MLB Notebook: Hudson's stellar run to 200

Over the course of his 15-year career, Tim Hudson has been noted for being particularly adept at getting outs on the ground (in 10 of the 11 seasons in which he has qualified for the ERA title, Hudson has finished in the top four in his league in groundout-to-flyout ratio), for his pedestrian strikeout rates (among the 24 pitchers with at least 2,000 innings between 1999 and 2012, Hudson's K/9 is 16th) and for his remarkable winning percentage (he currently owns the eighth-highest mark for any pitcher since 1893 with at least 200 decisions).

So it's kind of funny to look back and see how things got started for the newest member of the 200-win club. In his debut on June 8, 1999, Hudson went the first five and recorded an astonishing 11 of his 15 outs via strikeout. At the time, only 10 pitchers before him -- in the live-ball era -- had fanned as many as 11 in their debut, and of the previous 10, none had done it in so few innings. Hudson was also just one of three among these 11 to not pick up a win.

• Hudson allowed one run in seven innings and picked up his third win of the season, and the 200th of his career. Hudson's milestone victory came in his 412th career appearance.

• Hudson is the 110th pitcher since 1876 to reach 200 wins, and the 71st to win at least 200 games in the live-ball era. Among this smaller group of 71, Hudson's 125 ERA+ ties him with Jim Palmer and John Smoltz for the 14th best; .656 winning percentage is the sixth best; 2.72 walks/9 ties him with Mickey Lolich for 37th; 2.22 strikeout to walk ratio is ranked 26th; 6.04 strikeouts per nine is ranked 24th; 8.40 hits/9 ties him with Phil Niekro and Jack Morris for 29th; 1.235 WHIP is ranked 29th.

• Hudson is one of 15 pitchers since 1916 to have reached 200 wins through his first 412 games. The others: Juan Marichal (223), Tom Seaver (214), Roger Clemens (212), Mike Mussina (211), Whitey Ford (209), Randy Johnson (208), Jim Palmer (207), Greg Maddux (206), Carl Hubbell (205), Bob Gibson (205), Bob Feller (204), Andy Pettitte (204), Warren Spahn (202) and Roy Halladay (201).

Raburn sparks Tribe's power surge
Cleveland's Ryan Raburn hit two home runs (his second straight multihomer game) as part of a seven-homer night for the Tribe, and the Indians blasted the Phillies, 14-2.

• The seven homers are the most for the Indians since they hit eight (which matched a team record) on July 16, 2004.

• The seven long balls are the most in an Interleague game since the Tigers hit eight against the Cubs on June 18, 2006.

• With six Indians players homering (Carlos Santana, Mark Reynolds, Lonnie Chisenhall, Michael Brantley and Drew Stubbs joined Raburn), this game marked the third for the Indians to see that many in the lineup go deep. Previously, they've had six players homer against the Mariners on July 16, 2004, and six do it against the Yankees on April 18, 2009.

• Raburn became the 11th Indians player since 1916 -- and first since Travis Hafner in 2004 -- to have back-to-back multihomer games.

• In addition to hitting his fifth home run of the year, Santana drew three walks in a 1-for-2 night and finished April with a 1.198 OPS in 84 plate appearances. Dating to 1916, that OPS is the third highest (minimum 75 plate appearances) for any Indians player in a March/April. David Justice had a 1.256 OPS in 1997, and that same year, Sandy Alomar posted a 1.212 mark.

Halladay running on empty
Halladay -- making his sixth start of the 2013 season -- was charged with eight runs in 3 2/3 innings. This game marked the third time this season Halladay had finished a start with four or fewer innings and at least five runs allowed. From 2004-12 -- a span in which Halladay made 258 starts -- he had three such games.

Mo-ing down the competition
Mariano Rivera retired the only batter he faced and picked up his 618th career save. The breakdown of the 618, by innings pitched:

• One-third of an inning: 25.

• Two-thirds of an inning: 15.

• One inning: 462.

• 1 1/3 : 71.

• 1 2/3: 34.

• Two innings or more: 11.

Encarnacion going deep
• Edwin Encarnacion hit a pair of home runs in the Blue Jays' 9-7 win over the Red Sox -- giving him nine through the team's first 27 games. Encarnacion -- who hit a career-high 42 home runs in 2012 -- also had nine through 27 team games last season. The nine through 27 represent the fourth-highest total for any Blue Jays player, with Kelly Gruber (1990), Shawn Green ('99) and Carlos Delgado (2001) each having 10.

Slowey searching for victory
Miami's Kevin Slowey allowed a run in eight innings -- lowering his ERA in six starts this season to 2.15 -- but did not factor in the decision and remained winless for the year. Slowey is one of 52 pitchers since 1916 to make at least six starts in a March/April and enter May still looking for a victory. Among these 52, Slowey's 2.15 ERA is the third lowest, behind the marks from Cal Eldred (1.67 in 1998) and Bill Laskey (1.98 in '84).

Darvish racking up K's
Yu Darvish fanned nine in a six-inning stint to raise his Major League-leading total to 58 K's. For all pitchers since 1916, that total is tied for the ninth most in a March/April.

Bumgarner, Giants doing work
Madison Bumgarner allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings, lowering his ERA in 40 2/3 innings to 1.55. Since 1916, 19 Giants pitchers have reached at least 40 innings in a March/April. Of those 19, Bumgarner's 1.55 ERA is tied for the fourth lowest. In 1965, Juan Marichal posted a 0.86 ERA in 42 innings. Carl Hubbell was at 0.89 in 40 2/3 innings in 1933, and Ron Bryant -- in 41 innings -- owned a 1.54 mark in 1973. In 1992, Bill Swift posted a 1.55 ERA in 40 2/3 innings.

Ryu rolling along
Making his sixth career start, Dodgers southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu fanned 12 Rockies and picked up his third win of the season.

• Ryu is the third Dodgers pitcher since 1916 to have a 12-strikeout game so early into his career. In his first and second appearances in 1954, Karl Spooner fanned 15 and then 12; and in 1995, Hideo Nomo -- in his fourth career appearance -- struck out 14.

• Ryu has fanned a total of 46 batters. Dating to 1916, that strikeout total is the second highest for any Dodgers pitcher through his first six career games. In '95, Nomo had 49 K's.