, but no, I was definitely up early. It’s hard to kind of explain the feeling, in terms of the whole clubhouse, and the buzz. There’s definitely a buzz of excitement. I think everybody is ready to get out there and show what our lineup can do and get out there and get off to a good start.”
The former University of Georgia standout was the Braves’ best starter during spring training, after going 3-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 31 games (11 starts) as a rookie in 2013.
If he’d been at the back end of the rotation to begin the season, Wood would’ve had to sit tapping his foot and watching an entire series in Milwaukee and waiting through an off day Thursday before making his season debut during the three-game weekend series at Washington that starts Friday.
Instead, he’ll make his debut Tuesday and then start again in Sunday’s road-trip finale against the Nationals.
“It’s definitely hard being in that fourth or fifth spot, sitting and watching,” he said. “Especially since I woke up this morning and – you already know how much you love the game, but you wake up and it’s like, dang, it’s opening day….
“I’m not exactly a patient person. That was probably my favorite part of being in the bullpen last year is you get to get in and be part of the action on a day-to-day basis. But I’m used to it. I was used to probably being the opening day guy in college. Last year at (Double-A) Mississippi I didn’t actually start until the third game of the season.
“It’s part of it, you get used to it and manage it. But it’s here, man.”
