Marc Lancaster has this article about Luke Hudson:
For a while there, Luke Hudson looked like he had it figured out. The right-hander went 4-1 with a 3.64 ERA in five starts in August, not allowing more than three runs in any of them.
But after Hudson got beat up again in his last two starts, the Reds decided to pull the plug on him and his 7.20 ERA. Hudson was informed shortly before Sunday’s game that he wouldn’t start again this season. Randy Keisler will take his next scheduled turn, Wednesday at Wrigley Field, and barring unforeseen circumstances should finish out the year in the rotation.
The news did not sit well with Hudson, who nonetheless resolved to do all the work he could to get back on track.
“I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not frustrated,” Hudson said. “But I’m not going to sit here and hang my head about it, either. There’s only one way to go about it, and that’s to work your way back.”
The reason Hudson will be throwing mostly side sessions the rest of the way, with the possibility of an occasional relief appearance, rests solely with his long-standing control problems. A lack of consistent command has been the one thing holding Hudson back, as he has rarely been able to harness his stuff for long stretches.
He’s been a shadow of the pitcher he was last September. I don’t know what the answer is, but I know that Hudson is a big part of the reason that this team has been so terrible this season.
i’m all for hudson moving out of the rotation, and for that matter, out of the clubhouse if he can’t be a contributor to this team next year.
My issue is… Keisler? There aren’t many pitchers on the roster right now who have had a worse last 30 days on the mound than Luke Hudson. It just so happens that Randy Keisler is one of those.
And i could even see running keisler’s 8.40 ERA (over last month) out there if he was some upstart 22 year old, but this guy has been around. Keisler can’t have any better shot at the rotation next year than Hudson does, and he’s pitching worse. I don’t get it.
Let’s see the lizard or germano, or even hancock, someone who has some sort of shot at helping this club next year, and who would be a little more exciting for fans of the team.