AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS v ATHLETICS

October 4, 2002

Tim Hudson

TIM HUDSON: Obviously, I need to make a little better a justments. I think I was really over hrowing my last outing and that was a big reason why most of my pitches were up all day. And I think if I can just make that adjustment, instead of missing up, I can miss down, and I can get some ground balls instead of those deep fly balls that I was getting the last time out.

TIM HUDSON: I don't think it's going to be that much of a factor. Obviously, coming out of the game as early as I did will help out a little bit, but I think being a sinker ball pitcher, I don't think it's going to bother me much, at all. If anything, you know, as a sinker ball pitcher, the more strong you are, the worse off you are a lot of times. So I think coming back a day early, you know, hopefully it may help me out a little bit with some of my sinkers and keeping the ball down in the zone.

TIM HUDSON: physically I feel fine, the same as I have. I have cut back some throwing this week, I threw a bullpen yesterday and I felt great yesterday in my bullpen, so that feels fine. It's just mentally just going out there and -- a day early and knowing that you have to get the ball one more day early, so that's all it is.

TIM HUDSON: Yeah. You know, four days in between starts, there is a lot of down time usually. So normally I usually throw two bullpens in between starts, so what I did this time around is cut it down to one, threw a bullpen yesterday, you know, I would be off today just playing some catch and doing some treatment and stuff, and I will be ready to go tomorrow.

TIM HUDSON: The only time I came back a day early was last year in the playoffs I came out of the bullpen in relief in game 5 in New York, and felt like I had as good or better stuff coming out of the pen in New York as I did when I started, so that's really encouraging coming into tomorrow.