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With the Rotation Ailing, Tim Hudson must remain the Constant AceMay 20th, 2008
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Before the season started, it appeared as if the Braves would finally have the pitching depth in the starting rotation that it lacked over the last few years. They resigned Tom Glavine, after five seasons with the dreaded New York Mets. Mike Hampton, who hadn’t pitched an inning since 2005, had a good spring training. John Smoltz was on pace to remain his reliable self. Jair Jurrjens, the unproven rookie right-hander acquired from the Detroit Tigers in the Edgar Renteria trade, looked very impressive.
After 41 games, the Braves are 21-20. Glavine was recently placed on the 15-day DL for the first time in his 22-year career. He has since returned to the rotation and finally gained his first win as a Brave since 2002 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Smoltz has been on the DL twice and is headed for the bullpen – his own personal decision – when he returns in the upcoming weeks. Hampton, still plagued by the most absurd injuries, has yet to pitch in a major league game, despite two full years of rehabilitation. Jurrjens has been a pleasant surprise, but nothing to rave about. And the other spot starters – Chuck James, Jo Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle – have been mediocre at best.
Nothing the Braves planned about their rotation has come to fruition, except the steady reliability of ace pitcher Tim Hudson. When the Braves acquired Hudson from the Oakland Athletics in 2005, the hype he received from the media and Braves fans alike were accurately warranted and optimistically so. He had a 92-39 record for Oakland, best in the American League, with 81 wins in six seasons. He accrued a .702 winning percentage in that span.
Hudson hasn’t been as dominant for the Braves as he was for the A’s. Still, he has been worth every penny of the $47 million contract extension he got after his first year with the team. He is signed through 2009, with a club option for 2010, according to David O’ Brien, who covers the Braves for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. So, with the rotation in an interesting imbroglio, Hudson must step his game up in every start. He has the stuff to get the job done. His pitching repertoire includes a 90-plus mph fastball accompanied by a wicked slider and splitter.
Hudson can easily dominate a game when he pitches low in the strike zone. That is the critical key to his success. When Hudson gets rocked, his pitches have been belt high and in the middle of the plate. However, when Hudson is on his game, he induces multiple ground ball outs with stunning consistency. And, he can usually cruse through seven innings and give the Braves’ bullpen – which has already been decimated by injuries and overly taxed due to the overall disparity of the starting rotation – some much needed rest.
The good thing for the Braves is that they got Hudson, instead of Mark Moulder or Barry Zito – who were known as the Big Three when they played together in Oakland – because Moulder has been a regular on the disabled list for the St. Louis Cardinals and Zito is 0-7 with no velocity on his fastball and no bite on his curve ball for a struggling San Francisco Giants team.
Ultimately, Hudson must be the stopper the Braves need when they are in the mist of lengthy losing streaks. The carnage has to cease sometime, and why not start with Hudson, who was a fan of the Braves while growing up in his hometown of Columbus, Ga. He played his college ball at Auburn. “I always wondered if I would ever have an opportunity to wear a Braves uniform,” Hudson told the AJC. “This is a dream come true for me and my family.”
Going into tonight’s game against his former team – the first interleague matchup for the Braves this year – he is 6-2, with a 2.54 era in nine starts and 35 strikeouts. Hudson will surely have some emotional jitters to shake loose at the beginning of the game, and if he succeeds, the Braves should be on their way to another good home stand. If the trend of rotation ailments continues, Braves fans should be able to look towards “Huddy” for some relief every fifth day that he graciously takes the mound.
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