thrilling win over Notre Dame, but narrowly beat Akron last week before

MINNEAPOLIS - The Toronto Blue Jays were getting mowed down by Phil Hughes through the first five innings on a chilly night at Target Field, but the big swingers never panicked. The Jays have a long history of beating up on the former Yankees right-hander, so they knew it was only a matter of time before they got him in his new home in Minnesota. Jose Bautista had three hits and an RBI, and Brett Lawrie hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to help the Blue Jays beat the Twins 9-3 on Tuesday night. Edwin Encarnacion had two hits and an RBI, and Aaron Loup (1-0) won in relief of starter Brandon Morrow, who lasted 3 2-3 innings in 35-degree weather. The Blue Jays led 5-2 going into the ninth before Lawries towering drive off Jared Burton put it away. "I think it just took a little bit of getting used to," said Lawrie, who drove in five runs. "We didnt hit (batting practice) today. We just rolled into town, so we kind of just hit in the cages and rolled right out into the game. So it just took a little bit to adjust once we got in the box. Once we got a few hits, it just started snowballing." Chris Colabello had three hits and an RBI, and Trevor Plouffe hit a solo home run for the Twins. But Hughes (0-1) watched an impressive start go to waste in Torontos five-run sixth inning. "He was cruising before that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I thought the ball was coming out of his hand really good. All of a sudden I think it was three or four hits in a row and I dont know what happened. He just couldnt get a ball where he wanted to and they put some really nice swings on the ball." Hughes gave up four runs and eight hits with seven strikeouts in five-plus innings, snapping Minnesotas three-game winning streak. Munenori Kawasaki had two hits, including a double, after being called up from Triple-A Buffalo to help replace Maicer Izturis, who is out for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee. Designated hitter Adam Lind, who had a walk, a single and scored a run, left in the seventh inning with tightness in his lower back. The Blue Jays have historically hit the ball very well at pitcher-friendly Target Field and they were going against one of their favourite pitchers in Hughes, who faced them many times over the years with the New York Yankees. Toronto hit 15 home runs off Hughes in 116 2-3 innings while he was in pinstripes. Hughes kept the ball in the ballpark and kept the Blue Jays off balance through five. He recorded all seven of his strikeouts and needed just 74 pitches to get to the sixth. Then it all came apart. Hughes gave up four quick hits to start the inning, including RBI singles by Bautista and Encarnacion to get chased with two on and nobody out. Michael Tonkin gave up a single to load the bases, and a throwing error from catcher Kurt Suzuki later in the inning allowed Dioner Navarro to score for a 5-2 lead. The big inning helped Toronto overcome a rough start from Morrow, who threw 98 pitches and couldnt get out of the fourth. Morrow gave up two runs and four hits with four walks and four strikeouts. "Weve got a good hitting team," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "I figured that was not going to last very long. Hughes was tough on us early but we had that one big inning where we broke it open." Bautista played centre field because Colby Rasmus needed an extra day to rest his ailing hamstring. It was the sluggers first start there since 2009 and he badly misplayed a sinking liner from Pedro Florimon, letting the ball get behind him for a triple. Florimon scored on a single by Joe Mauer, who struck out three times, for a 2-0 lead. NOTES: It was Lawries second career grand slam. ... Kawasaki was ruled out in the first inning when he laid down a bunt but stepped out of the batters box with his left foot before making contact with the ball, which is illegal. ... Twins assistant GM Ron Antony said OF Oswaldo Arcia, on the disabled list with an injured wrist, received a cortisone injection in hopes of speeding his recovery. ... Twins RHP Mike Pelfrey (0-2, 7.84 ERA) pitches Wednesday night against RHP R.A. Dickey (1-2, 5.30). Chris Capuano Brewers Jersey .com) - Darius Carter and Ron Baker scored 18 points apiece to help 13th-ranked Wichita State beat Evansville 61-41 on Saturday. Trey Supak Jersey . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/209y-cecil-...ey-brewers.html. TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. David Freitas Jersey . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games. Alex Claudio Brewers Jersey . Ryan Getzlaf certainly got them started in the second. Getzlaf scored the first two goals in the second, and Teemu Selanne scored the go-ahead goal late in the period as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night.New York, NY (Sports Network) - Alabama remained the top team in college football and not much changed in the latest Associated Press poll following a Saturday of blowout victories. The only newcomer to this weeks poll is Fresno State, which jumped in at No. 25 after a 41-40 win over Boise State on Friday. The Bulldogs replaced Arizona State, which fell out from No. 23 after a 42-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday. Alabama improved to 3-0 with a matter-of-fact 31-6 victory over Colorado State in its home opener. The Crimson Tide received 56 first-place votes -- three fewer than last week -- and a total of 1,496 points from a nationwide media panel. Oregon, which was idle this past weekend, picked up the three additional No. 1 tallies for a total of four and again sits second, followed by Clemson, Ohio State, Stanford, LSU, Louisville, Florida State, Georgia and Texas A&M. The enttire top 10 remained intact from last week.dddddddddddd. The second 10 consists of Oklahoma State, South Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma, Miami-Florida, Washington, Northwestern, Michigan, Baylor and Florida. Michigan tumbled three places from 15th after rallying for a 24-21 win at Connecticut. The Wolverines were 11th two weeks ago after a thrilling win over Notre Dame, but narrowly beat Akron last week before Saturdays close call. Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Fresno State are the last five teams ranked this week. After a weekend with just one ranked matchup, next Saturdays slate features four such games. Two come from the powerhouse SEC, as LSU and Georgia meet between the hedges in Athens and Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa for a battle with fellow unbeaten Alabama. Also, Ohio State welcomes Wisconsin to the Horseshoe and Oklahoma visits Notre Dame. ' ' '