Braves pitcher Mike Hampton didn't need to listen to sports-talk radio to feel lousy Friday. Backing out at the last minute from his start Thursday with another injury was more than sufficient for that.

"It hurts," said Hampton, speaking Friday of emotions, not of the strained pectoral muscle that put him back on the disabled list.

"It's tough to deal with right now, but I'll deal with it," said the 35-year-old left-hander, who hasn't pitched in a real game in 31 1/2 months because of elbow injuries that required two surgeries.

"Lot of stuff going through my head. To get to that point [Thursday], then not be able to start, was a tough pill to swallow."

He was about 25 pitches into his pregame warmup when he stepped off the bullpen mound and said he couldn't do it.

"You can really empathize with him in that situation," Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell said. "He hasn't been able to pitch in 2 1/2 years, and it's right there in front of you, and then you can't pitch. It's like Christmas day got cancelled."

Reliever Jeff Bennett hurriedly warmed up, then pitched four innings for the Braves in another bullpen-exhausting, 10-inning loss to Pittsburgh.

Hampton's 15-day DL assignment was retroactive to March 30, the day after he pitched in an exhibition against Cleveland. The Braves haven't said when they expect to have him back.

Though Hampton said he and doctors believe this latest injury is relatively minor, the pitcher conceded Friday that "there's a little bit of doubt" in his mind.

It's eight DL stints for Hampton since 2005, and untold levels of frustration for the pitcher, the Braves — and yes, Braves fans.

Lest anyone think Hampton might be ready to give up his protracted comeback bid and call it a career, he got to Turner Field early Friday afternoon for treatment.

"I've been through a lot to get to this point, and I'm not ready to give up," said Hampton, who's making $15 million in the final year of an eight-year $121 million contract he signed with Colorado.

Hampton said he has gotten text messages, e-mails and phone calls from friends and well-wishers since Thursday night.

"It's hard for me to walk past somebody or go to the places I normally go, without somebody saying, 'Hey, we're behind you,'" he said. "Even [Rick] Sutcliffe called me, and he's going through cancer [treatments]."

Sutcliffe, ESPN broadcaster and former pitcher, was diagnosed with a treatable form of colon cancer in March.

Hampton was traded to the Braves after the 2002 season, with six years left on his contract. The Braves were responsible for $48.5 million of his salary over six years (minus whatever amount is covered by insurance), with the Rockies and Florida Marlins picking up the other portion of $78.5 million he made in that period.

The Braves say they still recoup a percentage of his salary from insurance while he's on the DL. They refuse to divulge that percentage.