SAN FRANCISCO — By the end of the first inning Sunday, Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson had showed the signs of trouble ahead and the power at his fingertips to someday avoid it.
Fiddling with pitch after pitch to find elusive command, Hudson walked two of the first three batters he faced but slipped free from the inning when he used the sinking pitch that sets him apart to get a double play. The second inning began like the first, with another walk, but there was no escape. Four walks caught up with him, cost him control of the game, misplaced the Cardinals’ lead, cut short his start, and began a cascade that pooled into a 4-3 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park.