"I think the strike zone was a little bit smaller today so I had to be creative," Darvish said. "So I

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 off-season. 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, its still spring training and once the season starts thats 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. STARTING TIME Twins: Hughes threw 38 pitches but only two or three changeups because they werent very effective. "It wasnt 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 Im going three innings, sometimes the concentration goes on making a pitch and getting a guy out and before you know it, maybe you havent thrown as many (specific pitches)." Blue Jays: Hutchison, a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation, felt good after working with catcher Dioner Navarro for the first time in a game. Hutchison said he and Navarro worked before the spring to build chemistry and it has paid off well. Navarro signed an $8 million, two-year deal with Toronto in the off-season after spending last year with the Chicago Cubs. "I live here in the off-season and so does he, so I was working out at the complex with him. So I got to know him a little bit, develop a little bit of a relationship," Hutchison said. "He caught my first bullpen, I think, so I had a pretty good idea. Weve talked a lot. It was really good to work with him today." TRAINERS ROOM Twins: Manager Ron Gardenhire said outfielder Aaron Hicks, who has been out with a minor elbow injury, could play Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Blue Jays: Colby Rasmus resumed on-field workouts after missing the past six games with a stiff neck. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Rasmus spent Saturday morning playing catch in the outfield, hitting in the batting cages and off a tee. Gibbons expects the centre fielder to continue working out at the teams training facility Sunday before returning to the lineup Tuesday in a split-squad game against the Canadian Junior National Team. "He should be full-go after that," Gibbons said. "Its a good, big day. He feels fine coming out of this." Right-handed reliever Dustin McGowan was expected to pitch two or three innings against the Twins, but was scratched before the game after getting a stomach virus. SANTANA WATCH Multiple media outlets reported Saturday that the Blue Jays are favoured to land Ervin Santana, the top remaining free-agent starting pitcher. ESPN first reported that Santana, who was 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA for Kansas City last season, was offered a one-year, $14 million contract by Toronto. However, the report said the right-hander was holding off on signing with the hope of getting a better deal from another team. Blue Jays officials did not comment on any of the reports, but right-hander Esmil Rogers, a teammate of Santanas during winter ball in the Dominican Republic who is vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, said the 31-year-old is a "great guy" and would not make it harder for him to make the team. "Im here to help the team win. It doesnt matter where Im going to be," Rogers said. "Im looking for the opportunity to start, but I cant make that decision. The office is going to make that decision. I cant do (anything). I just try to make my pitches and get people out to help the team." JANSSEN THROWS Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen, who has not pitched this spring because of shoulder inflammation, took a positive step by throwing on flat ground. Gibbons said "it wont be long," but the right-hander will have to throw a couple more times before he appears in a game. "I would think maybe next weekend he might get in a game, or maybe the following week," Gibbons said. "As long as hes got a couple weeks left, he should be fine." Janssen saved 34 games for Toronto last season and has just four blown saves in his past 60 opportunities. Justice Hill Youth Jersey . -- During Kansas shootaround on Wednesday before the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma, coach Bill Self told Wayne Selden Jr. Jonathan Ogden Jersey . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. http://www.ravensrookiestore.com/Ravens-Lamar-Jackson-Jersey/ . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. Justin Tucker Womens Jersey . Canada was placed in one of the easiest groups during Saturdays live televised draw in Montreal. Hayden Hurst Youth Jersey . - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card.Hope. Thats all Toronto FC supporters have asked for. Wins have been priority, too but its true, unmitigated hope of positive direction thats been desired. Progress. Commitment. Hope. Hope has been fleeting before. Julian de Guzman, the clubs first designated player brought hope as did the addition of hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario. Toronto FC turning orange, the Dutch total football revolution under Aron Winter brought hope as well. But thats about it. Spare me hype surrounding some unknown international prodigy that has come and gone, or the legendary Mista. Genuine belief has been temporary and few and far between. Unfulfilled promise. Pandering of false hope. Rinse, wash, repeat. Then Wednesday happened. True hope came calling. As often the case may be, good things came in three; each story bigger in importance, potential impact and surprise. De Rosarios return to Toronto was publicly confirmed with a Thursday press conference ahead. My colleague Luke Wileman reported coveted Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will land in Toronto this weekend with an expected Monday introductory press conference to follow, unveiling the prized acquisition. The bells and whistles surrounding Defoes arrival are said to be impressive. Lastly, the most audacious, unexpected news of all; a deal all but done to bring 26-year-old US international midfielder Michael Bradley to TFC in the absolute prime of his career. Surprised? Yes we are. Three signings dont get much bigger than this in MLS. Make it four with last months arrival of Brazilian Gilberto. If no curveballs are thrown and once the ink is dry, just like that, the inferior, miserable, beaten down landscape of Toronto FC forever changed. Toronto FCs new promo campaign, Its A Bloody Big Deal! – 01.13.14 couldnt ring more true. The YouTube video shows a bald-headed man spit take in shock, presumably about Defoes arrival. Well add another spit take for Bradley; the kind of choke on your coffee and have it pour out your nose sort of disbelief. In North American soccer circles, this is the kind of impact and magnitude were talking about. Defoe entering the fray isnt much a secret. The 31-year-old English international had fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane. The crafty forward still has pace and ability and could have a similar impact in MLS to Robbie Keane. Toronto FC spared no expense to convince Defoe Toronto was right for him. Flights, houses, family considerations - Toronto bent over backwards, realizing treatment and paycheck would be sufficient to supplant a Premier League caliber talent and bring him to Canada. Many expect Defoe to score 30 goals in Major League Soccer. Along with on-field expectations, off-field ambassadorship is expected. Defoe instantly becomes one of MLS top players. Ditto for Bradley. A work engine in the central midfield, the current AS Roma player is a warrior. The ferocity of Bradley, with ability to move forward in attack, would make him a special breed in MLS, where most central midfielders are either preferred attacking options or stay at home, hold the shape kind of players. Bradley is an all-action type player, and all-important for the US Mens National team and a move to MLS comes at a peculiar time with World Cup preparations first and foremost. US Mens National team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was critical of Clint Dempseys move to Seattle last fall. So a return to North America comes as a shock. The story behind the potential move has yet to be revealed, but considerable dollars are at pplay.dddddddddddd. A rumoured salary ballpark of $6.5 million per year would do the trick, roughly six times his current salary. Playing time is also an issue. The arrival of Kevin Strootman last summer, along with last weeks signing of Radja Nainggolan put the writing on the wall at Roma: Bradley must leave. Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star reports upwards of $100 million is being committed to Defoe and Bradley in transfer fees and salary. Its an incredible commitment for soccer in this city. These kinds of dollars cannot be justified by pure economics of the game alone. The MLS salary cap for 2013 before designated player commitments sat at just shy of $3 million. MLSE obviously has the funds but to make this kind of financial commitment to soccer and a team that had operating revenue in the ballpark of $4.5 million last season (according to Forbes) shows true ambition. This is what it takes to compete. For Bradley, whose father Bob is a former US National team coach, to choose a Canadian club no less over a US-based team speaks to the show me the money type mentality of the modern game. Credit Tim Leiweke. He said he would turn Toronto FC around, and quick. This is beyond the expected. Dion Phaneuf salaries to soccer players in Toronto will never make sense. But MLSE using its financial strength to turn an embarrassment into a pillar of the organization is money well spent. Many south of the border will question what a move like Bradleys says about the growth of MLS. Id argue it has less to do with MLS than it does Leiweke. With a network, resources and desire to win, hes what TFC desperately needed. MLS plays a big role in player acquisition and obviously contracts, which they control. Toronto FC failed to play nice in the sandbox regarding specific targets and team performance in recent years. Squabbling and the perennial disappointment of TFC, whose supporters are credited for league growth and expansion, was a black eye for MLS headquarters. Leiweke was an ideal buffer between club and league. Theres a history and understanding. It then made perfect sense to hire the young and bright Tim Bezbatchenko, an MLS staffer to take over as general manager - a calculated move, facilitating congruence with MLS to provide much needed stability. It has not been disclosed who is funding the transfers. MLSE stepping up assuming the cost would be seen as extending the olive branch. Leiwekes fingerprints are all over these transactions. They signal a donning of a new era for the organization. MLSE has a face. Its Leiweke, and all that comes with him. In a city with too few victories and forced tradition rather than substance, Leiweke is filling a void, one handshake and dollar at a time. These signings are an investment as will a stadium makeover in the coming years. Its part of a bigger plan, where reputation speaks for itself. For MLSE to gain credibility, they need to show they are serious about winning. No more talk; actions. No more wrangling with agents. No more disagreement with the league. No more ostracizing fans. Moves like these wins people over. This is how you win. This is how you sell hope. The cynic will remain. Signings alone dont equal results. Even more work is to be done to the roster. The heavy lifting is near complete. Toronto FC will be able to compete. True hope. Thats all it takes. Its a reasonable thought that the vibe, the fun, and actual winning football can all live simultaneously at BMO Field. We hope. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca ' ' '