Two of the five best pitchers in the NL in 2014 were in the news on Thursday for different reasons.
Giants starting pitcher Tim Hudson will not make his next scheduled start due to a hip strain, the team announced via Twitter on Thursday. Yusmeiro Petit will start on Friday in place of Hudson, whose condition isn't serious enough at this point to warrant a trip to the disabled list, according to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly.
Hudson pitched through the issue last Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on eight hits in six innings while walking a batter for the second consecutive game, the first time he'd done that all year. Skipping the 38-year-old right-hander's spot in the rotation is no small deal; Hudson is the best pitcher in the National League at limiting walks and owns a 2.09 ERA through 60⅓ innings of work.
Still, his replacement is no slouch. Petit has 26 strikeouts and has walked only seven batters in 26 innings of work and was brilliant in his other emergency-start situation, tossing six scoreless innings against the Padres on April 29.
The Giants are normally one of the more fortunate teams in the league as far as health of their starting pitchers is concerned, but they've dealt with a bit of bad luck in that area so far this season. Hudson is the second Giants pitcher to miss a start in the early going, joining Matt Cain, who recently spent a couple of weeks on the disabled list after cutting himself while making a sandwich.
Cueto makes history
Johnny Cueto struck out eight and allowed only three hits and two walks in a complete-game shutout against the Padres in the Reds' 5-0 victory on Wednesday in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Cueto became the first pitcher in 105 years to begin a season with nine consecutive starts in which he lasted seven or more innings while allowing two or fewer runs.
The last pitcher to open a campaign with eight starts of at least seven innings with two or fewer runs allowed was Harry Krause of the Philadelphia A's in 1909.
Cueto has three complete games already this season and is averaging eight innings per start. He has not allowed more than five hits in any of his outings and leads the NL in ERA, complete games, shutouts, WHIP and hits per nine innings.
Mets pitchers end hitless streak
Last Sept. 25, Daisuke Matsuzaka reached on an infield single in the seventh inning of the Mets' 1-0 win over the Reds. That was the last time a Mets pitcher got a hit ... until Thursday:
Jacob deGrom line single to center field. Snaps 0-for-64 drought for Mets pitchers, tied for second-longest in MLB history.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) May 16, 2014The hit was one of only three for the Mets' offense, which spoiled a solid performance from deGrom in his first big league start. The 25-year-old rookie allowed only a run on four hits while striking out six batters in seven innings in his team's 1-0 loss to the Yankees.
Thursday scores
Reds 5, Padres 0
Padres 6, Reds 1
Twins 4, Red Sox 3 (10 innings)
Brewers 4, Pirates 3
Cardinals 5, Cubs 3
Blue Jays 4, Indians 2
Yankees 1, Mets 0
Orioles 2, Royals 1
Angels 6, Rays 5
Giants 6, Marlins 4