Atlanta Braves keep their nerve in the ninth to beat Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 - MLB Update
Starter Tim Hudson returns and records his first win as the Atlanta Braves record a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia on April 29, 2012.
With a last year all-star starter Jair Jurrjens being sent packing to the Minor League after poor outings in the season, substitute of his calibre was needed for the Braves.
Hudson’ entry can go a long way in this regard. The fact Hudson also has to spend few games before re-instating his control, one can go slow in believing that the Braves can have some smooth sailing with his mere presence in the rotation.
It was never an easy win for the Braves. They had to play out of their skin in the top of the ninth to contain the Pirates’ batters.
Braves went in a tortoise style, with one run added in each of the third, fourth and fifth inning. They trailed by two runs before Freddie Freeman managed a sacrifice fly scoring Hudson in the bottom of the third.
Then right in the next inning, Dan Uggla scored at the back of a double by Tyler Pastornicky and tied the score.
A homer by left-fielder Martin Prado in the seventh put the Braves in a solid position before the Pirates came up with slight resistance in the ninth.
Despite the win, Hudson was far from his best. In five innings, he allowed two runs, gave up six hits and struck-out six.
Commenting on his performance after the game, Hudson acknowledged that his fastballs were a bit awry, however the cutter went well.
"My cutter was pretty good, coming in on the lefties. My fastball wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but it was good enough. ... I was able to keep them off-balance good enough and locate just good enough," he said.
He went on to confess the struggling moments he went through on the mound.
"It wasn't a great day from me, stuff-wise, but I feel like it was step better from me than my last time out, my last rehab start," he said.
The way the Braves won today tells something about patience and control on nerves they can manage even during critical junctures of the game. This is a competitive edge which they will like to uphold in their upcoming games down the line.
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