Philadelphia Phillies

Number 25 arrived from his working vacation at extended Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla., and served as the designated hitter against the Orioles. Out since May 1 with a strained lower back, Thome proclaimed himself ready after hitting a home run on Friday.

His teammates in Florida presented him the with the ball, autographed for the occasion of his first extended Spring Training. He hopes he never hits another one.

"The great thing about going down there is you get a lot of repetition," Thome said. "You take a lot of ground balls. I can hit every inning if I wanted to."

Thome went 5-for-12 while in Florida. He felt some soreness on Thursday morning, but quickly improved by Friday. The Phillies agreed with Thome's assessment and put activated him.

"He's back," said manager Charlie Manuel. "It's a good feeling. Get him back, get him healthy, get him hitting."

"He's the big dog," added Jason Michaels. "We need him."

That said, the Phillies have done pretty well without him, winning four out of five games and scoring 23 runs in their past three wins. Bobby Abreu has picked up the most slack in Thome's absence, and Pat Burrell and Chase Utley have contributed as well.

Coming back to a team that is playing better may help ease the pressure that Thome always places on himself, the urge to carry the team through the rough patches. Manuel hopes he'll relax.

"The more we win, the more confidence Jimmy gets," Manuel said. And the more he relaxes and enjoys it more."

Every time Thome is asked if his back was a contributing factor to his .203 batting average and one homer this season, he says no. He's not about making excuses.

"It probably affected him a little bit, but I admire him for not having excuses," said Manuel. "I've known him a long time and I think I've definitely helped breed that into him. We don't have excuses. We have about 120 games left. He's going to get 500 or so more at-bats. Big Jim can take off and still hit a bunch [of home runs]."

Thome acknowledged that the rest has done wonders in terms of his physical well-being. He visited a back specialist in Los Angeles and learned some new exercises. At his age, he knows it's going to take more effort to care for his balky back, representing a daily challenge.

That in turn gave him some sorely needed piece of mind.

"The main thing it did for me is it helped me to [see] exercises you do are specifically for baseball. I always worked hard in maintaining my back, because it was always an issue. This gave me an idea of what I have to accomplish."

Thome knows what he wants to accomplish on the field, too.

"It hurt me more not to play than anything," he said. "I enjoy to play the game. When your healthy, your ability helps you do the rest. I just want to contribute and help this team win. It feels good, the excitement of getting back out there."

*Did you know?* Kenny Lofton was the first player to bat at Camden Yards, on April 6, 1992. He flew out to right field against Rick Sutcliffe.

*Coming up:* Cory Lidle has been one of the Phillies' most consistent starters this season. He got a win in his previous outing, pitching around five errors