Giants' Hudson not guaranteed to make next start as struggles persist

San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy wouldn't guarantee veteran right-hander Tim Hudson will make Wednesday's scheduled start against the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 39-year-old labored through yet another disappointing start Friday.

"We'll talk about it," Bochy told Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea. "I won't talk about it now. I was encouraged after (the first inning), how he started hitting his spots. So we’ll see."

Hudson has struggled mightily in September, managing a 9.92 ERA with a 2.08 WHIP over four starts this month. Facing the Padres at Safeco Field on Friday night, Hudson allowed five runs - four earned - on seven hits and two walks through 4 1/3 innings of work, but he remains confident he can rectify his recent struggles Wednesday in Los Angeles when he squares off against Clayton Kershaw.

“I have confidence I can even though the last couple starts have been pretty bad on paper,” said Hudson, who gave up hits to eight of the 11 Dodgers he faced in his previous start. “I don’t feel I’ve been as bad as what the innings have shown."