BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : AMERICAN LEAGUE : Hrbek, Heart of the Order Struggle in First Two Games

Postseason frustration has become a habit for Minnesota first baseman Kent Hrbek.

Hrbek, a career .289 hitter during the regular season, is one for eight in the Twins’ first two playoff games against Toronto. He was three for 20 in Minnesota’s 1987 playoff triumph over Detroit and five for 24 in the World Series, and is now hitting .173 overall in postseason play.

Kirby Puckett, Hrbek and Chili Davis, Minnesota’s third, fourth and fifth hitters, were one for 10 Wednesday and are a combined three for 20 in the first two games of the American League championship series. Hrbek knows when that trio struggles, the Twins will struggle, too.

“We’re not doing anything,” said Hrbek, who has hit .247 against the Blue Jays this season. “Myself, I’m not swinging the bat like I want to at all. I don’t know why. I just hope to go up to Toronto and do some damage.”

His prospects aren’t the best: Hrbek has a .176 career average with one home run in 11 games at the SkyDome.

Minnesota Manager Tom Kelly has noticed the lack of production from the heart of his order, and he’s concerned. “Hrbek had a tough day, and we need to get him going,” Kelly said. “He and Chili both had tough days and when you face people like (Juan) Guzman, (Duane) Ward and (Tom) Henke, they can do that to you.”

Blue Jay third baseman Kelly Gruber, who was two for four Wednesday, is nine for 16 in his last four postseason games, since Game 4 of the 1989 playoffs. “I feel half-decent,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’m tearing up the world by any means.” . . . AL West teams have won 15 of the last 17 playoff games against AL East opponents. Toronto has both victories. . . . The unearned run given up by Steve Bedrosian in the seventh inning was the first run given up by a reliever in the AL playoffs in 20 2/3 innings, since Boston’s Jeff Reardon gave up a run in the ninth inning of the Red Sox’s second game against the Athletics last year. . . . There have been no home runs in the last five AL playoff games, since Boston’s Wade Boggs homered off Oakland’s Dave Stewart in Game 1 last year. It’s the longest homerless stretch in AL playoff history.

Dan Gladden’s postseason hitting streak ended at nine. . . . Bob Gebhard, the Twins’ vice president of player personnel, is scouting the Pirates. Gebhard will become the Colorado general manager on Nov. 1.

Tuesday night’s Game 1 on CBS had the lowest television rating for a prime time baseball playoff game. The Twins’ 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays received an 11.6 rating, according to figures released by the A.C. Nielsen Co. The previous prime-time low was 12.2 for last year’s National League playoff opener between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds.