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The last time Tim Hudson pitched in a game before Sunday was July 24, 2013. It's easy to get cynical about spring games and performances not meaning anything, it means something that he's pitching at all.
And pitching well, too. Hudson allowed one runner in two innings, though, and that came on his own error. He had to cover first for the first time since his ankle was shattered into a million pieces covering first, and he dropped the ball. Maybe he wasn't thinking about the injury or his footwork, but I know I would have been. I probably would have just hung out on the mound and asked for the ball back.
Hudson looked good, and most of the positive events came from the players who are going to start a lot of games this season, like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Joaquin Arias.
Happy fun facts
- Hudson didn't allow a hit or a walk. In the last two months before his injury, Hudson was something of a monster, with a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts. He averaged almost seven innings per start. Not going to lie, I wouldn't mind that kind of production this year, so I'll take the good news as it comes
- The players who got the hits were the players you care about. The players who gave up the runs were the players you don't. That's how spring games are supposed to work.
- Paul Goldschmidt didn't even get a hit, so he's probably going to have a bad year. The Tims have changed, man. Tims have changed.
Grist for the pessimist mill
- Nothing really. Hudson allowed three balls in the air out of five balls put in play? Dunno, that's about it.
- Shane Victorino is not in Arizona, so the odds of him getting stung by a scorpion are quite low.
So after four games, we have Happy Fun Facts leading Pessimistic Notes, 2-0. The first game was a tie because I didn't think to do this format yet. All signs point toward another World Series. Or, at least, a coveted Cactus League championship. Should be exciting.