Mike Hampton set for more surgery

Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Hampton is going under the knife again and will miss the rest of the baseball season.  Hampton is planning on having surgery on his pitching shoulder and both of his pitching knees.

“It’s disappointing that he couldn’t get to the finish line,” Houston general manager Ed Wade said on Sunday. “We went into this thing knowing that he had a very significant health history, but at the same time he had 10 solid starts for the Braves last year, and we had every reason to hope that he had turned the corners medically.”

PHOTO CAPTION:  Mike Hampton will soon look like this

In August 2005, Hampton injured his elbow which lead to Tommy John surgery later that year causing him to miss the entire 2006 season.  In March of 2007, he tore his oblique muscle and eventually was shut down for the year with recurring pain in the same elbow, leading to another procedure.  Hampton started 13 games in 2008 and 21 games this season.