Mike Hampton has had an unusual amount of rest between his last start and his scheduled appearance on the mound Saturday afternoon for the Atlanta Braves - nearly three years.
Hampton will make his first major league start since August 2005 as the visiting Braves try to beat the Philadelphia Phillies for just the third time in 11 tries this season.Hampton, a former 22-game winner and two-time All-Star, was 5-3 with a 3.50 ERA for Atlanta (49-53) in 2005, but he left a start against San Diego on Aug. 19 with tightness in his elbow.
He had Tommy John surgery six weeks later, and while trying to rehab from that in 2007, tore a flexor tendon in his elbow, shutting him down for the rest of that year.
He's had a number of other injuries trying to make his latest comeback - Hampton was scheduled to start April 3 when he strained a pectoral muscle just 10 minutes before he was going to throw the game's first pitch. He aggravated that on a minor league rehab assignment, then strained a groin in a start in Double-A on July 15.
"I've been close before and haven't gotten there," Hampton told the Braves' official Web site. "I think once I throw my first pitch, I'm going to be able to relax a little bit."
Hampton is in the final year of an eight-year, $121 million contract that he originally signed with Colorado prior to the 2001 season. He's gone just 53-48 with a 4.80 ERA since inking that deal, and the Braves - who traded for him in late 2002 - have paid him $47 million in the last three years without getting an inning for their money.
He'll have a hard time matching the performance Atlanta got from Jair Jurrjens on Friday. Jurrjens shut out the Phillies (54-49) on three hits over eight innings, and the Braves went on to win 8-2.
"It was a big win for us," Jurrjens said. "We just have to keep winning series."
Atlanta has win six of nine, and though it's in fourth in the NL East, sits just 6 1/2 games behind the first place New York Mets.
The Phillies, meanwhile, have lost five of six, and have seen what had been a 3 1/2-game division lead on July 4 evaporate in just three weeks. They're now tied with Florida, two games behind the Mets.
Manager Charlie Manuel conducted a closed-door meeting before the game Friday, but it didn't help Philadelphia break out of its recent offensive slump. The Phillies have scored six total runs in losing their last three games.
"Just because we don't win that night, hopefully some of the things we talked about will be good for us," Manuel said.
All-Star Chase Utley was one of the NL's leading MVP candidates at the break, but he's gotten off to a poor start in the second half. Utley is hitting .105 (2-for-19) with no RBIs in his last five games, and he has just three extra-base hits - no homers - in his last 12 games.
When Cole Hamels (9-6, 3.11 ERA) pitches, he doesn't need much run support, but he's barely been getting any recently. Philadelphia has scored just four runs when Hamels has been in over his last three starts, explaining why he's 0-1 despite a 2.45 ERA.
Hamels didn't get a decision in the Phillies' 3-2, 11-inning loss at Florida on Sunday, giving up two runs in eight innings.
He's been nearly untouchable against the Braves this season. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA in two games, recording all but one out in a pair of Philadelphia wins.
