After starters Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery were traded at the deadline, the St. Louis Cardinals chose to put their faith in their internal options for the remainder of the 2023 season.
One of those pitchers is Dakota Hudson, who had seemingly fallen out of favor but is making some key improvements.
After a seven-inning outing against the Minnesota Twins, Hudson followed it up with a five-inning, three-run start against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, leading the Cardinals to a 6-4 win.
After the game, Hudson talked about his recent upward trend and how things have been different for him since returning to the rotation, via Bally Sports Midwest.
Hudson on stringing together good starts: “I’m here to win ball games, and I feel like whenever I’m out there, the team has my back. I felt like Willson (Contreras) has been a warrior back there for me the last couple, and I know Knizner is right there behind him.” #STLCards pic.twitter.com/xBaxDx0qF0
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) August 10, 2023
Hudson was frustrated over home runs he had given up to Jose Siri and Wander Franco.
However, he talked about keeping the ball on the ground and letting the Cardinals defense do their work.
The young right-hander has always been more of a ground-ball pitcher than a strikeout pitcher.
He threw 73 pitches over his five innings of work, and expressed confidence in himself, believing he’ll make some key improvements in his next start, especially considering that he was able to keep his pitch count down, despite the numbers not being great.
Hudson says that even with the Cardinals out of contention, he is happy to be back at the Major League level and contributing for the team, stating that his goal is to win games.
He also praised catchers Willson Contreras and Andrew Knizner for their guidance behind the plate and said he feels like the team has his back.
NEXT:
New Cardinals Pitching Prospect Had A Must-See Debut
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