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Maybe it was good timing, but maybe it was also a good sign for Dakota Hudson, who looked like his old self on Saturday when he pitched St. Louis past Cincinnati. Former Mississippi State star Hudson, not sharp in his first two starts of 2022, threw 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Reds, who lost, 5-0, for the 11th straight time. Hudson (1-1) allowed just two hits, walked four and fanned four at the Great American Ball Park, typically a hitter’s paradise. “It’s big,” he told mlb.com. “I feel like it’s the first of many (wins) to go down the road.” Hudson was the 34th overall pick by the Cardinals out of State in 2016, reached the big leagues in 2018 and was an emergent star before an arm injury — and Tommy John surgery — derailed him in late 2020. He was 23-10 at the time, including a 16-7, 3.35 ERA effort in 2019. He battled back from the injury to make two appearances for the Cards last summer in the heat of the playoff chase. He allowed six runs in seven innings in his first two outings this season. Saturday’s results were much more encouraging. … Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson, off to a sluggish start (.182) with St. Louis, drove in one of the runs on Saturday. Expect his production to pick up. P.S. Miguel Cabrera joined the exclusive 3,000-hit/500-homer club on Saturday, becoming one of only seven players to reach both of those milestones. Former MSU standout Rafael Palmeiro is one of the seven.