Mike Hampton News

More than 3,500 years ago King Solomon wrote, "A true companion is one who is loving all the time and is a brother born for when there is distress there exists a friend sticking closer than a brother." And no one more aptly defines the true meaning of those words than Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson, and his wife Kim.

Billy Wagner was mostly solid for the Red Sox but got tagged in the playoffs. After all the problems the Braves had with pitchers and their exploding body parts a couple of years back, it's interesting that general manager Frank Wren is suddenly hitching the 2010 season in part to two pitchers who are coming off Tommy John surgery.

Sometime over the next three months, a Major League team will agree to a large contract for John Lackey.

The Minnesota Twins figure to be quite busy in the coming months. The primary focus of this offseason will be inking the club's franchise player - and future American League MVP - Joe Mauer to a long-term deal.

Relatively speaking, the guy never was much of a player. Batted .224 across the 220 big-league games in which he played.

W hen Frank Viola won the American League Cy Young for the Minnesota Twins in 1988, he won 24 games.

As much as Phillies fans would enjoy watching their team bludgeon the Yankees or the Red Sox in four games next month, what baseball needs is a good, old-fashioned seven-game World Series.

Houston Astros left-hander Mike Hampton is scheduled to have surgery on his left rotator cuff Tuesday.

ON DECK: PITTSBURGH at Astros When/where: 7:05 p.m. today, 6:05 p.m. Saturday, 1:05 p.m. Sunday; Minute Maid Park.

Roy Oswalt, who exited his start Saturday with back spasms, was sent to the doctor early Monday by trainer Nate Lucero.

Ivan Rodriguez is coming home to the Rangers. The 14-time all-star catcher who started his career with the Rangers at age 19 was acquired in a trade Tuesday with the Astros for minor-league pitcher Matt Nevarez and two players to be named.

Mike Hampton froze Eugenio Velez with a pitch at the knees, hopped off the mound and pumped his fist as he sprinted to the dugout at the end of his last start for the Astros.

Mike Hampton froze Eugenio Velez with a pitch at the knees, hopped off the mound and pumped his fist as he sprinted to the dugout at the end of his last start for the Astros.

Mike Hampton froze Eugenio Velez with a pitch at the knees, hopped off the mound and pumped his fist as he sprinted to the dugout at the end of his last start for the Astros.

Geoff Blum and Kaz Matsui homered off Matt Cain and Houston snapped the San Francisco ace's six-start unbeaten streak with a 4-3 win.

Analysis: Reynolds, who is batting .276 on the season, is hitting .481 since the All-Star break.

Cubs 12, Astros 0: Randy Wells pitched eight shutout innings and Alfonso Soriano hit a three-run homer during a six-run first inning yesterday.

Mike Hampton Randy Wells Story-lines After the brutal beating the Cubs received last night, I'm sure there are plenty of fans out there wondering if the recent 5-game winning streak was only a mirage.

Mike Hampton hit a two-run homer off Johan Santana and the Houston Astros beat the Mets 5-4 on Friday night, handing the New York ace a rare loss after the All-Star break.

It wasn't Johan's day. He got all KINDS of hits from his batters, but he lost anyway, giving up 12 hits, the most he has given up in one game this year.