He allowed two baseunners in the third and a one-out double to Mike Olt off the center-field wall in the fifth but quickly induced two outs each time. Hudson retired the first eight batters until Arrieta grounded a single up the middle.
The three-time All-Star, who turns 39 in July, showed no signs of rust when he returned to the mound at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. “From a command standpoint, this is probably the best I’ve been,” Hudson said. He said he’s relying more on scouting reports, location and pitching to contact than trying to overpower hitters. Hudson joked that he tricks hitters with “smoke and mirrors” now before admitting that he’s just learned to be a better pitcher at this point in his career. That includes a rain-suspended game in his last start at Colorado, when he allowed one run in three innings coming off a hip injury. San Francisco is 5-0 in Hudson’s home starts and 7-2 overall. In a rotation that includes All-Stars Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Hudson has a 1.92 ERA. San Francisco’s most reliable starter also might be its most unlikely.