As the Giants filed out of the clubhouse Wednesday night, Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy sat in the manager's office, feet up as they happily looked at the television. It was a picture of two men who can feel very good about the April their team just had, and even better about the months that preceded it.
Offseason acquisitions Michael Morse and Brandon Hicks provided the big hits in a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres and Tim Hudson did the rest, coming one strike away from a complete game.
Hudson, the biggest acquisition of the offseason, had a 2.17 ERA in his first month as a Giant, striking out 31 and walking just two in 452/3 innings. He has more wins (four) than the other four starters combined (three) and led the way as the Giants won 17 games before May 1 for the first time since 2003.
"It's unrealistic to think it's going to be like this all year," Hudson said. "But I'm going to do all I can to keep it going."
If Hudson can keep the same pace, he won't just increase the Giants' chances of making the postseason. He'll also have them feeling surprisingly well rested if they get there. Hudson threw just 89 pitches before giving way to closer Sergio Romo with two outs in the ninth. Romo needed five more pitches to clinch a two-hour, 17-minute win at AT&T Park.
Catcher Buster Posey, who had an RBI single, was one of several Giants who said he didn't even feel like he had played nine innings thanks to Hudson's pace.
"I love it," Posey said. "You catch that many pitches in four or five innings sometimes."
On an 80-degree night, Hudson worked quickly from the start, throwing eight pitches in a clean first inning. If a teammate took a bathroom break during any of the ensuing innings, he likely missed the entire thing. Hudson entered the night leading the majors in fewest pitches per inning at 12.6 and he was at just 40 pitches through four and 60 through six. When he walked off to a loud ovation after seven shutout innings, Hudson had thrown 69 pitches, just 19 of which were balls. He soon had a 3-0 lead and looked headed for his first complete game since June 5, 2012. - See more at: http://www.fancyjersey.com
No comments:
Post a Comment