Of All the Lame Excuses, Brian Bruney

I've heard some pretty terrible excuses in my day.

"I forgot!"

"The devil made me do it."

"Baby, I was drunk."

Josh Hamilton is All Better

Josh Hamilton is finally ready to rejoin the Texas Rangers lineup.

The All-Star center fielder claims his left rib cage muscles felt good enough to play after his final rehab game on Monday. He played all nine innings in center and went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks in the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks 6-5 loss to the Round Rock Express.

So, he'll return to Arlington for evaluation Tuesday, when he’s eligible to return from the DL, just in time for the Rangers to begin a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.

Before hurting his ribs crashing into an outfield wall April 21st, last year’s American League RBI leader was batting .242 with two bombs and 10 RBIs over 18 games with the Rangers.

Welcome back, Josh!

[MLB] | [Walkoff Walk]

A Fitting Finish for Hampton

Seriously, could Mike Hampton's return to the big leagues have ended any other way but with a loss?

After 1,072 days away from the majors with injury after ridiculous injury, the Atlanta Braves lefty returned to the hill just to watch a 9-3 lead diminish into a 10-9 rally by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Making his first start since August 19, 2005, Hampton surrendered six runs on eight hits in just over four innings, using 91 pitches. After Chase Utley loaded up the bags with no one out in the fifth, Hampton said good night.

"It’s a great feeling to be back, but it’s bittersweet," he said. "I didn’t do enough to help the team win. It’s something to grow on."

We are taking bets on how long he can go without hurting himself. Yes, that includes off-field shenanigans, so send your predictions here.

[MLB] | [Braves Blast]

Eric Byrnes is on the Comeback Trail

We've more or less been looking for an excuse to post this rad picture of Eric Byrnes, and I think we've been given one.

The Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder was taken off the 15-day disabled list Monday and penciled in to lead off against the Boston Red Sox.

Byrnes went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Back to normal, I see.

[D'Backs] | [Down the Left Field Line] | [SOX & Dawgs] | [AZ Sports Hub]

Say Goodbye to the Split-Finger Fastball

Veteran righty John Smoltz has returned to the Atlanta Braves pitching staff as a reliever, with the hopes that this move will help him cope with his sore pitching shoulder.

After landing on the DL not once, but twice this season, Smoltz will revisit the closer's spot to avoid a possible career-ending surgery and manager Bobby Cox will hand him the job if he proves effective.

He had 154 saves with the club during his stint as a closer from 2001-04 -- including a league-record 55 saves in 2002 -- though he's worked as a starter for most of his career. But now, as he's been forced to regroup and change the way he throws during his time rehabbing in the minors, he won't be able to use one of his most effective pitches: the split-finger fastball.

"I’m not afraid to experiment," said the 41-year-old Smoltz. "I’m going to have all kinds of deliveries and motions. There’s going to be nothing consistent about what I’m trying to do."

Manny Acosta, it's been real.

Update: He already has a blown save.

[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

Pedro Martinez is Here to Save the Day

Pedro Martinez is set to rejoin the New York Mets rotation this Tuesday with a start against the San Francisco Giants, his first of the season.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who has been on the disabled list since straining his left hamstring April 1st, thinks the Mets would be a whole lot better off if he'd been around all season.

"Being a veteran and being as loose as I am, and being so noisy every day and so loud, I think that would have helped my teammates keep their cool," he said.

Well, if that's the case, he's just in time, since New York has sucked their way to 26-27 after Friday night’s 9-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

[Newsday]

Jimmy Rollins: Back With a Bang

In his return from the disabled list Friday night, Jimmy Rollins welcomed himself back to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup with a longball.

Batting leadoff and starting at short, J-Roll nailed a two-out, two-run dinger into the left-field seats in his third at-bat off San Francisco Giants lefty Pat Misch, for his third homer of the season.

Rollins, 29, landed on the DL for the first time in his nine-year career in mid-April, 12 days after he sprained his left ankle. He played in three rehab games during the stint, sliding, scoring from first base, tagging up and turning double plays to test his tender ankle's durability.

When asked how he felt about missing that much time, Rollins joked,

"A month’s vacation -- are you crazy? Wouldn’t you want a month’s vacation?!"

[MLB]