With the Los Angeles Dodgers facing multiple questions in their starting rotation, Alex Wood’s first opportunity to ease the concern over his forearm tightness was largely a success.
Wood got through the scheduled three innings of work he was penciled in for, allowing one run on four hits, issuing one walk and collecting one strikeout. “I wasn’t that concerned (about forearm) at all,” Wood said from the Dodgers clubhouse at Camelback Ranch on Thursday.
“But, it’s nice to go back out there and have a start and come out scot-free. It was definitely nice to go and get that out of the way.
“I had one goal going in and that was to be efficient. I was happy we were able to do that.”
With Brett Anderson undergoing back surgery that will sideline him for up to five months, and plenty of uncertainty surrounding Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return from last May’s shoulder surgery, Wood’s value has risen exponentially since the Dodgers opened camp.
Assuming full health throughout the rotation come Opening Day, the 25 year old was widely viewed as the sixth starter and bound for a role out of the bullpen. Wood is pleased with his current standing, but isn’t taking that for granted.
“There’s obviously still work to do from all perspectives,” he said. Wood described the tightness in his forearm as “abnormal” and lightly alluded to the fact it may have been tied to overexerting himself in his first Cactus League outing.
He also called the decision to skip his previous start a “smart move.” Wood will now resume with a regular throwing program that calls for five innings and 80 pitches in his next start as he prepares for the regular season.
