Third to first

• Courtney Hawkins, the team's first-round pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, made his Cactus League debut Thursday at Camelback Ranch. Hawkins played left field and struck out looking in the eighth against Tom Wilhelmsen during the Mariners' 7-4 victory.

• Danks threw to catcher Adrian Nieto for the first time in a game situation Thursday at Camelback Ranch and gave the Rule 5 pickup high marks.

"There were a couple of times we kind of got off-kilter together, but he's willing to move around, willing to call anything," said Danks. "He talked to me before the game about what we wanted to work on and made sure to keep going back to that if there was any doubt. He helped me out a lot today, and he's a good ballplayer."

Ventura said that Nieto looks good catching, while the switch-hitter looks a little stronger hitting from the left side at this point.

• Ventura joked about Jose Abreu hitting his first home run, against the Royals on Thursday, without him in attendance.

"Apparently I need to go away and he'll hit homers," Ventura said. "But I do plan on being at every game, so hopefully he can hit them when I'm around."