The Houston Astros came up on the short end of the score for the third straight game, and second day in a row to Toronto, losing to the Blue Jays by a 5-2 count in a Grapefruit League spring-training contest Saturday in Dunedin, Fla.
The Blue Jays roughed up Astros pitchers for 10 hits and did all of their damage between the third and the seventh innings. Outfielders Jose Bautista and Travis Snider provided the power for Toronto. Bautista hit two home runs in the game, a two run shot in the third to start the Blue Jays' scoring and a solo home run in the fifth, his first two long balls of the spring. Snider's home run came in the fourth with nobody on base.
Houston had eight hits of its own, three of them two-base hits, but the Astros weren't able put enough production together to manufacture more than two runs.
Aaron Laffey was the winning pitcher for Toronto, going four innings and giving up three hits and no runs, and striking out three in four sharp innings of work. Zach Duke took the loss, throwing three innings for Houston and yielding three runs and six hits in three innings.
Houston is now 4-4 in spring training games. Toronto increased its exhibition season record to 6-2.