Tim Hudson is working to get himself back to Atlanta so he can dominate the league the way he has for nearly a decade now. Despite undergoing back surgery just a few short months ago to repair a herniated disk, Hudson is making rehab starts in the Minor Leagues and is projected to return by the start of May. After working two innings last week, the 36-year-old veteran made yet another start for the Rome Braves on Thursday.
His stat line wasn't very impressive, but Hudson said he felt great afterwards. This is great news for the Braves.
Hudson worked four innings and allowed five runs to score on nine hits, although many of the balls put in play just managed to scoot under a defender's glove. He did not allow any homers and gave up just one extra-base hit. Working on just getting comfortable on the mound, Hudson paid very little attention to base runners and came away with just one strikeout.
As he told the AJC following his performance:
"For the most part I feel pretty good where I'm at physically, just got to make some better pitches," Hudson said. "Obviously that's going to come as I have more time on the mound and more bullpens, working on that kind of stuff on the side."
Look for Hudson to have at least two more Minor League rehab appearances, with a third possible depending on how he feels. You have to remember he missed just about all of Spring Training. For a veteran like he is, his body is about a month behind right now.