DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jose Bautista hit his third home run of the spring for the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-3 victory Saturday over the Minnesota Twins, who got three scoreless innings from newcomer Phil Hughes.
After spending his first seven seasons with the New York Yankees, Hughes signed a $24 million, three-year contract with Minnesota in the offseason. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two.
The right-hander missed most of spring training with a back injury last year and struggled mightily in the regular season, going 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA with the Yankees.
Hughes said being able to participate in a full spring has given him a confidence boost.
"You never want to struggle at any point," he said. "I think coming in off the year I had and to get off on a pretty good note is big. But again, it's still spring training and once the season starts that's the biggest thing, and I want to get out of the gates going well."
Adam Lind was 2 for 2 with two doubles for the Blue Jays. Melky Cabrera added an RBI single and Edwin Encarnacion scored a run.
Bautista connected in the fourth off Twins closer Glen Perkins.
Byron Buxton, rated the No. 1 prospect in baseball, hit a two-run homer off Toronto starter Drew Hutchison in the third.
Hutchison struck out five, including three straight in the second, and walked one in three innings.
NOTES: Hughes threw 38 pitches but only two or three changeups because they weren't very effective. "It wasn't good," he said. "I threw one first pitch that was a bad ball and then I think I threw one on the plate. As the pitch counts increase, you give yourself a little bit more availability to work on some things. When I'm going three innings, sometimes the concentration goes on making a pitch and getting a guy out and before you know it, maybe you haven't thrown as many (specific pitches)."
