Hudson Takes on Pads
Tim Hudson has been dominant at home, and so have the Atlanta Braves. They look to keep up their winning ways at Turner Field on Wednesday when their three-game series continues against the slumping San Diego Padres.
Hudson (4-2, 2.95 ERA) has won all three of his starts at home while posting a 1.66 ERA and is coming off his best effort of the three, a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over Cincinnati on Friday.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Atlanta -158 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 81% of bets for this game have been placed on Atlanta -158 (View MLB Bet Percentages). Bet this game.
Braves catcher Brian McCann said the right-hander’s changeup was sharper than in his previous three starts, in which he had just one win.
"It was unbelievable," McCann said. "It had another gear. He was really pulling the string off it. When he attacks a guy in the zone, he’s the best in the game. He did that tonight and showed you why he’s every bit as good as advertised."
Hudson is 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA in five lifetime starts versus the Padres and won his lone outing against them last year.
The Braves (16-15) improved to an NL-best 12-4 at home with Tuesday’s 5-3 victory in the series opener, their fifth straight win at Turner Field.
Chipper Jones, who has been dominant regardless of venue, homered for the second straight game and is 8-for-15 with two homers and eight RBIs through four games of this six-game homestand.
"I don’t know how he does it, but I hope he keeps doing it the whole season," Braves winning pitcher Jair Jurrjens said of his third baseman. "He’s one of the best."
Jones is 29-for-62 (.468) with five homers and 19 RBIs in Atlanta’s 16 home games, and 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers lifetime against scheduled Padres starter Randy Wolf.
Left fielder Mark Kotsay, who also has homered in back-to-back games, is 13-for-29 (.448) with nine RBIs during his current seven-game hitting streak. He also has enjoyed success against Wolf, going 6-for-14 with a homer.
The Padres (12-21) have lost 15 of 19 and share the worst record in the majors with Colorado.
Wolf (2-1, 3.57) looks to help them get on the right track. He pitched well enough for a win in his last outing Thursday at Philadelphia, where he limited his former team to two runs and struck out nine in six innings.
The left-hander, though, did not get a decision in San Diego’s 3-2 loss.
"I thought his stuff was good," Padres manager Bud Black told the team’s official Web site. "He executed his pitches. He just made the two mistakes."
Wolf is 4-9 with a 5.02 ERA in 23 games – 21 starts – versus the Braves, and is winless in seven starts against them since a victory on Sept. 9, 2003, when he pitched for the Phillies. He has not had a decision in his last four starts against Atlanta, including two last year as he was reached for seven runs and 11 hits in 8 1-3 innings.
San Diego may need Wolf to pitch deep into the game as Black shuffles his bullpen. Kevin Cameron sprained his elbow after throwing just three pitches on Tuesday, and Wilfredo Ledezma – the team’s best long reliever – will be starting Thursday in place of the ineffective Justin Germano.
Padres third baseman Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with two homers lifetime versus Hudson, Brian Giles is 6-for-12 and Jim Edmonds is 7-for-16 with a homer.
Here are some top trends for tonight’s game:
– WOLF is 4-9 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 4.96 and a WHIP of 1.496.
– HUDSON is 2-0 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 4.88 and a WHIP of 1.699.
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