MLB Game Preview - Cincinnati at Atlanta

Fri Aug 2, 2019 7:20 PM EDT

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Alex Wood, who went to the University of Georgia and came up through the Atlanta Braves organization, will get to face his former team on Friday.

Wood (0-0, 3.86 ERA) will be opposed by righty Kevin Gausman (3-6, 5.97) in the second game of the four-game series at Atlanta's SunTrust Park.

The Braves won the series opener 4-1 on Thursday, a game shortened to six innings because of rain. The win allowed Atlanta to even the season series 3-3 and extend its lead in the National League East to seven games.

For Wood, the game will mean more than just a chance to return home. It will be another test to see if he is fully recovered from the back issues that kept him sidelined all season until a week ago.

Wood was acquired by the Reds in December as part of a seven-player trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But lower back spasms prevented him from pitching until Sunday. He looked good in his return, going 4 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts against the Colorado Rockies.

"Any time you go that long (without pitching), you question yourself," Wood told reporters afterward. "I stayed up thinking about everything. As soon as you step foot on the field, you start warming up, throw that first pitch off the mound, you know, everything kind of goes away, like I've still got it a little bit."

The Reds are treating Wood's return in the same manner as if they had picked up another good arm at the trade deadline.

"We kind of made an acquisition, getting Alex back," Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart said. "The guy pitched in the World Series and pitched on arguably the best team in baseball last year. That's a pretty damn good acquisition for us as a staff."

Wood grew up in Atlanta's Northwest suburbs and went to college at Georgia. He was drafted by the Braves and made his debut in 2013. He was dealt to the Dodgers in 2015 in a trade that is considered by Atlanta fans as one of the worst. Wood pitched in the 2015 All-Star Game and started a game in the 2017 World Series.

Wood will make his sixth career start against Atlanta. He is 2-3 with a 4.68 ERA in 25 innings over five starts.

Gausman had an uneven start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. He gave up six runs in six innings, primarily because of three home runs allowed -- including a grand slam to J.T. Realmuto. That lackluster effort came one start after Gausman beat the Washington Nationals by allowing one run in seven innings on the night he returned from the injured list with plantar fasciitis.

"He wasn't hitting spots with his fastball like he did the other day," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "He kind of escaped the one bases-loaded (situation) and was a strike away from getting out of the second one. I just think the fastball command wasn't quite as sharp as it was the other day."

Gausman is 0-2 with a 14.63 ERA in two previous starts against the Reds.

With the trade deadline expired, he will likely remain a key part of the rotation. The club is hopeful he will regain the form that allowed him to post a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts for the Braves after being acquired from Baltimore a year ago.

--Field Level Media