Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Torii Hunter Finally Moved to Cleanup Position
Nine games out of first place, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire finally moved Torii Hunter from No. 5 to the cleanup spot, and dropped Rondell White at DH to No. 8 in the batting order. Hunter, hitting .202, responded with a pair of hits, but the Twins lost to the Mariners 8-2, and it wasn't really that close. Twins pitchers gave up 20 hits. Monday was German night at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, and while fans wore their lederhosen, the players continued wearing pantyhosen. The Twins have lost four in a row, eight of their last 10 and are 3-12 on the road. If the Twins are unable to dig out of their hole, expect Hunter to be traded, perhaps as soon as the All-Star break.
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Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.