for the 14th time in his career and second with the Cleveland Indians this year.
Clevelands closer didnt pitch this season until May 8 because of a strained muscle in his upper back that landed him on the DL during spring training. Now, he has a blistered right index finger.
“Kerry was dealing with this for a while and it just didnt get better during the All-Star break,” manager Manny Acta said Saturday. “He wasnt available Friday, though we didnt want to say anything and let the guys in the other dugout know.
“With a doubleheader today, we just couldnt risk being caught short in the bullpen.”
Cleveland recalled reliever Jensen Lewis from Triple-A Columbus to replace Wood, who last pitche and worse,” Wood said after Cleveland beat Detroit 4-3 in Game 1 on Saturday.
“I first got a little blister right after I came off the DL, but worked through it. It came back a couple weeks ago, then split on Sunday. Hopefully, I stopped pitching before it got too bad.”
Wood has had an uneven second season with Cleveland, which signed him to a $20 million, two-year contract before the 2009 season. With the Indians rebuilding and in last place in the AL Central, the team may try to trade him to a contender before the July 31 deadline.
The 33-year-old right-hander is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA and eight saves in 23 games this season. He went 3-3 with 20 saves in his first year with Cleveland.
Wood burst upon the big league scene as a 20-year-old starter for the Chicago Cubs in 1998, striking out 20 in a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros in his fifth career start. He missed the entire 1999 season after elbow surgery in March, mark the last coming in July 2008 because of a blistered right index finger.
“This one isnt as bad,” Wood said. “The thing is, I never had this as a starter. I even had a little one last year but it didnt get bad enough to keep me out.”
