CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Hicks hit three home runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-6 victory on Thursday.

Hicks went deep in the first, fifth and seventh innings. His first homer came on the second pitch of the game from Phillies starter Cliff Lee. He now has five home runs this spring as he tries to win the Twins’ starting center field job.

Lee pitched 3 ? innings, gave up two runs, four hits and struck out five in his third appearance of spring training.

Hicks’ solo homer in the seventh, along with a run scored on Zach Miner’s wild pitch, narrowed the Phillies lead to one before the Twins scored five runs in the eighth.

RED SOX 12, TWINS (SS) 5
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Mike Napoli hit a three-run homer for Boston, Clay Buchholz overcame leg soreness to pitch three scoreless innings and the Red Sox beat a split squad of Minnesota Twins 12-5 on Thursday.

Buchholz, who aggravated a hamstring muscle on the first day of spring training, struck out four with two hits and no walks in his second preseason start. Reliever Daniel Bard, who struggled in 2012 with a 5-6 record with a 6.22 ERA, struck out the side in the sixth inning.

Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs for the Red Sox.

Twins starter Kevin Correia gave up three runs in 2 1-3 innings. Signed to a two-year contract to help fill out a depleted rotation, the right-hander allowed six hits.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More From KSOO-AM / ESPN Sioux Falls