ATLANTA (AP) -Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez had an MRI on his ailing left elbow Thursday and reported no major problems.
Gonzalez, the former Pittsburgh closer who was acquired during the offseason to bolster Atlanta’s bullpen, arrived at Turner Field about 90 minutes before the Braves faced the Chicago Cubs.
“Everything was great,” he said. “It was just what we were expecting: a little bit of inflammation, a little tenderness. We just wanted to make sure because of what happened last year that nothing had been going on with the ligament. It was the best result we could get.”
After saving 24 games in as many chances for the Pirates in 2006, Gonzalez sat out the final month of the season because of tightness in his left forearm. The Braves insisted he was fully recovered when they acquired him from Pittsburgh for slugging first baseman Adam LaRoche.
Gonzalez struggled in spring training and hasn’t been as dominating as he was with the Pirates. He has worked in seven games, giving up eight hits in 6 1-3 innings with a 2.84 ERA. He also has six walks and only four strikeouts.
Gonzalez expects to sit out only a couple of games with his latest injury problem, which he blamed on frigid conditions for several games. He said it was a much different pain than the one that forced him to shut down last season.
“I had never felt that type of soreness, so I just wanted to make sure,” he said. “I didn’t want to push it so early in the season. I wanted to make sure it’s right.”
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