After mowing down a potent lineup to earn his first career shutout, Toronto Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez may have a good chance for another gem against the major league-worst Minnesota Twins.

Alvarez looks to help the Blue Jays continue their recent domination of the Twins as the teams open a four-game set Thursday night at Target Field.

Five days after throwing six-plus innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 win over Seattle, Alvarez (2-2, 2.83 ERA) proved even more impressive in Friday’s 4-0 road victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The 22-year-old right-hander went the distance, allowing six hits and a walk and throwing 71 of his 97 pitches for strikes.

“He’s got confidence,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “Even if he’s got two men on base, he’s always a pitch away from slowing down any damage with a ground ball. We saw his overall composure last year in the 10 starts he made for us, and it continues right now.”

Averaging just 2.6 strikeouts per nine innings, Alvarez must succeed by pitching to contact and relying on the defense behind him.

“I’ve always been a guy like that,” Alvarez told the Blue Jays’ official website. “I’m not going to make a lot of pitches, I’m going to be a guy that makes those guys swing the bat. There are going to be days when they’re probably going to hit me, but I’m fine with that as long as I stay aggressive and make those guys swing the bat. That’s my game plan.”

Toronto (17-14), which outscored Minnesota 44-14 while taking five of six meetings last season, has won 25 of the last 32 matchups in this series including four in a row and 12 of 14 in the Twin Cities.

The Blue Jays bounced back from a three-game skid and salvaged a two-game split with Oakland with a 5-2 victory Wednesday. Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and J.P. Arencibia all homered as Toronto improved to 3-3 on its 10-game road trip.

“One thing that this team repeatedly does, it puts behind them some adversity and they go out and put together another good game,” Farrell said.

The Twins (8-22) are coming off their 13th loss in 16 games, falling 6-2 to the Angels on Wednesday.

Minnesota, which ranks last in the AL with 102 runs, moved starter Francisco Liriano to the bullpen and optioned struggling third baseman Danny Valencia to Triple-A Rochester in an attempt to shake up the club.

“We need to make some changes,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We need some hits. We need some new life in here, the whole package.”

Minnesota tries to regroup behind Jason Marquis (2-1, 5.40), who suffered his first loss of the season in Saturday’s 7-0 defeat at Seattle. The right-hander managed to limit the damage after issuing a career high-tying six walks, giving up two runs over six innings.

Marquis hasn’t faced the Blue Jays since June 14, 2008, when he threw seven-plus innings of one-run ball for the Chicago Cubs in a 6-2 victory in Toronto.

Encarnacion is 8 for 16 with a pair of homers off Marquis.

(Sports Network) – The Baltimore Orioles send righty Jason Hammel to the mound in search of a second straight pitching gem when they host the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in the second of three games at Camden Yards.

Hammel, who’s 2-0 in three starts thus far in 2012, follows up a sterling effort from teammate Tommy Hunter, who tossed six innings of one-run ball in the Orioles’ 2-1 victory in Tuesday’s series opener.

Hunter (2-1) surrendered just three hits and three walks while striking out three and Pedro Strop worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to record his first career save.

“(Hunter) seemed to attack the strike zone a little more,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “I was really proud that he got to the sixth inning with the pitch count he had. He’s going to keep firing bullets.”

Endy Chavez added a hit and a run scored for the O’s, who improved to 3-1 against Toronto after taking two of three from the Jays earlier this season.

Hector Alvarez (0-2) was charged with both runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings for Toronto. Eric Thames had two hits, including a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who were coming off a four-game sweep of Kansas City.

A 28-year-old from Greenville, S.C., Hammel is 3-0 in nine career appearances against the Blue Jays with a 4.25 earned run average, including a five-inning stint on April 14 that yielded a no-decision after he allowed two runs in five innings.

He’s won his other two starts of the early schedule, defeating Minnesota and Chicago while giving up three runs on eight hits in 14 innings.

Hammel struck out 10 batters against the White Sox, giving him 18 so far in 19 innings of work.

Toronto replies with youngster Kyle Drabek, who beat the Orioles a day after Hammel’s aforementioned outing, scattering six hits and allowing a single earned run in 7 1/3 innings of a 9-2 triumph.

He picked up a win and a no-decision in his other two starts and has allowed five runs and 13 hits in 18 overall innings of three outings, in which the Blue Jays are 3-0.

Baltimore is 3-0 in games Hammel has pitched.

Drabek has split a pair of lifetime decisions against the Orioles in three meetings, posting a 2.51 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.

Toronto went 27-9 against Baltimore the previous two seasons, but the Orioles opened up this year’s season series by taking two of three in Toronto.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Royals gathered behind closed doors before facing the Toronto Blue Jays last night and had an uncensored, unvarnished, heart-to-heart kind of meeting.
Voices were raised. Anger was evident. Frustration was overflowing.

None of it did a whole lot of good.
Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the bumbling Royals 4-1 to complete a four-game sweep.
Kansas City lost for the 11th time in a row, finishing up a winless 10-game homestand that drew boos from the sparse crowd left at the end.
The last team to lose its first 10 at home? The Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in 1994.
“We’re done with meetings,” outfielder Jeff Francoeur said afterwards. “We’ve got to go play and win baseball games in Cleveland.
“It’s hard for a player to say you want to get away from home, but at the same time, every once in a while you do need it,” he reasoned.
The Royals have wilted under the highest expectations in years—following up an encouraging season-opening road trip with one of the worst homestands in big-league history.
Kansas City (3-13) has matched the 2006 team for the second-worst start in franchise history, and heads out on a nine-game trip having lost 11-straight for the first time since May, 2008.
The last team to lose 10-straight at home was Arizona in 2004.
“These 10 or 11 games have felt like a lifetime,” said Royals’ manager Ned Yost.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s felt like three summers, this homestand alone.
“But you can’t get caught up in 10 or 11 games over the course of 162-game season,” he stressed.
Eric Hosmer scored the Royals’ only run with a homer leading off the second inning.
Otherwise, Brandon Morrow (1-1) took care of the struggling Kansas City lineup. The right-hander allowed seven hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings, and Luis Perez and Francisco Cordero did the rest.
Cordero got some help from a double-play groundout in the ninth for his second save.
“Pitching like we did all series, that’s going to give us a chance,” said Blue Jays’ second baseman Kelly Johnson, whose first-inning homer set the tone for the game.
The four-game sweep was the Blue Jays’ first since May, 2009 and their first-ever at Kansas City.
The last time they swept four on the road was 2003 against the N.Y. Yankees.
Elsewhere in the AL, Boston topped Minnesota 6-5, New York beat Texas 7-4, and Chicago blanked Oakland 4-0.

Although they probably weren’t in any hurry to leave Kansas City, the Toronto Blue Jays also have enjoyed their recent visits to Baltimore.

After sweeping a four-game series from the majors’ worst team, the Blue Jays look to continue their road success Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game set against the Orioles.

Coming off back-to-back losses at home to Tampa Bay, Toronto (10-6) found the perfect opponent in the ideal place over the weekend.

The Blue Jays completed their first four-game road sweep since 2003 with a 4-1 victory Monday night over the Royals, who finished a winless 10-game homestand. Home runs by Kelly Johnson and Jose Bautista helped Toronto improve to 6-1 on the road for the second time in three seasons.

A win in this series opener would match the Jays’ longest road win streak from last season and would be their 13th in 19 games at Camden Yards since the start of 2010. The last two there haven’t been close, with the Blue Jays winning both by a combined 21-6 score and pounding out 17 of 33 hits for extra bases.

“They’re playing good, and we’re playing good,” Bautista told the team’s official website. “It’s always very important to win against teams in your division, so it’s an important series.”

The Orioles (9-7) return home after winning six of 10 on the road, marking the first time they won more than they lost during a 10-game trip since September 2004.

Nick Markakis hit a two-run single in the eighth inning and a run-scoring single in the 10th to help Baltimore avoid a sweep with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Markakis is 7 for 20 (.350) in his last five games after going 3 for 35 (.086) in his previous nine.

“I feel like I’m comfortable at the plate, but things just weren’t coming,” Markakis said. “But it’s a long season and it’s still early.”

A key to Sunday’s victory was a rare error-free game by the Orioles, who committed six in the first two games of the series and have made an AL-high 19. Baltimore is 4-0 when it doesn’t commit a miscue.

The Orioles hope to have left fielder Nolan Reimold back in the lineup after the team’s hottest hitter sat out the last two games with neck spasms. Reimold is batting .405 (17 for 42) with five homers and 10 RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.

Henderson Alvarez (0-1, 4.66 ERA) starts for Toronto looking to rebound from one of the worst starts of his brief career. The right-hander allowed six runs and six hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 9-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Facing the Orioles for the second time this season could help Alvarez get back on track. He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three starts against Baltimore, yielding three runs in seven innings April 14 before leaving without a decision in a 6-4 loss.

Chris Davis is one of the few Orioles to give Alvarez trouble, going 4 for 5 with a homer and double.

Also coming off a poor performance is Baltimore’s Tommy Hunter (1-1, 5.79), who was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings Wednesday in an 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander matched a career high with eight strikeouts but surrendered two homers.

The long ball was a problem for Hunter against the Blue Jays on April 13, when he gave up four in six innings. He didn’t receive a decision in a 7-5 win.

Yunel Escobar had one of his two homers off Hunter in that game, and is 7 for 14 with three doubles in their matchups.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer, Kelly Johnson also went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the bumbling Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Monday night to complete a four-game sweep.

The Blue Jays improved to 6-1 on the road this season, while Kansas City lost its 11th straight to finish up a winless 10-game homestand. The Royals became the first team to lose its first 10 at home since the Chicago Cubs dropped 12 in a row at Wrigley Field in 1994.

Eric Hosmer scored the Royals’ only run with a homer leading off the second inning.

Otherwise, Brandon Morrow (1-1) took care of the struggling Kansas City lineup. The right-hander allowed seven hits and one walk in 6 2-3 innings, and Luis Perez and Francisco Cordero did the rest. Cordero got some help from a double-play groundout in the ninth for his second save.

The four-game sweep was the Blue Jays‘ first since May 2009, and their first ever at Kansas City. The last time they swept four on the road was 2003 against the New York Yankees.

Bruce Chen (0-2) used his veteran guile to keep the Blue Jays on the ropes most of the game. His only major mistakes came against Bautista and Johnson, and they cost him the game.

Kansas City (3-13) matched the 2006 team for the second-worst start in franchise history, and heads out on a nine-game trip having lost 11 straight for the first time since May 2008.

The last team to lose 10 straight at home was Arizona in 2004.

The Royals didn’t help their cause with some ghastly situational hitting.

The game was tied 1-all in the third inning when Alcides Escobar led off with a double. Chris Getz sacrificed him to third base, but Alex Gordon struck out — he’s hitting .177 on the season — and Billy Butler grounded out to third base to end the inning.

Royals manager Ned Yost made the same call for a sacrifice bunt following a leadoff double by portly catcher Brayan Pena in the fifth. This time, the bunt by Mitch Maier was fielded by Morrow, who had plenty of time to throw out the lumbering Pena at third base.

The poorly executed bunt cost the Royals a run when Escobar singled moments later. Getz then popped out to the catcher and Gordon flied out to center to end the inning without a run.

The Blue Jays took advantage the next half-inning.

Johnson drew his second straight walk and Bautista connected on the first pitch of the at-bat from Chen, sending a go-ahead shot over the fence in left and into the Royals bullpen. Bautista’s third homer of the season snapped a 2-for-12 stretch in the series.

The Royals put runners on second and third with two outs in the seventh, but Perez got Gordon to ground out harmlessly to shortstop. Kansas City was 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and finished the four-game set 5 for 40 in such situations.

Notes: Getz was the Royals’ fourth leadoff hitter of the series. … Perez had not allowed a hit to a left-handed batter until Getz doubled in the seventh. … Gordon went 0 for 4. … The Blue Jays head to Baltimore for three games starting Tuesday. RHP Henderson Alvarez will pitch the opener. … Royals LHP Luke Hochevar goes Tuesday night in their series opener at Cleveland.

Where: Progressive Field.

When: Today through Sunday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: LHP Ricky Romero vs. RHP Justin Masterson Thursday at 3:05 p.m.; RHP Brandon Morrow vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. and RHP Joel Carreno vs. RHP Derek Lowe at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.

Season series: The Indians went 3-4 against Toronto last year. The two teams are tied, 186-186, overall.

Indians update: The Tribe finished spring training with the worst record in the big leagues at 7-22-3. They hit .296 (77-for-260) against the Jays last year with Michael Brantley hitting .394 (13-for-33) with three RBI. Masterson pitched one inning against the Jays last year.

Blue Jays update: Toronto finished spring training with the best record in the big leagues at 24-7. The Jays hit .306 (82-for-268) against the Indians last year with Jose Bautista batting .407 (11-for-27) with three homers and nine RBI. Romero led Toronto with 15 wins last season.

Injuries: Indians — CF Grady Sizemore (back) and LHP David Huff (right hamstring) are on the disabled list. Blue Jays — RHP Alan Farina (right elbow), RHP Jesse Litsch (right shoulder) and RHP Dustin McGowan (right foot) are the disabled list.

Next: Chicago visits Progressive Field for a three-game series Monday.

DUNEDIN, FLA.—When Omar Vizquel made the cut for his first major-league team, the Seattle Mariners in 1989, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos was an 11-year-old elementary school student.

Twenty-three years later, Vizquel has made enough of an impression on his 34-year-old boss to earn a spot as a backup infielder in the Jays’ opening-day lineup.

“He did everything we would have hoped for,” Anthopoulos said, after announcing the roster decision.

Vizquel himself was not available to speak to the media after the Jays’ 9-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the team’s 21st victory of the spring season.

A 44-year-old springy shortstop with Cooperstown credentials, Vizquel brings a veteran presence to a predominantly young and inexperienced roster. He is also expected to mentor the team’s emerging Spanish-speaking shortstops, Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria.

The Venezuelan served a similar role in his last two major-league stops with the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, where he aided the development of promising young infielders Elvis Andrus and Alexei Ramirez, respectively.

“Omar’s here as a player first and foremost,” Anthopoulos insisted. “Those other things are just an added bonus. . . . He had a very good camp and he deserved to be on the team.”

Only twice between 1993 and 2006 did Vizquel not win a Gold Glove as the top defensive player at his position. When he turns 45 on April 25, he will be the oldest player ever to play shortstop in the major leagues.

“He’s a winner,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s a pro.”

Though he has always been known more for his glove than his bat, Vizquel is a crafty contact hitter and the team hopes some of Vizquel’s small-ball prowess will rub off on its younger players.

He showed off his veteran wiles Wednesday, laying a perfect bunt down the third-base line for an infield hit and scoring later in the inning. So far this spring Vizquel is batting .433, but Anthopoulos said he doesn’t put much stock in those numbers and was always more concerned with his defensive abilities.

Vizquel’s main competition in camp came from Mike McCoy, a reliable bench player who plays both the infield and outfield, but whose versatility was made redundant by the presence of speedy Rajai Davis and Ben Francisco, a spare outfielder the Jays acquired this off-season.

McCoy had options left on his contract — meaning he did not have to clear waivers before being sent down to the minors — so he was sent to Triple-A Las Vegas. Luis Valbuena, another spare infielder, is out of options, so he will either be traded or put on waivers before being sent down.

“We’ll try to trade him before putting him on waivers,” Anthopoulos said.

BY THE NUMBERS

OMAR VIZQUEL

Major-league seasons: 23

Games: 2,908

Gold gloves, all at shortstop: 11

Hits: 2,841

Career on-base percentage: .337

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Jose Bautista hit his first two homers of spring training and Travis Snider hit his third, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Jeff Mathis singled to open the third inning against Astros starter Zack Duke and, two outs later, Bautista crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall. In the third, Snider jumped on Duke’s fastball and also homered to left. In the fifth, Bautista sent Jordan Lyles’ first pitch to him over the 400-foot sign to the right of the batter’s eye in center field.

Right-hander Dustin McGowan gave up one hit and struck out one in two innings. It’s his first spring start as he comes back from several shoulder operations in pursuit of the fifth spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation.

Iwakuma makes strides for M’s

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Hishashi Iwakuma’s second spring training outing for the Seattle Mariners was an improvement yet was short of where he wants to be.

His appearance limited because of high pitch counts in an intrasquad game and in his first start last Monday, Iwakuma gave up two runs and four hits over four innings Saturday in a 5-5, nine-inning tie against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a split-squad game.

Iwakuma threw 52 pitches in an outing that included a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch. He gave up a solo homer to Matt Treanor in the third and another run in the fourth.

O’s Matusz throws 4 strong innings

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Brian Matusz bounced back from a shaky spring debut, pitching four sharp innings as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 Saturday.

Matusz went 1-9 with a 10.69 ERA in 2011. He struggled in his first exhibition outing this year, giving up three runs and six hits in two innings to Pittsburgh.

Against Philadelphia, Matusz allowed three hits without a walk while striking out four.

Joe Blanton pitched three scoreless innings for the Phillies. The 31-year-old righty was limited to eight starts last year because of an elbow injury.

Blanton allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.

Chris Davis greeted Phillies reliever Scott Elarton with a leadoff home run in the fourth. Elarton, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2008, retired the next 12 batters.

Verlander tosses 4 scoreless innings

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit allowed home runs after Justin Verlander scattered three hits over four innings and a Washington Nationals split squad tied the Detroit Tigers in a game that ended 5-5 after 10 innings Saturday.

Corey Brown and Andres Blanco homered off Tiger closer Jose Valverde and setup man Joaquin

Benoit to lift the Nationals into a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning.

Brandon Inge and Brennan Boesch each homered to help Detroit take a 4-0 lead behind Verlander, the AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, who struck out four. Tigers Catcher Alex Avila threw out two of the Nationals who reached on base hits trying to steal.

Washington starter John Lannan went two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, including Inge’s home run.

Jurrjens, Pineda both wild

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Starters Jair Jurrjens and Michael Pineda both had trouble finding the plate and were pulled in the third inning Saturday as the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3.

Jurrjens walked six in 2 1-3 innings for the Braves. He allowed five hits and three runs in his second spring start.

Pineda gave up one run on four hits, three walks and a wild pitch in 2 2-3 innings. The Yankees acquired him in an offseason trade with Seattle after he was an All-Star last year and led all rookies in strikeouts.

Alex Rodriguez doubled and drove in two runs for the Yankees and Jose Gil had two hits.

Michael Bourn doubled and singled for Atlanta.

Angels’ Wilson strong in second start

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — C.J. Wilson pitched three scoreless innings in his second spring outing and the Los Angeles Angels beat a split-squad of San Francisco Giants 9-5 on Saturday.

The left-hander allowed one hit, struck out two and walked one. He signed a $77.5 million, five-year deal with the Angels over the winter, opting to leave AL champion Texas.

Mark Trumbo, the Angels’ leader in homers (29) and RBI (87) last season, hit his first spring homer and made a splendid diving grab to his left on Joaquin Arias’ line drive to third in the second, robbing him of a single.

Giants right-hander Shane Loux pitched 2 1-3 innings and was charged with three runs, two earned, and four hits.

Giants prospect homers twice

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Pablo Sandoval homered and doubled during San Francisco’s seven-run third-inning, and the Giants beat a Milwaukee Brewers split-squad 13-3 on Saturday.

Sandoval led off the third with a double. He added his first spring homer later in the inning, a long drive over the fence in right.

San Francisco’s big inning made it 10-0.

Giants prospect Tommy Joseph hit two home runs, and Barry Zito pitched three scoreless innings. The embattled left-hander allowed one hit and hit a batter.

Milwaukee’s Mat Gamel, taking over at first this season after the departure of Prince Fielder, hit his third homer of the spring, a three-run drive in the fourth inning.

Butler stays hot for Royals

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Billy Butler hit a two-run homer and Luis Mendoza worked four scoreless innings as the Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 Saturday.

Butler, who is 7 for 15 in six spring training games, homered in the fifth with Eric Hosmer aboard.

Mendoza, the 2011 Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year, gave up just two hits, both to Brandon Wood, and struck out three. He has not allowed a run in six innings in two spring training starts as he is competing for a spot in the Kansas City rotation.

Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run on three hits, while striking out three, in three innings to take the loss. Wood had three of the Rockies’ nine hits, who have lost five straight.

Rangers’ Lewis throws 4 perfect innings

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Colby Lewis pitched four perfect innings for the Texas Rangers in a 3-2 loss to a Chicago White Sox split squad Saturday.

Lewis, the Rangers expected opening day starter, struck out five and threw 36 pitches. He struck out Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and A.J. Pierzynski in the second inning.

Konerko ended the perfect game with a leadoff single in the fifth off Scott Feldman.

Dylan Axelrod, who is vying for a spot in Chicago’s bullpen, allowed a run and three hits, struck out one and walked two in two innings.

The White Sox scored three runs in the ninth.

As a precaution, Texas right fielder Craig Gentry left the game with tightness in his left hamstring. The Rangers rested most of their regulars Saturday.

Choo shines in Indians loss

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Dustin Moseley worked three scoreless innings and Will Venable had three hits to help the San Diego Padres beat the Cleveland Indians 5-2 Saturday.

Shin-Soo Choo hit his second home run and doubled for Cleveland. Russ Canzler added an RBI double in the seventh off new Padres closer Huston Street.

Moseley, coming back from shoulder surgery on Aug. 3, gave up one hit and struck out three in his second spring outing.

Indians starter Justin Masterson struck out four and gave up one run and four hits over three innings.

Venable had a double and two singles, driving in one run. Jesus Guzman, Yonder Alonso and John Baker each had two of San Diego’s 14 hits and minor leaguer Andy Parrino hit a solo homer.

Dempster helps Cubs past Brewers

PHOENIX (AP) — Ryan Dempster figured once through the order against a division rival was enough.

Dempster pitched three scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs beat a Milwaukee Brewers split-squad 6-1 on Saturday afternoon.

“I’m going to face those guys a lot during the year,” said Dempster, who worked in the bullpen after leaving the mound. “There’s no sense facing them more than I had to.”

The right-hander allowed two hits and walked two in his second spring start, but he said the results he’s looking for aren’t found on the scoreboard.

“Results are where I throw the pitch,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, execute my pitches.”

Dempster was 0-2 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts against the NL Central champion Brewers last season. He was 10-14 with a 4.80 ERA overall in one of his worst seasons since joining the Cubs in 2004.

Chris Narveson pitched 3 2-3 innings in the longest outing by a Brewers pitcher this spring. Narveson allowed two hits, though the second was a wind-aided home run to left field by Starlin Castro.

Zimmerman leads Nationals past Mets

VIERA, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Zimmerman hit two doubles and drove in two runs as a split squad of Washington Nationals beat R.A. Dickey and the New York Mets 8-2 Saturday.

Dickey had a rough outing, giving up five runs and eight hits in three innings. Adam LaRoche made his spring debut and hit an RBI single off the Mets knuckleballer.

Chien-Ming Wang, a candidate for the fifth spot in the Nationals’ rotation, allowed two runs and three hits in two innings in his first spring outing. He threw 43 pitches, 26 for strikes.

Ike Davis and Omar Quintanilla each had two hits for the Mets.

Valencia powers Twins over Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer among his two hits Saturday as the Minnesota Twins broke out of a hitting funk and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2.

Valencia doubled in the fifth inning and homered in the sixth. It was Twins’ first extra-base hit in six games.

The Twins did all their scoring off reliever Jo-Jo Reyes, who allowed four hits and a walk in two innings.

Twins starter Terry Doyle allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk in 2 2-3 innings. Doyle was a Rule 5 pick in December and must be offered back to the Chicago White Sox if he doesn’t make the Twins’ roster.

Erik Bedard tossed three scoreless innings and gave up one hit for Pittsburgh. Casey McGehee went 3 for 3 with one RBI and Nate McLouth went 2 for 2.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Jose Bautista hit his first two homers of spring training and Travis Snider hit his third, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Jeff Mathis singled to open the third inning against Astros starter Zack Duke and, two outs later, Bautista crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall. In the third, Snider jumped on Duke’s fastball and also homered to left. In the fifth, Bautista sent Jordan Lyles’ first pitch to him over the 400-foot sign to the right of the batter’s eye in center field.

Right-hander Dustin McGowan gave up one hit and struck out one in two innings. It’s his first spring start as he comes back from several shoulder operations in pursuit of the fifth spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation.

Iwakuma makes strides for M’s

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Hishashi Iwakuma’s second spring training outing for the Seattle Mariners was an improvement yet was short of where he wants to be.

His appearance limited because of high pitch counts in an intrasquad game and in his first start last Monday, Iwakuma gave up two runs and four hits over four innings Saturday in a 5-5, nine-inning tie against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a split-squad game.

Iwakuma threw 52 pitches in an outing that included a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch. He gave up a solo homer to Matt Treanor in the third and another run in the fourth.

O’s Matusz throws 4 strong innings

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Brian Matusz bounced back from a shaky spring debut, pitching four sharp innings as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 Saturday.

Matusz went 1-9 with a 10.69 ERA in 2011. He struggled in his first exhibition outing this year, giving up three runs and six hits in two innings to Pittsburgh.

Against Philadelphia, Matusz allowed three hits without a walk while striking out four.

Joe Blanton pitched three scoreless innings for the Phillies. The 31-year-old righty was limited to eight starts last year because of an elbow injury.

Blanton allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one.

Chris Davis greeted Phillies reliever Scott Elarton with a leadoff home run in the fourth. Elarton, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2008, retired the next 12 batters.

Verlander tosses 4 scoreless innings

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit allowed home runs after Justin Verlander scattered three hits over four innings and a Washington Nationals split squad tied the Detroit Tigers in a game that ended 5-5 after 10 innings Saturday.

Corey Brown and Andres Blanco homered off Tiger closer Jose Valverde and setup man Joaquin

Benoit to lift the Nationals into a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning.

Brandon Inge and Brennan Boesch each homered to help Detroit take a 4-0 lead behind Verlander, the AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, who struck out four. Tigers Catcher Alex Avila threw out two of the Nationals who reached on base hits trying to steal.

Washington starter John Lannan went two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, including Inge’s home run.

Jurrjens, Pineda both wild

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Starters Jair Jurrjens and Michael Pineda both had trouble finding the plate and were pulled in the third inning Saturday as the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 8-3.

Jurrjens walked six in 2 1-3 innings for the Braves. He allowed five hits and three runs in his second spring start.

Pineda gave up one run on four hits, three walks and a wild pitch in 2 2-3 innings. The Yankees acquired him in an offseason trade with Seattle after he was an All-Star last year and led all rookies in strikeouts.

Alex Rodriguez doubled and drove in two runs for the Yankees and Jose Gil had two hits.

Michael Bourn doubled and singled for Atlanta.

Angels’ Wilson strong in second start

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — C.J. Wilson pitched three scoreless innings in his second spring outing and the Los Angeles Angels beat a split-squad of San Francisco Giants 9-5 on Saturday.

The left-hander allowed one hit, struck out two and walked one. He signed a $77.5 million, five-year deal with the Angels over the winter, opting to leave AL champion Texas.

Mark Trumbo, the Angels’ leader in homers (29) and RBI (87) last season, hit his first spring homer and made a splendid diving grab to his left on Joaquin Arias’ line drive to third in the second, robbing him of a single.

Giants right-hander Shane Loux pitched 2 1-3 innings and was charged with three runs, two earned, and four hits.

Giants prospect homers twice

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Pablo Sandoval homered and doubled during San Francisco’s seven-run third-inning, and the Giants beat a Milwaukee Brewers split-squad 13-3 on Saturday.

Sandoval led off the third with a double. He added his first spring homer later in the inning, a long drive over the fence in right.

San Francisco’s big inning made it 10-0.

Giants prospect Tommy Joseph hit two home runs, and Barry Zito pitched three scoreless innings. The embattled left-hander allowed one hit and hit a batter.

Milwaukee’s Mat Gamel, taking over at first this season after the departure of Prince Fielder, hit his third homer of the spring, a three-run drive in the fourth inning.

Butler stays hot for Royals

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Billy Butler hit a two-run homer and Luis Mendoza worked four scoreless innings as the Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 Saturday.

Butler, who is 7 for 15 in six spring training games, homered in the fifth with Eric Hosmer aboard.

Mendoza, the 2011 Pacific Coast League pitcher of the year, gave up just two hits, both to Brandon Wood, and struck out three. He has not allowed a run in six innings in two spring training starts as he is competing for a spot in the Kansas City rotation.

Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run on three hits, while striking out three, in three innings to take the loss. Wood had three of the Rockies’ nine hits, who have lost five straight.

Rangers’ Lewis throws 4 perfect innings

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Colby Lewis pitched four perfect innings for the Texas Rangers in a 3-2 loss to a Chicago White Sox split squad Saturday.

Lewis, the Rangers expected opening day starter, struck out five and threw 36 pitches. He struck out Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and A.J. Pierzynski in the second inning.

Konerko ended the perfect game with a leadoff single in the fifth off Scott Feldman.

Dylan Axelrod, who is vying for a spot in Chicago’s bullpen, allowed a run and three hits, struck out one and walked two in two innings.

The White Sox scored three runs in the ninth.

As a precaution, Texas right fielder Craig Gentry left the game with tightness in his left hamstring. The Rangers rested most of their regulars Saturday.

Choo shines in Indians loss

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Dustin Moseley worked three scoreless innings and Will Venable had three hits to help the San Diego Padres beat the Cleveland Indians 5-2 Saturday.

Shin-Soo Choo hit his second home run and doubled for Cleveland. Russ Canzler added an RBI double in the seventh off new Padres closer Huston Street.

Moseley, coming back from shoulder surgery on Aug. 3, gave up one hit and struck out three in his second spring outing.

Indians starter Justin Masterson struck out four and gave up one run and four hits over three innings.

Venable had a double and two singles, driving in one run. Jesus Guzman, Yonder Alonso and John Baker each had two of San Diego’s 14 hits and minor leaguer Andy Parrino hit a solo homer.

Dempster helps Cubs past Brewers

PHOENIX (AP) — Ryan Dempster figured once through the order against a division rival was enough.

Dempster pitched three scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs beat a Milwaukee Brewers split-squad 6-1 on Saturday afternoon.

“I’m going to face those guys a lot during the year,” said Dempster, who worked in the bullpen after leaving the mound. “There’s no sense facing them more than I had to.”

The right-hander allowed two hits and walked two in his second spring start, but he said the results he’s looking for aren’t found on the scoreboard.

“Results are where I throw the pitch,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, execute my pitches.”

Dempster was 0-2 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts against the NL Central champion Brewers last season. He was 10-14 with a 4.80 ERA overall in one of his worst seasons since joining the Cubs in 2004.

Chris Narveson pitched 3 2-3 innings in the longest outing by a Brewers pitcher this spring. Narveson allowed two hits, though the second was a wind-aided home run to left field by Starlin Castro.

Zimmerman leads Nationals past Mets

VIERA, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Zimmerman hit two doubles and drove in two runs as a split squad of Washington Nationals beat R.A. Dickey and the New York Mets 8-2 Saturday.

Dickey had a rough outing, giving up five runs and eight hits in three innings. Adam LaRoche made his spring debut and hit an RBI single off the Mets knuckleballer.

Chien-Ming Wang, a candidate for the fifth spot in the Nationals’ rotation, allowed two runs and three hits in two innings in his first spring outing. He threw 43 pitches, 26 for strikes.

Ike Davis and Omar Quintanilla each had two hits for the Mets.

Valencia powers Twins over Pirates

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer among his two hits Saturday as the Minnesota Twins broke out of a hitting funk and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2.

Valencia doubled in the fifth inning and homered in the sixth. It was Twins’ first extra-base hit in six games.

The Twins did all their scoring off reliever Jo-Jo Reyes, who allowed four hits and a walk in two innings.

Twins starter Terry Doyle allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk in 2 2-3 innings. Doyle was a Rule 5 pick in December and must be offered back to the Chicago White Sox if he doesn’t make the Twins’ roster.

Erik Bedard tossed three scoreless innings and gave up one hit for Pittsburgh. Casey McGehee went 3 for 3 with one RBI and Nate McLouth went 2 for 2.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

How soon is too soon?

When is it too early to bring up a phenom pitching prospect, working his way up the organizational ladder faster than a speeding bullet?

When is it too soon to send that prospect back down if he’s struggling at the major league level?

More than 15 years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted Roy Halladay out of high school and watched him join the ranks of the major leagues at 21. He found success immediately, coming within one out of a no-hitter in just his second start.

For Halladay, though, his drop was as quick as his climb.

Philadelphia’s ace still holds the record for the worst earned-run average of any pitcher with at least 50 innings pitched in a season (10.64 in 2000). He was farmed out to work with Jays’ pitching guru Mel Queen and, in the two seasons that followed, he went 41-14 and earned a Cy Young Award. He never looked back.

The Blue Jays have had a history, especially of late, of bringing their pitching farmhands up to The Show straight from AA New Hampshire. The recent trend in Toronto started two seasons ago with Kyle Drabek and continued with current Chicago White Sox righty Zach Stewart, bullpen addition Joel Carreno, and current starter Henderson Alvarez.

Alvarez is entering the upcoming season in a similar position to that of Drabek last spring. With part of a big-league season under his belt, he is already a staple in the five-man starting rotation going into his sophomore year.

The 21-year-old does have significantly more major-league time on his resume than Drabek did a year ago, with 10 games started and 63 2/3 innings pitched, but the transition from AA to the majors is unlikely to be complete as of yet.

The man on the receiving end, catcher J.P. Arencibia, believes the young right-hander’s limited experience and the work he’s done so far this pre-season will benefit him greatly going into this season.

“He has a sense of knowing what he’s going to face,” Arencibia said of Alvarez. “His slider is tightening up which is a big pitch for him. He didn’t really throw his slider much last year and it’s gotten better. There’s just an overall knowing of what it takes, knowledge of what it takes to pitch in the big leagues.”

Having built a relationship with Alvarez over the end of last season, Arencibia got a strong feel for what helps the Venezuelan hurler when he’s on the mound.

“Talking to him in Spanish really helps me,” Arencibia said jokingly. “Really, just telling him to calm down, sometimes he rushes. He gets amped up. He’s young, too. He’s still young so he gets too emotional sometimes and everything speeds up, so you have to slow him down.”

Trouble controlling emotions on the hill is reminiscent of the problem Drabek encountered in his second season with the Blue Jays. After three starts in 2010, the 24-year-old went 4-5 last year with a 6.06 ERA in 14 starts through 78 2/3 frames.

For the son of Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, it was the first time he’d experienced a real sense of struggle.

“Just learning from the failures really,” Drabek said of what he can take from last season. “Last season wasn’t really anything to write home about. I think it taught me about how that season can happen and I think I could have gone a different route of dealing with it.

“It was just the first time that’s happened to me and I didn’t really know how to take care of it. Talking with my dad, he just told me to forget it but to learn from last year and kind of take that into this season and go at it.”

Drabek believes that the problems he had were more with his body than his head, despite his emotional appearance on the mound at times.

“I think it was more physical,” he said. “I caught myself changing my mechanics a bunch because I couldn’t really find the strike zone. I thought changing it up would fix it and that didn’t really help so it was kind of a little roller coaster.”

Having been in Alvarez’s position and making the jump from the Fisher Cats to the Blue Jays, Drabek has advice to offer his younger counterpart after going through his own learning experience.

“It’s the same game as it is in double-A and triple-A,” Drabek said. “There are just better hitters and a bigger atmosphere, but when you’re on the mound, it’s still just a game.

“You’ve still got to be able to have fun. You know what you’re doing. You just can’t let the atmosphere and the names get in your head.”

Though Drabek had trouble with the transition from one level to the next, he believes he’s learned what he needs to do now, and how to slow things down in the future.

“It was a little difficult for me just because that’s where you wanted to be,” Drabek said of going from AA to the big leagues. “I think that when I started the season last year it was a little bit easier because I got those few games [the year before] and I was able to see how it works up there.

“You can get into it pretty quickly and learn fast but you’ve just got to remember that it’s just a game. That’s what my dad always told me. It’s a game and you’ve got to have fun with it but pitch your game.”

Arencibia stressed the same idea when working with Alvarez though his transition to the majors last year, though the catcher doesn’t necessarily believe Alvarez needs the extra time that Drabek did in order to make the adjustment.

“It’s the same game,” Arencibia said. “It will never change. What anyone’s strength is, is what their strength is. Your strength is your strength. You’re not going to change it because of where you’re at. You may make adjustments to where you’re at but you’re not going to change what you do.”

The adjustments made by Alvarez prior to the upcoming season may determine whether or not he will head in a direction similar to that of Halladay, or come to a fork in the road like Drabek.

Toronto was one of the MLB teams that tried desperately to bring in some top-notch free agents this winter, but the team had little success.

The Blue Jays and their fans have high expectations for the upcoming season, especially with the added teams that will make the playoffs this season. Toronto has a good offensive club, but the pitching rotation could use some help, and that has led to trade rumors already surfacing before the start of the baseball season.

The latest from Bleacher Report suggests that the Blue Jays could acquire Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs at some stage of the 2012 year, and it makes sense as the team has the young prospects to make such a deal happen and the front office has shown the willingness to add quality players.

Garza has pitched in the AL East before with the Tampa Bay Rays and has pitched well in pressure situations, making him a logical choice for the Blue Jays to pursue. The 28-year-old went 15-10 for the Rays two years ago and 10-10 with an outstanding 3.32 ERA for the Cubs in 2011.

If the team gets off to a good start and shows signs of contending for the MLB playoffs, don’t be surprised to see the front office makes some moves to acquire pitching and Garza should be tops on their list.