Advertisement

Hunter gets day off in Toronto; Wood remains in lineup

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The artificial turf in Toronto’s Rogers Centre claimed its second Angels victim. Right fielder Bobby Abreu sat out Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays, and center fielder Torii Hunter, who had a team-leading .341 average, was not in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale.

‘I’m just sore everywhere from playing on turf,’ Hunter said. ‘That turf is mean.’

It was supposed to be a kinder, gentler surface. The Blue Jays installed a new, softer turf this season, but Hunter said that until it got compacted a little more, it would be difficult to play on.

Advertisement

‘Go run in the sand at the beach for an hour and see how that works for you,’ Hunter said. ‘It’s soft, but that’s not necessarily good. It makes your body sore and your muscles work harder.’

Said Manager Mike Scioscia: ‘This turf is much better than anticipated, but it still has that truth serum. If you’re on it, you’re going to find out what’s hurting you. I just walked on it yesterday and tweaked my rotator cuff.’

While Hunter sat, third baseman Brandon Wood remained in the lineup despite his .088 average and errors on back-to-back plays that led to a pair of unearned runs in Saturday’s 6-3 win over Toronto.

‘Sometimes patience is needed,’ Scioscia said. ‘I think Brandon will contribute in ways we need. Maybe not to his full potential right away, but this guy is going to break through. We’re going to try to maintain that balance where he’s moving forward, maintaining his confidence, but we’ll let him take a breather mentally if it becomes a grind.’

Wood’s defense had been very good until Saturday because he was not taking his frustrations at the plate into the field. But he admitted Sunday that he took some of his defensive frustration to the plate, where he was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

‘They weren’t negative thoughts, like, ‘My career is over,’ ‘ Wood said. ‘And I wasn’t thinking about the plays when I was hitting. But I was thinking that I needed to do something to help the team.’

Advertisement

Hunter counseled Wood heavily the first week of the season, ‘but I’ve been trying to give him a lot of space, let him go through it,’ Hunter said. ‘I don’t want to talk to him too much. Everyone wants to put their two cents in, and he’s the type of guy who will listen. He wants to please you, but it can get into his head. Just let him play his game and take his lumps.’

Wood appreciates the space ... and the counsel.

‘I get advice here and there from guys who have been through struggles, and others give you space and let you figure it out,’ Wood said. ‘This is my career. I’m confident I can play this game. This isn’t the end of the world for me.’

-- Mike DiGiovanna in Toronto

Advertisement