• Find team by: Affiliation | Class | Geography
     
07/27/2009 11:25 PM ET
Hudson tosses four shutout frames
Braves starter throws 41 pitches, strikes out two in rehab start
By Danny Wild / MLB.com
Tim Hudson did not walk a batter over four shutout innings in his Triple-A rehab. (Ron Vesely/MLB Photos)

ADVERTISEMENT
• Box score
• Tim Hudson's player page
• Follow all Braves affiliates

Rehabbing Atlanta Braves starter Tim Hudson threw 41 pitches over four shutout innings in his first Triple-A rehab start as Gwinnett beat Lehigh Valley, 7-2, on Monday.

Hudson, recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery, allowed a hit in each of his four frames while striking out two. The right-hander made two starts for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, where he allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings.

"Everything felt good," said Hudson. "Obviously I put up some zeros on the board. You know, got into some innings, got into a couple jams, was able to work out of them. So all in all, I feel pretty pleased with how everything went."

Hudson, who said he was scheduled to throw either four innings of 60 pitches, threw 27 of his 41 pitches for strikes and did not walk a batter.

"I think the main thing is just sitting down between innings and getting back out there, seeing how it responds to that and I think it's been responding pretty well," he said. "You've got to keep it on a schedule, that's the thing with this surgery. You have to be patient and you have to go by the book. Once you start pushing it, that's when you start having a little bit of setbacks. I know all my outings aren't going to be as efficient as this one as far as pitch counts go, but it's definitely a step in the right direction."

Hudson could return to Atlanta by mid-August barring any setbacks at Triple-A.

Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.