Braves aiming to have Wood in 'pen this weekend

ATLANTA -- Alex Wood will spend the next few days recovering from the 73-pitch effort in his first Major League start in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mets. But the talented left-hander will be available to pitch out of Atlanta's bullpen at some point during this upcoming weekend's series against the Brewers.

"We're shooting for him to be available by Friday at the earliest," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He threw a lot of pitches in three innings."

Wood was forced to make the spot start when Brandon Beachy was scratched because of inflammation in his right elbow. Wood had not thrown more than 35 pitches in any of the six appearances he had made since being promoted from Double-A Mississippi on May 30 to join Atlanta's bullpen. The last of the eight starts he made for Mississippi occurred on May 25.

While allowing a run in his three innings, Wood was bothered by a broken cuticle on his left index finger. The resulting blood made it difficult for him to grip his knuckle-curveball. But he and Gonzalez have both said the ailment should not be a problem when he begins throwing again in a couple days.