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Ervin ditches thumb wrap, likely will start Saturday

ATLANTA -- Ervin Santana is no longer wearing a wrap on his bruised right thumb, and the Braves right-hander says he is feeling better. He is expected to make his next scheduled start on Saturday against the Cubs.

Right-hander Gavin Floyd got the nod to start Tuesday night in place of Santana, who suffered the bruise when Reds pitcher Homer Bailey jammed him with an inside pitch in a 5-4 win on April 25 at Turner Field.

Santana dealt with some swelling near the end of his next start last Thursday at Marlins Park, resulting in the Braves' decision to skip him in the rotation on Tuesday night. Santana is 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA and four quality starts in five turns this season.

Making his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 7, 2013, Floyd gave up only one run on six hits in seven innings in Tuesday night's 2-1 win over the Cardinals.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. Joe Morgan is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Atlanta Braves, Ervin Santana