Tim Hudson survived five tough innings to win in his return from offseason back surgery and the Atlanta Braves held on in the ninth to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Sunday.

Hudson (1-0) pitched in the majors for the first time since his operation last November to repair a herniated disc. The right-hander threw 96 pitches while giving up two runs on six hits and two walks. He allowed at least one baserunner in every inning.

The Pirates stranded 10 runners, including eight against Hudson.

Craig Kimbrel gave up one run in the ninth before earning his eighth save. Jose Tabata hit a one-out double, advanced to third on Andrew McCutchen’s groundout and scored on Kimbrel’s wild pitch.

Kimbrel struck out Garrett Jones to end the game.

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