Tim Hudson posted by SF Giants Fan

Born July 14, 1975, Tim Hudson plays MLB for the San Francisco Giants as their pitcher. He mainly uses the sinker pitch at a speed of around 89 to 91 mph. The next most used pitch by him is the cutter at a range of 85 to 88 mph. However, for left-handers he also includes splitter at 79 to 82 mph and the curveball at 76 to 78 mph, apart from the sinker.

Hudson started playing baseball for his school and finished with a record of 12-1 and ERA of 1.78. Through college too, Hudson pitched excellently and in 1997, he played for the Tigers as an outfielder and pitcher. He finished with a record of 15-2, and ERA of 2.97, which earned him SEC Player of the Year honor.

Oakland Athletics drafted Hudson in 1997 in the sixth round of the draft, and he made his MLB debut in June 1999 when he played against the San Diego Padres. In the game, he allowed only three runs, but Athletics lost 5-3. Hudson recorded the first win of his career in June, playing against Los Angeles Dodgers. Here, in seven innings, he allowed only a single run with a 9-3 record.

In 2005, Hudson was traded by Athletics to the Atlanta Braves, and in August of the same year, Hudson earned his 100th win of his career, playing against St Louis Cardinals. However, he did not play well in the second season, but was back in good form in 2007, finishing the season with a record of 16-10 and ERA of 3.33. In November 2013, Hudson signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for $23 million. In August, he led his team to win 4-2 against the Colorado Rockies, and managed the 2000th strikeout of his career as well.

New season brings new hope posted by David

Two thousand eleven was a difficult year for Major League Baseball.  There was no strike, no brawl in which a player grabbed an elderly coach and threw him to the ground, and no collision between players that proved to be career-ending for anyone.  (Buster Posey should be fine this season.)  On the field, things were good.  In the stands and outside the park, however, tragedy struck the baseball world.

Christina Taylor Green, the nine-year-old granddaughter of former Phillies GM Dallas Green and daughter of Dodgers scout John Green, was shot and killed in Tucson at the Gabrielle Giffords Congress on Your Corner event in January.

Bryan Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan, was beaten nearly to death outside Dodger Stadium on Opening Day.

Shannon Stone, a firefighter, fell 20 feet in front of his six-year-old son at Rangers Ballpark in July and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Greg Halman, a 24-year-old Mariners outfielder, was stabbed to death in his native Holland in November, allegedly by his own brother.

Despite the tragedies that occurred in 2011 – both during the season and before it began, inside and outside the stadium, accident or intentional – it was heartening to hear about Barry Bonds’s offer to pay for Stow’s children to go to college.  I have personally never been a Bonds fan – and I’m still not – but I give credit where credit is due.  Detractors may say that it was just a publicity stunt to improve his image, and I can’t say for sure that it wasn’t, but does it really matter?  A wealthy athlete did something he didn’t have to do in order to help someone in need.

Longer series are good for ball posted by David

Postseason sweeps are great if your team comes out victorious, but for the fan who just wants to see a good series because his team is already done for the year, sweeps make October less exciting.  The Phillies and Yankees outplayed their first-round opponents so it was no surprise that the Reds and Twins failed to win a single game, but the other two division series were more fun to watch.  Additionally, the League Championship Series in both the AL and NL will last a minimum of six games, which is how it should be.  A postseason series that features one team in complete control over the other is like a boxing match in which one fighter KO’s the other in the first round, but then fights him again the next night and does it all over again.  A series that goes the distance (or a game shy of it), on the other hand, is good for ball.

How ‘bout that?

How about Cody Ross?  The Giants outfielder hit two home runs against Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the NLCS and added one off Roy Oswalt in Game 2 to provide San Francisco with its only run of the game.  This feat of power against two of the league’s best pitchers comes after Ross hit only three long balls in 33 games after coming over in a trade from the Marlins.  Though closer Brian Wilson has struck out six in 3.1 scoreless innings of work, Ross’s .375/.474/1.063 line as an everyday player makes him the favorite for the series MVP should his team eliminate the two-time defending NL Champs and play in the Fall Classic for the first time since 2002.

Pair of Triple Crown candidates duel it out posted by David

Albert Pujols and Joey Votto are having monster seasons.  Not only are the sluggers leading their teams in the playoff hunt – the Cardinals are 1.5 games back in the Wild Card race while the Reds lead the NL Central – but Pujols (.321, 34 HR, 93 RBI) and Votto (.326, 31 HR, 90 RBI) are the top two National Leaguers in each of the Triple Crown categories.  Both have strong cases for the MVP award, but if either one wins the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, it would be awfully hard for the voters not to choose him as the league’s Most Valuable Player.

How ‘bout that?

How about Billy Wagner?  The 39-year-old anchor of the Atlanta bullpen has saved 30 games, holds a 1.68 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, and did not give up a run in the entire month of June (11.1 innings, six hits, five walks, 17 strikeouts).  Wagner plans to retire at season’s end, and with the Braves currently leading the NL East, he’s looking for his first crack at the World Series and the opportunity to go out on top.

How about Carlos Gonzalez?  The Venezuelan outfielder is enjoying a fine year in his first full season as a big leaguer, hitting .320 with 26 homers, 84 RBI’s, and 20 stolen bases.  His batting average, .569 slugging percentage, and .922 OPS put him behind only Pujols and Votto in the National League.  Rockies fans can look forward to many years of watching Gonzalez display his talents at Coors Field.  At 24, he has a very promising career ahead of him.

How about the Twins?  Despite almost getting no-hit and losing three of four to the Rangers earlier this week, the Twinkies are 27-13 since the All-Star break, and hold a three-and-a-half game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central.  After losing cleanup man Justin Morneau to injury the week before the All-Star break, several Minnesota players have stepped up to the plate.  Since the break, birthday boy Jim Thome (now 40) is slugging .651, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel have driven in 33 and 32 runs, respectively, in 39 games, and Joe Mauer has raked to a line of .399/.476/.594 with 32 RBI’s in 36 games.

Buyer or Seller? posted by David

With the Dog Days of August about to begin, now is the time for teams to decide whether they are buyers or sellers – that is, whether they should mortgage their future and go for it this year or trade away their veterans for up-and-coming prospects.  “Going for it” says to a team’s fans that the organization thinks it has a legitimate chance to win it all, but a more conservative approach can send just as strong a message.  While a middle-of-the-pack team may have to acknowledge that this isn’t the year, going out and building for the future – as long as it is not the distant future – can usually be taken to mean that the front office is willing to sacrifice an outside shot at the playoffs in order to increase its chances of winning in the long term.  Buyer or seller, every GM will be busy until tomorrow’s trade deadline.

How ‘bout that?

How about Buster Posey?  The 22-year-old rookie has been on fire since taking over as the Giants’ starting catcher when Bengie Molina was traded to the Rangers.  Though his 21-game hitting streak came to an end on Thursday, Posey has helped San Francisco go 17-8 in the month of July, in the process taking the lead in the Wild Card race.  It won’t be easy to edge Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg, but Posey has a legitimate chance to claim the National League Rookie of the Year award.

How about José Bautista?  Bautista leads the power-happy Blue Jays with 75 RBI and a .585 slugging percentage (teammate Vernon Wells, who is second, has driven in 55 and slugged .515), but more impressively, leads the majors in homers.  The journeyman played for Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh before finding a home in Toronto, and while he has always shown some pop, the Dominican native’s previous career highs were 16 homers (2006), 63 RBI (2007), and a .420 slugging percentage (2006).

"Where Have You Been Pablo Sandoval?" posted by Michael McGauley

Could "The Panda" be snapping out of his slump? Pablo Sandoval was hitting bullets all over the place Friday night as the Giants finally offered some run support behind Matt Cain in a 5-0 win. Sandoval went 2-for-3 with a home run, a single, and a sac fly, driving in three of the team's five runs which was MORE than enough for Cain. The Giants' right-hander tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout with nine strike outs and zero walks in 122 pitches. Cain pitched well enough to win his last start against the A's, going 8-innings, and getting knicked for an unearned run in a 1-0 loss. The Giants scratched out seven hits off Arizona pitching, but were the beneficiary of six walks, five of which were courtesy of starter Edwin Jackson, who only allowed four hits through seven innings. Sandoval's eighth-inning blast over the center field wall came off struggling reliever Chad Qualls, who may be in jeopardy of losing his closers' job with the D-Backs. By the way, Freddy Sanchez banged out two more hits and drove in a run, boosting his average to .290 while playing brilliantly at second base. Sandoval's average was bumped up to .283, and inched closer to the .300 plateau that we've come to expect (.330 in 2009). NOW FOR THE NEWS... Buster Posey's time is now! The Giants have called up their prized prospect to play some first base and maybe catch once a week, as he continues to get his feet wet at the major league level (after last year's brief September debut). Posey has been tearing up Triple-A with a .349 average, .442 on-base percentage, and 32 RBI's. ApContinue reading ""Where Have You Been Pablo Sandoval?""

"The Giants' Bats Show Some Signs of Life Against the Nats" posted by Michael McGauley

Hey, nothing like snapping out of a five-game slide with some timely hitting! The Giants beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 Tuesday night in the first game of a fresh nine-game home stand after limping through a miserable 1-and-6 road-trip.  The Giants took a few innings, by finally settled in against old friend Livan Hernandez with two outs in the fith. Five consecutive hits plated all four runs, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Freddy Sanchez. Pablo Sandoval folliwed with a double off the left field wall to score Sanchez. The rally against Livan was rare thus far in 2022, as the veteran Nationals right-hander came into the game with an ERA below two (it ballooned to 2.08 after last night).  Four runs was enough for Todd Wellemeyer: a guy who was really pitching with his back against the wall, and one foot out the door if he didn't come through. Not only did Wellemeyer toss a solid six-innings (two runs and four hits and two strikeouts), but he actually ignited "the rally" at the plate with a two-out bloop single. Wellemeyer actually has one more victory (three) than both Matt Cain and Jonothan Sanchez (two each). The line-up: I like the changes, and I'm very impressed that Aubrey Huff didn't blink. He just went out there and manned left field like he'd been out there all season. Unfortunately, Mark DeRosa is probably not going to contribute much this year if anything at all, and moving Huff to left allows Juan Uribe to play everyday at third base, and takes some pressure off Pablo by moving him over to first base. This one-Continue reading ""The Giants' Bats Show Some Signs ..."

"Time for the Giants to Focus on the Rockies and Not Wednesday's Disaster" posted by Michael McGauley

Okay Giants' fans, it's time to get over Wednesday's loss, and get ready for the Rockies Friday night. Hey, I can be just as greedy as anyone, especially when it comes to a potential three-game sweep of the defending N.L. Champion Phillies. Everything was looking good: Lincecum on the mound, a three-run lead in the top of the 9th, and Brian Wilson getting loose in the pen should Timmy run out of gas. Then, with one out, a four-pitch walk to Shane Victorino, Bochy yanks Lincecum after 106 pitches, and Wilson cannot close the door. Jayson Werth's bases-clearing bloop double down the right field line tied the game at 4-4. In my opinion, total fluke! Wilson had not allowed a single run all season, and actually retired the first batter he faced. There were two outs before Utley singled and Howard walked to load the bases. Listen, if Wilson had finished off the game as he usually does, we wouldn't be having this endless discussion about Bochy's ill-fated pitching change. If he had left Timmy finish the game and he blew it, the same people would be criticizing Bochy FOR NOT making a move. It's really an impossible position for the skipper. I don't mind seeing Lincecum throw 120 pitches, but you have to figure it will make a difference later in the season once he exceeds the 200-inning plateau. If Bochy can save him, and limit the pitch count here and there, it could keep him fresher into September, and that's really the big picture. Don't pound your horses into the ground in April. Yes, it would have been nice to see the complete game, but IT IS Wilson's job to slam the door, and Wednesday just wasn't his day.

Jason Heyward: Instant Hit posted by David

When the Atlanta Braves announced during the last week of spring training that Jason Heyward had made the big league roster, it made headlines in part because both Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman were being assigned to the minors.  However, after winning the starting right fielder’s job in Atlanta, the 20-year-old phenom wasted no time before impressing the baseball world by launching a three-run home run in his very first major league at-bat.  Batting seventh in the lineup behind Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and others has limited the pressure on the 14th overall pick in the 2007 draft, but before long, you can expect to see Heyward taking his hacks in the cleanup spot.

How ‘bout that?

How about Albert Pujols?  Picking up where he left off at the end of the 2009 season, Pujols collected four hits – including two home runs – on Opening Day.  The Cardinals slugger has been nothing but superhuman in the batter’s box; unless he suffers an injury, he will likely win his third straight (and fourth overall) Most Valuable Player Award.

How about Vernon Wells?  Looking to bounce back from a disappointing season (.260/.311/.400), Wells has already hit four home runs and boasts a .600 batting average.  The centerfielder became the first Blue Jay in history to homer in the team’s first three games of the year and played a major role in Toronto winning its first series of 2022 over Texas.

How about the Giants?  Led by shortstop Edgar Renteria’s .727 batting average (eight hits in 11 at-bats), San Francisco has continued to play well, sweeping a three-game series in Houston following a 23-12 record in spring training.  Not only are the Giants the only team yet to lose a regular season game, they have not even trailed at any point.  Though it is far too early to call a winner, the Giants will hope their fast start is a sign of things to come as they eye their first division title since 2003.

"The Braves will Pose a Tougher Test for the Giants this weekend" posted by Michael McGauley

AT LAST, regular season baseball to discuss! I wasn't too shocked by the final roster moves, and like the veteran additions to the bull pen with Mota, and to the starting staff with Wellemeyer. More on that in a minute. Not to bring up a sore point right out of the box, but I saw that Brad Penny pitched very well (seven strong innings and a no decision) in his St.Louis debut Thursday -- a 2-1 loss to the Reds. Hey, nice start for the Giants in Houston, and a rock-solid start for Lincecum, Zito, and (almost) Cain. The "Cainer" got burned by a couple of bad breaks Wednesday, and pitched better than the final stat line may indicate (notice zero walks in the stat line). Timmy and Barry though were quite good. I expected as much from the two-time defending Cy Young winner (seven shutout innings), but Zito has been consistently bad in the early stages of the season, only to finish with a flurish. He leaves us wanting more through a long off-season only to disappoint all over again in April. Well, at least for one start, we as fans definitely got some pleasure with five k's and just three hits allowed in six shutout innings. The Astros are wounded without Lance Berkman in the middle of that line-up, and the Giants needed to and did take advantage. However, they also beat a pair of top-notch starters in Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez with just enough offense.  The Giants were putting rallies together in the first couple of games that make a baseball geek like me excited. Sustained rallies, advancing the runner, taking some walksContinue reading ""The Braves will Pose a Tougher Test ..."

Watch: Patriots' Julian Edelman hits a ball over Fenway's Green Monster (Shu

Edelman, entering his eighth season in the NFL, was at Fenway Park on Wednesday, before his adopted team, the Red Sox, hosted his childhood team, the San Francisco Giants. According to Edelman, he hit “six or seven”balls over the famed Green Monster. Edelman got to spend some time with Red Sox third-base coach Brian Butterfield, a huge Patriots fan, and also met third baseman Travis Shaw, who like Edelman played at Kent State. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Watch: Patriots' Julian Edelman hits a ball over Fenway's Green Monster (Shu

Edelman, entering his eighth season in the NFL, was at Fenway Park on Wednesday, before his adopted team, the Red Sox, hosted his childhood team, the San Francisco Giants. According to Edelman, he hit “six or seven”balls over the famed Green Monster. Edelman got to spend some time with Red Sox third-base coach Brian Butterfield, a huge Patriots fan, and also met third baseman Travis Shaw, who like Edelman played at Kent State. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

AP source: Yanks discussing deal to send Chapman to Cubs (The Associated Press)

Aroldis Chapman and the rest of the New York Yankees dressed in their Sunday best for a flight to Houston following a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants that completed a 6-4 homestand. New York was discussing a trade that would send Chapman to the Chicago Cubs as part of a swap that would bring 19-year-old shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres to the Yankees, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing and New York owner Hal Steinbrenner had not made any final decision. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Reds-Giants preview (The Associated Press)

Veteran right-hander Jake Peavy will seek to extend two impressive streaks when the San Francisco Giants open a week-long homestand Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds' lone win of the series came against Peavy, the 35-year-old veteran of four teams -- the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and now the Giants. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Watch: Patriots' Julian Edelman hits a ball over Fenway's Green Monster (Shu

Edelman, entering his eighth season in the NFL, was at Fenway Park on Wednesday, before his adopted team, the Red Sox, hosted his childhood team, the San Francisco Giants. According to Edelman, he hit “six or seven”balls over the famed Green Monster. Edelman got to spend some time with Red Sox third-base coach Brian Butterfield, a huge Patriots fan, and also met third baseman Travis Shaw, who like Edelman played at Kent State. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports