Hampton strains groin

Oft-injured pitcher Mike Hampton of the Atlanta Braves left his spring training start Friday at Kissimmee, Fla., because of a strained right groin.

Hampton, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since August 2005, made it to the second inning of his second outing this spring before getting hurt. After Detroit’s Scott Sizemore fouled off a pitch, Atlanta catcher Brian McCann went to the mound, as did manager Bobby Cox and assistant trainer Jim Lovell.

Hampton walked off the mound and into the dugout after throwing 38 pitches, 19 for strikes. The left-hander allowed an unearned run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings after tossing two shutout innings Sunday against Houston in his first appearance against big league batters in two years.

Hampton has had two elbow operations since his last major league appearance. He pitched only one inning in Mexico this winter before straining his hamstring when he slipped on the mound.

A 22-game winner for Houston in 1999, Hampton also was the 2000 N.L. Championship Series MVP with the New York Mets. He won a total of 27 games for the Braves in 2003 and 2004, but went 5-3 in 2005 and hasn’t pitched since.

Clearing the bases

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has a sore right shoulder and is expected to be limited to designated hitter until early next week. Rodriguez said he felt discomfort Thursday and the shoulder bothers him when he throws. … San Diego center fielder Jim Edmonds is expected to miss two to three weeks with a strained right calf, a setback for a team that was a bit shaky in the outfield to begin with. … Troy Patton will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, delaying the left-hander’s debut with the Baltimore Orioles until at least 2009.