PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) -- Scott Baker pitched two hitless innings in his spring debut as the Minnesota Twins beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Tuesday.
The outing was a good sign for Baker, who went 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA for the Twins before an elbow injury ended his 2011 season.
The Rays are winless in their four exhibition games, three of the losses are against Minnesota.
Jeff Niemann made a case to keep his spot in the Rays' starting rotation, yielding two hits in two innings.
The right-hander got off to a rocky start issuing back-to-back singles to Ben Revere and Jamey Caroll in the first inning. They advanced to second and third on Niemann's errant pickoff throw to second. Revere scored from third on Ryan Doumit's groundout. Niemann recovered with a 1-2-3 second inning.
Casilla had two hits for Minnesota, while Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena was hitless in his spring debut.
