Here’s an odd one.
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Diamondbacks are planning to call up veteran left-hander Mike Hampton from Triple-A Reno before Friday’s game.
Hampton signed a minor league contract with Arizona in late August and has made only four relief appearances at Triple-A Reno to some rather uninspiring results. Maybe the D’Backs are hoping that the spectacle of a washed-up, overpaid veteran will lead to a couple hundred bucks in extra ticket sales. Like a bull fight, or something.
Hampton, 37, hasn’t appeared in the majors since August of last season and posted a 5.30 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 21 total starts for the Astros over the course of 2009. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen has been bad, but has it really been let’s-promote-Mike Hampton bad?
