Santana sharp, Plouffe and Suzuki homer twice in Twins win

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) Twins opening day starter Ervin Santana pitched six shutout innings Friday, and Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki homered twice to pace Minnesota's 6-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Santana allowed three hits and struck out eight in his fourth start, leading toward his April 4 opening day assignment against the Baltimore Orioles. Plouffe and Suzuki combined to go 6-for-7 with five RBI's, and Byron Buxton also drove in a run with a third-inning sacrifice fly for the Twins.

Rays starter Drew Smyly allowed five runs and five hits in six innings. Plouffe hit a solo homer off him in the second inning and followed with a two-run shot off the left-hander in the sixth.

Plouffe finished 3 for 4, boosting his spring average to .361 with four homers and 12 RBIs. Suzuki was 3 for 3, including solo homers off Smyly in the fifth and Jhan Marinez in the seventh.