LOS ANGELES -- Detroit Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter was not in the starting lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a bruised left knee.
The injury occurred in the second inning of Tuesday's loss, when the nine-time Gold Glove winner tried to make a sliding catch of a foul ball by Tim Federowicz near the short padded wall in front of the grandstand jammed his knee as the ball landed in the seats. Hunter stayed in the game until the Tigers took the field for the fifth, when he was replaced by Don Kelly.
"It was a tough play," Hunter said after the game. "It's weird over there, because you have the foul line right next to the wall. But you don't want to give up on the ball because it might stay fair. So you use whatever maneuver you can come up with and try to keep the ball from bouncing on that line."
Hunter, who turns 39 year old in July, will benefit from the Tigers' off day Thursday and is hoping to return Friday night for the opener of a three-game series at San Diego.
"The style that I play, I play rough. I try to get everything. It's just my instincts. I can't help it," Hunter said. "Unfortunately, I've got a swollen knee because of it. We iced it three times just to get the swelling down. My wrist is jammed up and my shoulder's a little sore."