Hudson finally gaining control
Starting to meet high expectations
By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter

MILWAUKEE - Luke Hudson knows he has some work to do before the questions stop, because the questions exist in his mind too.

What can he do to refine his command? Will he ever be able to adequately control the stuff that has made him a prospect for years but rarely allowed him to settle into a regular role? Is he thinking too much about all of these things instead of just throwing?

"I know what I've got to work on," said the 28-year-old right-hander. "One of the most important assets to have is being able to self-evaluate."

When it comes to the missing link in his pitching success, Hudson has always had plenty of help from outside sources. Since he threw the first pitch of his big-league career a good 10 feet over the catcher's head in his Reds debut three seasons ago, the book on Hudson has been that he could be effective if he ever consistently knew where his pitches were going.

"Fastball command, I think, is the most important thing to have because everything builds off my fastball," said Hudson. "I'm not the type of pitcher that's going to go out there and throw 20 changeups and 10 fastballs. So, fastball command in and out and up and down - one pitch, you can turn it into two or three different pitches if you locate it well."

Late last season, when Hudson completed a long recovery from shoulder surgery that kept him out all of 2003, he seemed to have locked in on something. He went 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA in nine starts for the Reds, walking 25 and striking out 38 in 48 1/3 innings. Not the best ratio, but good enough to indicate progress.
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