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SAN FRANCISCO -- It didnt take Tim Hudson very long to establish himself as the ace of the San Francisco Giants rotation. James Jones Black Jersey . One month into the season, the three-time All-Star is looking just as sharp and crisp as ever. Not even a close play at first base that was eerily reminiscent to the one that resulted in a shattered right ankle last July was enough to rattle the right-hander. Hudson and Sergio Romo combined on a five-hitter and the Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 on Wednesday night. "He just put on a clinic," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "He stayed down the whole game, had good movement, changed speeds and threw strike one. If you want to show young pitchers how to do it, thats how you do it." Hudson (4-1) struck out six and didnt walk a batter for the fourth time in five starts this season. The Giants most consistent starter in his first season with the club, Hudson has walked two batters in 46 innings. The 38-year-old was one pitch from recording his first shutout in nearly two years before Yasmani Grandals two-out home run in the ninth. "It was definitely an economical night," Hudson said after throwing 89 pitches. "I was able to get down in the strike zone and stay down in the zone, work ahead in the count. Guys were making some good plays behind me. It was a fun night for us." Brandon Hicks homered and Michael Morse drove in his team-leading 20th RBI for the Giants, who finished 5-1 on their homestand. Cameron Maybin doubled and scored for San Diego, which has lost 10 consecutive series at AT&T Park. Hudson allowed only one runner past second base until Grandals home run in the ninth, and had two stretches where he retired nine straight batters. The right-hander helped his cause at the plate with a single in the second and a key sacrifice bunt in the seventh that put the eventual winning run in scoring position. He also survived a scare while covering first base to take the throw from Brandon Belt and retire Jace Peterson to end the fifth. The play brought back memories of last season when Hudson collided with Eric Young of the New York Mets and suffered a gruesome season-ending ankle injury. "Im not as quick as I used to be getting to first," Hudson said. "That kid was getting down the line pretty good. The old guy had to put it into overdrive to beat him." Hudson was sharp early and needed only 19 pitches to retire the first seven batters. After giving up a one-out single to Peterson in the third, the three-time All-Star struck out San Diego pitcher Robbie Erlin and Everth Cabrera. The only other hits the Padres managed came on a two-out double by Grandal in the fourth, a single by Jedd Gyorko in the seventh and a leadoff double by Maybin in the eighth. Maybin scored on Alexi Amaristas groundout. "You cant let a guy like that get ahead in the count," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Hell really give you fits. Those pitches that were early count swings looked to me as though they were in good spots today. We just didnt hit them." The Giants, playing without leadoff hitter Angel Pagan and third baseman Pablo Sandoval, backed Hudson with just enough offence. Every starter except leadoff man Juan Perez had at least one hit. Hunter Pence singled, stole second and scored on Morses two-out double off the wall in right in the first. Hicks fifth home run of the season leading off the second made it 2-0. Erlin (1-4) pitched out of jams in the third and fourth but lost his fourth straight start. He left with two outs in the seventh, struck out five and walked one. Buster Poseys RBI single off reliever Dale Thayer drove in Joaquin Arias to put the Giants up 3-0. After Grandals homer cut San Franciscos lead to 3-2, Romo retired pinch-hitter Chris Denorfia for his seventh save. Pagan was given the night off to rest his sore right knee while the slumping Sandoval also rested. Sandoval went into the night batting just .177 with only six RBIs. NOTES: Gyorko was reinstated from the paternity leave list before the game. To make room, San Diego optioned Tommy Medica to Triple-A El Paso. ... Padres LF Carlos Quentin, on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, will re-join the big league club for a workout at Petco Park before Fridays game against Arizona. The team will then determine where Quentin goes to begin a rehab assignment. ... RHP Tim Lincecum (1-1), who starts the series opener, has a 2.99 ERA in 13 career starts against the Braves. ... RHP Andrew Cashner, San Diegos starter against Arizona, has a 0.81 ERA at Petco Park this season. Rod Streater Elite Jersey . -- One game. After a season featuring more losses than wins, thats all that separates the New York Knicks and the final post-season spot in the weak Eastern Conference standings. Tyvon Branch Black Jersey . Now shes ready to make waves in the U.S. Pace shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to grab a share of the third-round lead with Laura Diaz in the Marathon Classic. She can barely express what a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour might bring.SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs have said their goal this season was not to have the leagues best record. But once it was in sight, they went for it. Danny Green had a career-high 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 112-104 on Friday and clinch home-court throughout the playoffs. "Its a big plus," Green said. "Its not something we were focused on, but we know it will help us. Well be at home for most of the playoffs. The biggest thing for us is to stay healthy and to build chemistry. Winning games in the process helps and we get home-court advantage. Thats just the extra bonus for us." Eric Bledsoe had 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to lead Phoenix (47-32), which fell into a tie with Memphis for the Wests eighth seed. Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for the Spurs and Tony Parker added 18 points and three assists in his return from a two-game absence due to a back injury. Green was 7 for 10 on 3-pointers in pushing San Antonio (62-18) to victory without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, who both sat out the second game of a back-to-back for rest. It appeared the remaining Spurs were taking the night off, too, as the Suns ran past them early. Phoenix took a 35-14 lead with 2 minutes left in the first quarter and was shooting 60 per cent from the field midway through the second quarter. "(The Spurs) could have said, Oh, its tough, three (games) in four nights, back-to-back, and were just going to take a blow tonight." San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "But they didnt do it. Those guys have a lot of pride. I think some of the assistant coaches got on them; cause you know I didnt, I just kind of watched a little bit." Popovich was able to jest about his demeanour, but the mood was sombre in the Suns locker room. Phoenix faces the seventh-seeded Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday night before hosting the Grizzlies on Monday and playing at Sacramento on Wednesday. The Suns likely must win out for any chance to reach the post-season. "We dont have much choice; our season is on the line,&qquot; Bledsoe said. Rod Streater Youth Jersey. . Making matters worse is Phoenix appeared to have Fridays game well in hand until it was outscored 37-19 in the third quarter. "They do what they always do, they lock in in the second half," Bledsoe said. "When theyre down, they dont panic. We had too many good shots and good looks early. We thought we were going to come in the second half and it was going to be easy like the first half and we just werent as aggressive or locked in." After a sluggish start, Parker took over offensively to spark a 29-14 run to close the third quarter. Parker hit a 15-foot jumper, a 3-foot driving jumper and an 18-footer before Green hit a 3-pointer to pull San Antonio within 72-68 with 6:45 left in third. "I was just trying to be aggressive," Parker said. "We were down 13; so I just tried to bring some energy to the team. It was a back-to-back for everybody. And I had four or five days off, so I was just trying to bring energy." Marco Belinellis 19-foot jumper put San Antonio up 79-78, its first lead since leading 9-8 with 8 minutes left in the first quarter. Phoenix regained the lead in the fourth, taking a 98-97 advantage on Channing Fryes 3 with 4:25 remaining but Leonard and Belinelli followed with 3s to give San Antonio a lead it didnt relinquished. "Theyre a good team, it doesnt matter who they put out there, they play hard," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "You know other guys want to step up and we let guys get going. Danny Green, we couldnt stop him. Tony Parker in the third was great. They played better than we did." NOTES: NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game after sitting in on the Spurs quarterly meeting. It was Silvers first game in San Antonio since taking over as commissioner Feb. 1 when David Stern retired. Suns G Goran Dragic (ankle) missed the game, but Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek expects him to play Saturday in Dallas. ... Phoenix scored 37 points in the first quarter, coming within 3 points of matching the most points San Antonio has allowed in the quarter set by Houston on Dec. 25. wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' ' |
