Cards' Hudson on rise ahead of start at Miami

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dakota Hudson has turned his season around, and he hopes to continue that trend on Tuesday night against the host Miami Marlins.

Hudson (4-3, 3.70 ERA) is a 24-year-old from Tennessee who starred at Mississippi State before the Cardinals drafted him 34th overall in 2016. He made a quick tour of the minors -- just 56 games, including 45 starts -- before making his major league debut last year.

In 26 rookie appearances, all in relief, Hudson went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.354 WHIP.

This year, in 13 appearances, including 12 starts, Hudson has cut down on his walk rate from 5.9 per nine innings to 4.2. But his WHIP has worsened, up to 1.569, because he is allowing more hits.

Lately, though, Hudson has improved due to a more effective sinker and an increased ground-ball rate. After sporting a 5.63 ERA through April, Hudson had a 2.80 ERA in six May starts, and he has a 1.42 ERA through his lone start this month.

In his latest outing, Hudson threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball Thursday in a no-decision. The Cardinals went on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1.

"I just want to go out and give them seven or eight or nine (innings), whatever it takes to where I can give them a chance to win," Hudson said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm happy the guys rallied for the win because that's what it's all about. But I would've liked to finish a little stronger."

The Marlins will counter Hudson with right-hander Elieser Hernandez, who will be recalled from Triple-A New Orleans to make the start.

Hernandez, 24, went 2-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 32 major league games (six starts) last year. This year, Hernandez has made just one major league appearance, when he allowed two runs in two innings to the San Francisco Giants on May 28.

This will be Hernandez's first major league start of the year, although he is 3-1 with a 1.12 ERA in nine starts for New Orleans. The Marlins opted against promoting him in recent weeks when they needed a reliever.

"We want to keep (Hernandez) starting," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said in late May, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He's been throwing the ball good down there. We don't want to get him here and have him sitting around for ten days -- pitch one inning here and there. That's not the right thing for him or us."

Hernandez is getting his latest opportunity because the Marlins placed left-hander Caleb Smith on the injured list due to inflammation of his left hip. It's the first outing missed this year by any of Miami's five starters.

In Hernandez's previous six major league starts, he went 0-5 with a 5.04 ERA. He has never started against the Cardinals but has faced them twice in relief, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Hudson has never started against the Marlins, either. He is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two relief appearances against Miami, totaling 2 2/3 innings.

St. Louis, which was swept in a three-game series by the Chicago Cubs last weekend, snapped its skid on Monday night with a 4-1 win over the Marlins.

The Cardinals' offense is being led by former Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who is 5-for-7 in his past two games and is batting .462 in seven career contests against Miami.

St. Louis shortstop Paul DeJong, who did not play for the first time this season on Monday, is set to return to the lineup. He is batting .270 with 17 doubles, one triple and 10 homers.

Miami, which has lost five straight games and has scored just nine times during that span, is led by rookie center fielder Harold Ramirez, who went 3-for-4 on Monday and scored the Marlins' only run. He is hitting .330 since making his major league debut on May 11.

--Field Level Media