Only when Dakota Hudson reached the dugout on Monday, after being removed from the game, did he realize that something was different.
“Guys were giving me hugs instead of handshakes,” the St Louis Cardinals starter said. “I thought: ‘What’s going on?’ I didn’t know it was a no-hitter.”
Hudson and two relievers combined on a one-hit shutout as the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in a series opener between National League Central contenders.
Photo: AFP
Yasmani Grandal’s ground-rule double with two outs in the eighth inning off Cardinals pitcher Giovanny Gallegos was the Brewers’ only hit.
Hudson was lifted with two outs in the seventh after throwing 111 pitches, and Andrew Miller got four outs for his fifth save.
Paul DeJong homered for the Cardinals, who increased their division lead to a half-game over the idle Chicago Cubs. Third-placed Milwaukee are three games back.
Hudson (12-6) matched a career high with seven strikeouts and four walks — including his final batter, Eric Thames — while Gallegos retired Ben Gamel on a grounder to end the inning.
Taking out Hudson was not a difficult decision, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.
“He did his job,” Shildt said. “We saw the tea leaves and the way the game was going.”
The Brewers’ Orlando Arcia reached base on an error by DeJong at shortstop at the beginning of the eighth inning before the Cardinals’ Gallegos got two outs. Grandal then hooked a one-two slider just inside the right field line for the Brewers, but the ball bounced into the stands.
“I think it was a good breaking ball,” Gallegos said. “He’s a good hitter, too.”
Grandal was just trying to give his team a chance to come back.
“I don’t really care whether we’re getting no hits or not. We’re still trying to win the game,” Grandal said. “For me, it was just pretty much, get the guy up behind me to the plate and give him a chance to tie the game.”
The Cardinals’ Miller relieved and, after an intentional walk to Christian Yelich, got Mike Moustakas to ground out with the bases loaded.
“He’s the MVP,” Moustakas said about Yelich. “It’s a pretty intelligent decision. I wouldn’t want to pitch to that guy. That’s just kind of how baseball is.”
Miller then closed it out in the ninth inning.
The Brewers’ best chance for a hit against Hudson came in the sixth inning when Trent Grisham hit a hard grounder up the middle. DeJong made a diving stop and threw out Grisham at first base.
“I was just out there competing and trying to throw up some zeros and get a win,” said Hudson, who has completed seven innings twice in his two-year major league career.
Also on Monday, it was:
‧ Nationals 13, Pirates 0
‧ Rangers 8, Angels 7
‧ Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 3
‧ Royals 5, Orioles 4
‧ White Sox 6, Twins 4
‧ Astros 5, Tigers 4
‧ Padres 3, Reds 2
‧ Mariners 9, Rays 3
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was