Howard, Reyes lead Toronto in win over Phillies

Wainwright struggles in Cards’ loss to Nats

DUNEDIN, Fla, March 3, (AP): R.A. Dickey and Cliff Lee struggled in the poor weather. Ryan Howard and Jose Reyes found the playing conditions to their liking.

Howard hit a two-run homer off Dickey and Reyes and the Toronto Blue Jays touched up Cliff Lee in an 11-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in cool, blustery conditions Saturday.

Both starters went three innings in their second exhibition appearances. Dickey allowed three runs in the first on four consecutive hits — doubles by Kevin Frandsen and Michael Young, Howard’s shot and a single by Domonic Brown.

‘’They were just aggressive early in the count and got some balls up in the air,’’ the right-hander said. ‘’Today, if you got a ball up in the air, it was probably going to go somewhere.’’

Despite his homer off Dickey, Howard is pleased the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner was dealt from the NL East rival New York Mets to Toronto in a seven-player offseason trade.

‘’I’ll let the AL East go ahead and deal with him over there,’’ said Ryan, grinning.

The left-handed Lee, who won the 2008 AL Cy Young Award with the Cleveland Indians, gave up two firstinning runs on doubles by Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera and a single by Edwin Encarnacion. Emilio Bonifacio tied it at 3 in the second with a solo home run.

Reyes added a three-run homer off losing pitcher Tyler Cloyd in the fourth. Carlos Ruiz and Erik Kratz also had home runs for Philadelphia.

‘’I missed up in the zone a few times, obviously, with the wind,’’ Lee said. ‘’Physically, I feel great. It’s just a matter of honing it in a little better.’’

Nationals 6, Cardinals 2 In Jupiter, Fla, Adam Wainwright was unhappy with his location and his mechanics.

The St Louis Cardinals’ ace struggled in his second spring-training start, giving up five runs and eight hits over three innings Saturday in a 6-2 loss to the Washington Nationals.

Gio Gonzalez won his second exhibition start for the Nationals, allowing two runs and five hits in three innings.

Kurt Suzuki doubled off Wainwright leading off the second and scored on Chris Marrero’s single. One out later. Anthony Rendon homered on a drive more than halfway up the batter’s eye beyond the center-field wall.

Eury Perez singled and scored on a throwing error by shortstop Ronny Cedeno following Danny Espinoza’s single. Chris Marrero added an RBI single in the third that put the Nationals ahead 5-1.