Braun gets night off to rest stiff back

MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun missed another start on Wednesday, not with the sore right wrist that sidelined him for back-to-back games over the weekend, but with stiffness in his surgically repaired lower back.
The Brewers anticipated occasional flare-ups after Braun underwent surgery in October for a herniated disk. He missed a handful of games near the end of Spring Training but started 34 of the Brewers' first 40 regular-season games.
"I thought before the season [Braun should be targeted for] 140," manager Craig Counsell said before a game against the Cubs. "So we're right on pace for that. Guys come up with stuff [that keep them out of the lineup]. There's going to be stuff here and there. We're right on schedule to what I was anticipating."
In other medical matters:
• Will Smith completed an extended bullpen session as scheduled, marking his third time on the mound since tearing a ligament on the outside of his right knee during Spring Training.
Smith's next step is throwing a live batting practice session on Saturday in New York. If that goes well, he will leave the team next week for a series of outings on a Minor League rehabilitation assignment.
"We're not going to put a strict number on it," Counsell said. "But the first couple of times we'll want him to have some days off. We'll want him to go back-to-back. So, it's somewhere in that range."
• Starter Matt Garza (right lat) and reliever Corey Knebel (left oblique) are nearing significant milestones of their own. Garza is scheduled to throw off a mound for the first time on Thursday, and Knebel on Friday.
Because Garza must stretch out to 100 pitches, his process will take significantly longer than Knebel's.