Hudson painless after rehab start

By JOSH HOKE

For the AJC

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Tim Hudson’s comeback from Tommy John surgery started without any hiccups and, more importantly, any pain.

Atlanta’s 34-year-old pitcher threw 27 pitches over two innings with the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans on Sunday. Seeing his first game action since undergoing surgery on his throwing elbow last August, Hudson struck out two batters and walked one without surrendering a hit.

“I feel very, very relieved,” Hudson said. “I feel really good. That was an adrenaline rush I hadn’t had in a long time. Everything felt good. My arm felt great. It was exciting out there in the first inning. I hadn’t been out there in a while. I’m looking forward to my next one.

“You really don’t know how it’s going to respond in a game-type situation. All my speeds were good. My velocity was as good as it’s been in a really long time. That was encouraging to see. ... It let me know my stuff is still good.”

Mixing his full compliment of pitches, Hudson hit 90-plus miles per hour with his fastball and successfully worked the corners with his cutter and slider. Pelicans catcher Benji Johnson called a random array of pitches, allowing Hudson to work through his entire arsenal.

Hudson struck out the first batter he faced on four pitches. After giving up a five-pitch walk, he threw 14 of his next 18 pitches for strikes, retiring the final five Winston-Salem batters he faced. Seventeen of Hudson’s 27 total pitches were strikes.

“It’s really rewarding when you step over a hurdle and get through it with success,” Hudson said. “Today was just one of those hurdles I was able to get under my belt, one of a few more I have to do to get back to the big leagues.

“The challenging part is going out there and pitching multiple innings and sitting down in between innings and seeing how it feels after you sit on the bench.”

Hudson last pitched on July 23, 2008, throwing six scoreless innings in a 9-4 win over the Florida Marlins. He left the game early with elbow discomfort and had surgery on Aug. 8.

The Braves plan to bring Hudson along slowly, limiting his innings over the next few weeks. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and make a three-inning start with the Pelicans on Thursday, Myrtle Beach pitching coach Guy Hansen said.

“That’s the game plan assuming everything goes the way we anticipate it will,” said Hansen, adding that he is more focused on limiting Hudson’s workload than finding flaws in his mechanics.

“There weren’t any special instructions like make sure he’s not overstriding or doing this or doing that,” he said. “He’s a veteran guy, so he knows what he’s doing. I’m brash enough and I have enough experience that if I see something I’ll likely comment on it, but I don’t think it’s going to get into too much depth. He knows what he’s doing.”