Avilan dismisses injury as only a cramp

ATLANTA -- After exiting Tuesday night's game against the Mets with a left hamstring cramp, Braves reliever Luis Avilan could be available out of the bullpen Wednesday.

Avilan "felt great" after throwing a bullpen session early Wednesday, according to Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. The left-hander summed up his condition with a thumbs-up.

"He threw a nice bullpen today, so we'll see how it goes," Gonzalez said.

Not long after leaving the field with head trainer Jeff Porter in the seventh inning of the Braves' home opener, Avilan was in good spirits and felt better.

"I'll be fine tomorrow," Avilan said Tuesday night. "I knew it was just a cramp, and I'll be perfect tomorrow. I'll be 100 percent tomorrow."

Atlanta believes Avilan's pain Tuesday was the result of dehydration. After suffering a left hamstring strain last April, Avilan was glad "it looked way better this time."

"He just forgets to get hydrated," Gonzalez said. "The weather's been so nice and cool and warm, and we've all done it. You forget to drink. You feel like you only drink when it's hot and humid. You still get dehydrated even if the temperature's nice."