The San Francisco Giants are slowly losing steam in the playoff race in the National League. Once leading the standing in the National League West, a recent slip has seen the postseason start to fall out of reach. The Giants are in need of getting back on track and will rely on Tim Hudson to help them get a much-needed win against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Giants looked ready for the playoffs until they recorded their 14th loss in 20 games, also their 23rd loss in the last 31 home games. The Giants are trying to earn their second win in the last eight games, continuing their skid. The team thought they had a win against the Phillies until rallied for a 5-3 win over 10 innings on Friday night. Jeremy Affeldt hit a two-run home run in the eighth to tie things up and the Phillies never looked back.
Hudson takes the mound in need of run support. He is 8-9 on the season with a 2.81 ERA overall. He gave up just two runs to the Phillies in their last meeting. He is pitching well in his last five starts, getting a 2.59 ERA but is not earning any runs causing him to drop three straight decisions. He got just four runs in that stretch. Hudson has a 1.46 ERA in his last four starts against the Phillies.
The Phillies will counter with Kyle Kendrick who has a 9.18 ERA in his last three road starts. Kendrick is 5-11 with a 4.88 ERA overall while being 2-5 with a 6.20 ERA in his last 10 starts, something that could help San Francisco. Kendrick have up six runs and 10 hits to the New York Mets in his last start. He has not faced the Giants all season. He gave up seven runs on eight hits back in July of 2013.
