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WASHINGTON - When played to perfection, there's nothing quite like Syracuse's aggressive, half-court 2-3 zone defence. It's 40 minutes of trapping and shot-challenging, of closing off angles, of trusting teammates.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Yoenis Cespedes' slow start to spring training is a distant memory. Now Oakland's slugging outfielder is hoping to carry his hot swing into the regular season.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Brett Myers finished a dismal spring training with his best performance.

PEARL, Miss. - Dan Uggla's three-run homer cleared the left-centre fence by a good 15 feet. A few pitches later, Chris Johnson's no-doubter sailed even farther, landing under the scoreboard and bouncing between fans.

WEST POINT, N.Y. - At first glance, it seemed like the end of a typical Yankees home victory. Frank Sinatra crooned "New York, New York" over the loudspeakers and the players hugged one another. Except this game was different.

MILWAUKEE - A strong finish to spring training meant something to the Milwaukee Brewers. Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer in the first inning and the Brewers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4 on Saturday in the exhibition finale for both teams.

WINNIPEG - Goaltender Justin Peters helped the Hurricanes put some pressure on Winnipeg in the Southeast Division. Peters stopped 34 shots Saturday afternoon as Carolina edged closer to the Jets with a much-needed 3-1 win.

HOUSTON - Houston's prospects got the best of the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Playing a lineup of mostly minor leaguers in their last exhibition game, the Astros beat the Cubs 6-3. The Cubs began the game with most of their regular starters.

HOUSTON - The Houston Astros will make it official Sunday night when they face the Texas Rangers: They are an American League team — after 50 years in the NL. Houston has baseball's lowest payroll and is coming off consecutive 100-loss seasons.

PHILADELPHIA - Jose Bautista homered and singled and Edwin Encarnacion doubled twice and drove in two runs Saturday as the Toronto Blue Jays wrapped their spring training schedule with a 10-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.