Braves Win Series Behind Hudson’s Gem

After some struggles earlier in the season against Philadelphia, Tim Hudson stepped up and dominated the Phillies lineup to win 2-1.  This gave the Braves the series and essentially knocked the Phillies out of wild-card contention.  The Braves’ clutch offense showed up again, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while the Phillies only had one official at-bat, with both teams hitting a sacrifice fly.

• The difference in the game was a solo homer by David Ross in the second inning.  It gave him eight on the year, which is the most for him in a season since 2007.
• Hudson was not dominant, striking out four and walking one in 7.1 IP.  He induced his typical number of grounders, but allowed five line drives, only allowing two hits, the Phillies’ only hits, on those five batted balls.
• The Braves lineup struck out 13 times, as Jason Heyward and Hudson were the only starters to not strike out.  Amazingly, the Braves are now 3-3 in their 13+ K games.
• Craig Kimbrel threw a perfect ninth for his 39th save.  Using FanGraphs’ Shutdown/Meltdown stat, relief outings with a +.06 or better WPA or -.06 or worse, Kimbrel has 30 shutdowns and four meltdowns.  Baltimore’s Jim Johnson leads the world with a 44/3 ratio.

Sep 22, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE