Hampton said, ``This is kind of how in a perfect world I saw it happening. This is where I envisioned myself being and I'm glad so far this is how it's happened.''
Hampton hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2005, and some doubted if he'd even make it out of spring. He hurt his hamstring in the first inning of his Mexican Winter League start and then strained his right groin in the second inning of his second spring start.
Since then, however, there have been no more setbacks. Hampton has a 1.98 ERA in four spring starts and appears to be a lock for the fourth spot in the rotation.
Hampton shut out Houston for five innings before giving up homers to Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee in the sixth.
The game was crucial for Williams, who was 0-2 with a 13.89 ERA after giving up 19 hits and 14 runs in his last two starts.
Williams rebounded by giving up six hits and three runs in six innings. He gave up three hits and three runs in the first inning but recovered after giving up a leadoff double to Corky Miller in the second.
Williams gave up a first-pitch single to Mark Kotsay to open the game. He walked Yunel Escobar on a 3-2 pitch. A grounder by Chipper Jones advanced the runners before Mark Teixeira hit a two-run single. Gregor Blanco added a run-scoring triple for a 3-0 lead.
Mike Hampton (Photo from atlantabraves.com)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/3/208309