For one night, all was good at the home of the Braves.
The Braves trotted out the oft-injured Mike Hampton for the second time since the 2005 campaign, and the 35-year-old managed to stay healthy and returned to his old form with the bat -- even if the results weren't quite there yet on the mound. Hampton, who has given even the most learned doctors a refresher course in human anatomy with his myriad injuries over the past three years, allowed four runs and seven hits in an 81-pitch, five-inning performance Thursday.
Though he wasn't quite satisfied with the results, the southpaw -- who jokingly said he is Super-glued together -- realized that his latest performance was a positive step.
"The competitive side of you wants to win right away," Hampton said. "But it's something to build on."
Braves manager Bobby Cox agreed.
"Hampton, I'm sure, is not thrilled with what he did on the mound," Cox said. "But for the second outing in three years, it's not bad at all."
One thing Hampton can still do is hit. The southpaw doubled and drove in two runs to help his team snap a five-game slide.
"He hasn't pitched in three years," said batterymate Clint Sammons, who smashed his first major league homer in the contest. "It's good to get five innings from him. It's nice to have him in the lineup, too."
BRAVES 9, CARDINALS 4: Rookie Clint Sammons homered and drove in three runs, and Mike Hampton drove in two runs and hurled five frames in his second start since the 2005 season, helping to snap a five-game losing streak. Omar Infante homered and drove in two runs for the Braves, who avoided being swept for the first time in a four-game set by the Cardinals in Atlanta.
