Big League Bulldogs (entering 9/18): Hudson is hurting and Renfroe goes deep

A daily look at how former Mississippi State stars are performing in Major League Baseball

Any time a pitcher has to exit a game with arm soreness, it's always concerning. That's exactly what happened to former Mississippi State ace Dakota Hudson on Thursday as he left after only two innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to what his manager, Mike Shildt, labeled a mild forearm strain.

Hudson threw a couple of shutout innings before exiting with his discomfort. The Cardinals went on to lose the game 5-1, but of utmost concern was the health of Hudson – a humongous piece of the St. Louis rotation as the Cardinals push for a playoff berth. Hudson is scheduled to have an MRI today. After Thursday's game, here is what Hudson had to say:

Hudson's ailing arm wasn't the only problem former Mississippi State pitchers faced on Thursday. Both Kendall Graveman of the Seattle Mariners and Jonathan Holder of the New York Yankees had rough relief outings. Graveman took the loss as Seattle fell 6-4 to San Francisco. He gave up 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning of work. Holder wasn't sharp either. Though Holder's New York Yankees did win 10-7 over Toronto, Holder was roughed up for four runs over 1/3 of an inning.

Former State bats had a good Thursday though. Adam Frazier went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk in his Pittsburgh Pirates' 5-1 win over St. Louis. Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Rays swept the Baltimore Orioles in a doubleheader (3-1 and 10-6) and clinched a postseason berth with help from Nate Lowe and Hunter Renfroe. While Renfroe didn't play in the opener of the two games and Lowe went 0-for-2, both contributed in the day's final contest. Lowe was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, an RBI and two runs scored in the game. Meanwhile Renfroe was 1-for-2 with a walk and this long home run:

Here are all the details from Thursday, as well as season stats for all former MSU players that have seen playing time in Major League Baseball this year:

THURSDAY'S RESULTS / SEASON STATS

LF Adam Frazier (Pirates) - Won 5-1 over Cardinals

• On Thursday: 1-for-3 with a single and a walk
• Season stats: .227 BA, .293 OBP, .624 OPS, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R

RP Kendall Graveman (Mariners) - Loss 6-4 to Giants

• On Thursday: (Loss) 0.2 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 3 runs allowed (3 earned runs allowed), 1 walk allowed, 1 strikeout
• Season stats: 0-3 record, 8.10 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 13 K, 13.1 IP

RP Jonathan Holder (Yankees) - Won 10-7 over Blue Jays

• On Thursday: (No decision) 0.1 innings pitched, 3 hits allowed, 4 runs allowed (4 earned runs allowed), 2 walks allowed, 0 strikeouts
• Season stats: 3-0 record, 4.08 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 14 K, 17.2 IP

SP Dakota Hudson (Cardinals) - Lost 5-1 to Pirates

• On Thursday: (No decision) 2.0 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 runs allowed, 2 walks allowed, 0 strikeouts
• Season stats: 3-2 record, 2.77 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 31 K, 39.0 IP

1B Nate Lowe (Rays) - Won 3-1 over Orioles (Game 1), Won 10-6 over Orioles (Game 2)

• On Thursday: 0-for-3 (Game 1), 2-for-3 with 2 singles, an RBI and 2 runs scored (Game 2)
• Season stats: .278 BA, .395 OBP, .979 OPS, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R

RF Hunter Renfroe (Rays) - Won 3-1 over Orioles (Game 1), Won 10-6 over Orioles (Game 2)*

• On Thursday (*Played in Game 2): 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, an RBI and 2 runs scored
• Season stats: .163 BA, .261 OBP, .703 OPS, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 17 R

DID NOT PLAY THURSDAY / SEASON STATS

1B Mitch Moreland (Padres) - No game scheduled

• Season stats: .261 BA, .349 OBP, .908 OPS, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 19 R

RF Brent Rooker (Twins) - Lost 4-3 to White Sox

• Out for season (broken forearm)
• Season stats: .316 BA, .381 OBP, .960 OPS, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R

RP Chris Stratton (Pirates) - Won 5-1 over Cardinals

• Season stats: 2-0 record, 3.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 32 K, 25.0 IP

SP Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) - No game scheduled

• Season stats: 2-4 record, 3.45 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 72 K, 60.0 IP

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