ATLANTA (AP) - Daniel Hudson is headed for an MRI and suddenly Arizona's pitching staff could be facing big problems.

Hudson left in the second inning of a rocky start with pain in his right elbow as the Diamondbacks' four-game winning streak ended with an 8-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

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Hudson will have the exam Wednesday in Phoenix.

Manager Kirk Gibson said Hudson revealed for the first time that the elbow bothered him before Tuesday night.

``We were unaware that his elbow was hurting, and it's alarming,' Gibson said.

Hudson, who was on the disabled list from April 21 to May 27 with a right shoulder impingement, was removed after giving up five runs and seven hits in 1 2-3 innings.

Hudson (3-2) allowed five hits and three runs in the second inning and then motioned to the dugout. Gibson and assistant trainer Peter Mainville visited the mound, and Hudson shook his head as they approached. He was then escorted to the dugout.

The team first announced that Hudson had tightness in his right forearm. The postgame news from Gibson was more troubling.

``He just said his elbow was hurting,' Gibson said. ``He couldn't finish his pitches.'

Hudson struggled in his previous start, giving up seven runs in four innings in a loss to Seattle last Tuesday. His ERA is 7.35.

``I just couldn't get extended on the pitch without some pain in my elbow,' Hudson said, adding he hopes the MRI reveals ``nothing too bad in there.'

``With my arm action I figure it kind of comes with the territory,' he said. ``I'm pretty concerned. It's your elbow.'

The Diamondbacks lost another starting pitcher when Joe Saunders was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a strained left shoulder.

Top prospect Trevor Bauer, the No. 3 pick in last year's amateur draft, will make his highly anticipated debut against the Braves on Thursday. Gibson said Bauer, 21, will be called up from Triple-A Reno, where he is 4-0 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts. He will join the team Wednesday.

Gibson said he expects Arizona to make a move to add pitching depth before Wednesday night's game.

``We're a little short,' he said.

Atlanta's Tim Hudson (6-3) allowed one run and seven hits in eight innings. He had seven strikeouts.

Freddie Freeman had three hits and drove in two runs, Chipper Jones also had three hits and Michael Bourn cracked a first-inning homer for Atlanta, which piled up 17 hits.

Jason Kubel hit a third-inning homer for Arizona's only run.

Anthony Varvaro gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth for Atlanta.

Brian McCann drove in two runs with two hits, including an eighth-inning single off Craig Breslow that drove in Jason Heyward.

It was a big night for Atlanta's hitters, but manager Fredi Gonzalez said Hudson was the story.

``It all starts for me with the guy on the mound,' Gonzalez said.

``He gave us a solid performance. Hopefully tomorrow Tommy (Hanson) follows up with that and we keep rolling with quality starts.'

The Braves won the opener of a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season. They play 16 of their next 19 games at Turner Field.

Gonzalez said before the game he is confident in his hitters. He said he needs more long outings from his starting pitchers.

``That to me is the only thing that has been missing,' Gonzalez said, adding he would ``challenge our pitchers to give us six or seven innings each time' in the 13 games before the All-Star break.

Tim Hudson was sharp. After Kubel's homer, he did not allow another runner to reach second base. He improved to 7-0 in nine career starts against the Diamondbacks.

Josh Collmenter took over for Daniel Hudson and gave up a run-scoring single to McCann in the second. Collmenter gave up six hits and no runs in four innings.

The inning began with doubles by Jones and Freeman. Andrelton Simmons had a run-scoring single to right field and, following a single by Bourn, scored on Heyward's sacrifice fly to right.

The Braves added two runs off Jonathan Albaladejo in the seventh. Dan Uggla, who was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, moved to second on Albaladejo's balk and scored on Freeman's fielder's choice grounder. Freeman moved to third on Simmons' double and scored on Tim Hudson's sacrifice fly.

It was the first matchup of pitchers with the same last name since the Dodgers' Jeff Weaver faced his brother Jered Weaver of the Angels on June 20, 2009, according to STATS LLC.

NOTES: Gibson said SS Stephen Drew will be activated from the 15-day DL and start Wednesday night. Drew has missed the first three months with a broken right ankle. ... Heyward batted second for the second time this season, and his first-inning single gave him a career-best 11-game hitting streak. He was chosen NL player of the week on Monday. ... The series continues Wednesday night as Hanson faces Trevor Cahill.