Hampton strong in latest outing

Baseball Notes

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — This is exactly what Mike Hampton was hoping for this spring.

Coming back from two elbow injuries, the left-hander put together another solid start Sunday when he gave up two runs in six innings to help the Atlanta Braves beat Woody Williams and the Houston Astros 4-2.

"This is kind of how in a perfect world I saw it happening," Hampton said. "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 majors since 2005, and some doubted if he'd even make it out of spring training. 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.

"He looks like he's the Hampton of old," Houston manager Cecil Cooper said.

Hampton shut out Houston for five innings before giving up homers to Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee in the sixth.

"I still felt pretty strong that last inning," Hampton said. "I just made a couple bad pitches, but as a whole for six innings I felt pretty comfortable. ... I was definitely happy with the outcome."

Tigers

Miguel Cabrera and Detroit have reached a preliminary agreement on a $152.3 million, eight-year contract, according a person familiar with the deal.

The person spoke to AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the contract was not yet final. The third baseman must pass a physical before the agreement can be finalized.

Cabrera agreed on Jan. 18 to an $11.3 million salary for this season. The new deal adds $141 million over the following seven seasons. He will earn $15 million in 2009, when he would have been eligible for salary arbitration.

--Center fielder Curtis Granderson will miss opening day because of a broken finger. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list. A finger on his right hand was broken Saturday when he was hit by a fastball in the fourth and final inning of a rained-out game.

Precautionary X-rays revealed the break. Granderson said he likely will miss a minimum of three weeks.

Blue Jays

Third baseman Scott Rolen could be missing from Toronto's lineup when it opens the season at Yankee Stadium. The team's new third baseman broke his finger during a routine drill Sunday. He was taking grounders when a ball hit him on the tip of his right middle finger.

--Shannon Stewart appears to have won the job as the Blue Jays' starting left fielder after Toronto released Reed Johnson. Johnson had spent his entire career with the Jays. A herniated disk problem put him on the DL last season, when he hit just .238 in 79 games. Stewart began the day hitting .226 this spring since signing a minor league contract Feb. 24.

Red Sox

Josh Beckett threw two scoreless innings in a minor league game in Fort Myers, Fla., an important step in his return from back spasms. The Boston ace allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three for Triple-A Pawtucket against Double-A Portland.