Ichiro Suzuki is having an unusual spring, too. The Seattle Mariners’ hitting star went 0-for-4 during a 4-1 loss to Colorado in Tucson, Ariz., dropping to 0-for-21 in exhibition games this year.

He has the most at-bats without a hit for any player in the majors, and the slump is three short of his longest regular-season hitless streak, in 2005.

“I don’t understand what I need to be worried about,” Suzuki said through a translator. “I am very thankful that people when I am not hitting care so much about this.”

“To tell you the truth, some of this is kind of fun,” he added. “To be in a situation this early, in spring training, and have this kind of a little bit intense environment is something I couldn’t experience before. Basically, it’s a situation where I need to battle within myself mentally. That’s something I haven’t experienced this time of the year. … This is great for me.”

At Minnesota Twins camp, Johan Santana made a surprise visit to his see his old teammates and coaches. His new club, the New York Mets, was playing Boston across town in Fort Myers, where he still has a house.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner convinced Twins catcher Joe Mauer to give him a bat.

Santana talked about missing his former team but also being excited about the future. He met with former manager Ron Gardenhire for about 45 minutes.

“It’s good to be back and say hello,” Santana said. “I thought I’d spend my career here and with nobody else. That didn’t happen. It’s a business, and that’s what they had to do. It’s sad, but I had to move on. I wish them all the best, and hopefully it works out for everybody.”

In other news, reliever Armando Benitez agreed to a minor league contract with Toronto, and Texas third baseman Travis Metcalf is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn left hamstring tendon that will require surgery.

In other spring training games:

Athletics 6, Cubs 4

At Mesa, Ariz., Jack Cust homered for the only run Chicago ace Carlos Zambrano has allowed in three starts this spring.

Royals 8, Diamondbacks 7

At Tucson, Ariz., Eric Byrnes hit his first homer, off Kansas City starter Zack Greinke. He allowed three solo shots in four innings, struck out five and walked none.

Angels 8, Padres 4

At Peoria, Ariz., NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy gave up four runs in the first inning.

Giants 8, Brewers 4

At Phoenix, Brewers ace Ben Sheets was tagged for his first five runs of the spring as the Giants batted around in the second inning.

Rays 7, Twins 1

At Fort Myers, Fla., Livan Hernandez gave up two runs in four innings. He is likely to start the Twins’ season opener. Tampa Bay’s James Shields pitched five shutout innings.

Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1

At Tampa, Fla., Chien-Ming Wang pitched shutout ball into the fourth and Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer.

Orioles 2, Cardinals 2, 10 innings

At Jupiter, Fla., Baltimore’s Daniel Cabrera worked around five walks in three innings, allowing one run. He has walked seven in 7 2-3 innings over three spring starts.

Tigers (ss) 5, Reds (ss) 4

At Lakeland, Fla., Carlos Guillen hit his fourth home run of the spring for Detroit. Dontrelle Willis walked four in 2 1-3 innings.

Reds (ss) 5, Astros 4

At Sarasota, Fla., Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence homered off Cincinnati’s No. 1 starter, Aaron Harang. Bourn missed the previous two games with upper back spasms.

Tigers (ss) 4, Indians 2, 10 innings

At Winter Haven, Fla., Grady Sizemore homered twice for Cleveland and Cliff Lee pitched three scoreless innings.

Rangers 7, White Sox 5, 10 innings

At Surprise, Ariz., Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer with two outs in the 10th off Matt Anderson. Chicago’s Gavin Floyd, out with the flu since March 1, worked four innings.