Aug. 1, 2010
NEW YORK -- Former ODU pitching standout Dan Hudson ('08) was impressive in his Arizona debut, as he tossed eight innings to lead the Arizona D-backs past the Mets, 14-1, on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
Hudson, who was acquired from the White Sox on Friday, got plenty of support from first baseman Adam LaRoche, who smacked a pair of three-run home runs to compile a career-high six RBIs.
Hudson fanned four and walked one and helped out offensively with a two-run single in the fifth, the first hit of his big league career.
Hudson improves his record to 2-1 with a 4.56 ERA.
D-backs interim manager Kirk Gibson said right-hander Daniel Hudson was nervous prior to his start Sunday.
If that was the case, he sure did a good job of hiding it during the game.
Hudson allowed just one run on three hits over eight innings as he pitched the D-backs past the Mets, 14-1, in his first appearance since coming to Arizona from the White Sox in a deal that included Edwin Jackson.
"If he pitches like that every time, we'll be happy," Gibson said with a smile. "He threw the ball well. I know he was really nervous, and then we got some runs and he settled in."
Hudson, who made three appearances with the White Sox this year and six last season, allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the first, and then did not allow another hit until there was one out in the eighth.
"I might have been a little nervous," Hudson said. "I mean, nobody likes to do bad the first time out for any team, so I was just a little jacked up there in the beginning, but I was able to settle down."
Consider his teammates' first impression of him a good one.
"Hudson came out and was unbelievable," said first baseman Adam LaRoche. "What can you say? That's not a real easy lineup. It was good to put some runs up there for him, give him a comfortable lead and watch him go."
Said third baseman Mark Reynolds: "He threw strikes, good sinker, pounded the zone, and that's what you've got to do to be successful. He did a great job today. He was locating well."
Meanwhile, Hudson was using primarily his fastball and changeup to carve through the Mets' lineup. His slider and curveball are still works in progress.
"I was able to throw some changeups in hitters counts, which maybe kept them off balance a little bit," Hudson said. "I didn't use too many breaking balls today. When you get that many runs scored for you, you realize you don't have to be perfect out there. Sometimes those things can turn around and bite you a little bit if you don't have good command, but I had decent command of a couple of pitches today and was able to get some quick outs."