Das Feller-Forum » , but are just 8-8 without Leonard this season. Z

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Danny Duffy walked briskly to the mound to start the seventh inning Saturday night, ready to throw his first warm-up pitch before anybody else on his team had even taken the field. The Royals left-hander was in that kind of rhythm. Duffy went on to retire the next two batters he faced before Baltimores Adam Jones finally ended his bid for a perfect game with a single up the middle. Still, it was the best outing of his career, and came on a night when the Kansas Citys scuffling offence needed it. Billy Butler drove in the only run in the first inning in the 1-0 win over the Orioles. "I started to feel it in the seventh a little bit," Duffy said of his tantalizing perfect bid, "but I didnt think about it because my job is to get outs." Others started to think about it, though. "You keep thinking, Boy, hes got really good stuff," said Royals manager Ned Yost, who was ejected during a tense ninth inning. "He gets through the fourth and the fifth and into the sixth and you think, Boy, hes got really, really good stuff." Duffy gave up a single to Nelson Cruz to start the eighth, but Wade Davis retired the next three batters. All-Star close Greg Holland allow a hit and two walks to load the bases with two outs in the ninth, then calmly struck out Cruz for his 11th save of the season. "We found a way to get back in it in the ninth and had the right guys at the plate," said Orioles bench coach John Russell, who was acting manager as Buck Showalter attended his daughters graduation. "We scraped and scrapped. We still found a way to make it interesting." Bud Norris (2-4) was the hard-luck loser, allowing four hits and a walk in 7 1-3 innings. The lone run he allowed came in the first, when Nori Aoki led off with a single, stole second and then scored on Butlers single to centre. The hit ended a 0-for-10 slump, and gave Kansas City only its second run in the first three games of the four-game set. "The story of the day is about Duffy. That was unbelievable," Butler said. "That gives you a glimpse of what he could be like every time out." Duffy missed most of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he began this season in the bullpen after losing the competition for a rotation spot in spring training. But he was forced back into the rotation a few weeks ago, when Bruce Chen landed on the disabled list with a back injury, and has pitched so well that he may have claimed the spot for good. After struggling with control most of his first three seasons, Duffy has finally started to harness his stuff. He allowed one run on two hits in four innings in his first start May 3 against Detroit, and one run on two hits in six innings last week in Seattle. He wound up losing both games when the Royals failed to score a run for him. Perhaps with that in mind, Duffy kept the Orioles off the scoreboard entirely. He never got close to allowing a hit until Caleb Joseph hit a liner at third baseman Mike Moustakas to end the sixth inning, and Alex Gordon made a spectacular diving catch on Nick Markakiss flyball to lead off the seventh. Duffy then struck out Manny Machado before Jones delivered his single. "I heard somebody say this is the type for, like, a perfect game," said the Orioles Caleb Joseph. "Right after that, somebody said, Jonesy is about to rip one right here." The crowd gave Duffy a standing ovation after the hit, and then another when he exited the game. Duffy sheepishly waved his cap in appreciation as he entered the dugout. "I was just trying to stay calm," Duuffy said. "Mechanics will come through on their own if you trust your stuff, you dont overdo anything. And we were on the attack all day." NOTES: Jones has a 12-game hitting streak. ... The Royals have had four no-hitters in their history, the last by Brett Saberhagen against the White Sox on Aug. 26, 1991. The Orioles have not been no-hit since Sept. 1, 2007, when Clay Buchholz accomplished the feat for Boston. ... Royals RHP James Shields and Orioles RHP Ubaldo Jimenez start Sundays series finale. Carlos Correa Jersey . -- The Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten with a scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday. Jeff Bagwell Astros Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/brad-peacock-astros-jersey/ . -- During Kansas shootaround on Wednesday before the Jayhawks faced Oklahoma, coach Bill Self told Wayne Selden Jr. Alex Bregman Astros Jersey .That sight softened the blow of what ended up as a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.Knowing their teammate was fine after a scary headfirst fall in the opening minute of the game helped calm the Maple Leafs. Roy Oswalt Astros Jersey . UEFA said Wednesday that the champions of England and France only have to include five home-trained players in their 21-man squads next season instead of the expected eight. Only one of the five players needs to be trained by the club itself.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets keep on rolling, while the hapless New York Knicks continue to lose. Walkers 28 points propelled the Hornets to their season-high fifth straight win, a 110-82 dismantling of the Knicks that extended New Yorks franchise-record skid to 15 games. Walker needed just 28 minutes to record his game-best total, and the New York City native has helped offset an injury to Al Jefferson by averaging 30.2 points during the win streak. Bismack Biyombo delivered season highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte, which received 15 points from P.J. Hairston and 14 from Brian Roberts in the rout. Final Score: LA Clippers 120, Dallas 100 Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Blake Griffin had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Los Angeles Clippers 120-100 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench for the Clippers, who improved to 6-2 on a nine-game homestand. Matt Barnes scored 18 points, Chris Paul tallied 17 points and 13 assists and J.J. Redick contributed 16 points. Dirk Nowitzki ended with 25 points and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who have dropped two straight since a six-game winning streak. Monta Ellis added 23 points and six assists. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after getting two technical fouls in the third quarter. The game was officiated by two referees after 63-year-old Joe Crawford left in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Final Score: Detroit 98, Brooklyn 93 Auburn Hills, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe posted double-doubles and the Detroit Pistons got back in the win column with a 98-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Jennings scored all 20 of his points in the second half and handed out 11 assists while Monroe finished with 16 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for Detroit, winners in eight of nine since waiving Josh Smith. The Pistons won seven straight before falling to the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks 106-103 on Friday. Joe Johnson led six Nets in double figures with 17 points, while Brook Lopez contributed 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. Brooklyn has lost five in a row. Final Score: Philadelphia 93, Indiana 92 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Carter-Williams drove for the go-ahead basket with 9.9 seconds left in regulation and the Philadelphia 76ers won for the second time in as many nights with a 93-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Carter-Williams finished with 15 points, the biggest two coming in crunch time when the reigning Rookie of the Year drove past three defenders and scooped in the deciding layup over the imposing Roy Hibbert. David West missed a contested fadeaway jumper from the top of the key just before the buzzer to seal the Sixers fifth win in their last 11 games. They had won two of their first 25. Tony Wroten added 20 points off the bench, and he and Carter-Williams both totaled nine assists. Robert Covington chipped in 16 points. West netted a season-high 28 points with nine rebounds for the Pacers, who have alternated wins and losses over their last six. Final Score: Toronto 109, Boston 96 Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - James Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas each scored eight of their 15 points during the pivotal third quarter, and Toronto snapped its four-game skid by pulling away for a 109-96 victory over the Boston Celtics at Air Canada Centre. Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams had 19 points apiece, and Joohnson pulled down 10 rebounds.dddddddddddd Amir Johnson scored 15, and Patrick Patterson totaled 10 points and nine boards for the Atlantic Division leaders, who beat the Celtics for the fourth straight time. Kelly Olynyk, a Toronto native, had 23 points for Boston, which has dropped nine of its last 11 games. Final Score: Chicago 95, Milwaukee 87 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - On a night the Bulls played without Derrick Rose, it was time for Pau Gasol to take charge. The veteran scored nearly half of Chicagos points in a 95-87 victory over the Boston Celtics at United Center. Gasol dropped a career-high 46 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. He was truly the go-to player for the Bulls, who were without Rose due to left knee soreness. Kirk Hinrich had 16 points and Jimmy Butler contributed nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the Bulls, who snapped a two-game skid. Brandon Knight scored 20 for Milwaukee, which had won its previous two games. Gasols previous career- best was 44 points on March 28, 2006 when he played for Memphis. He went 17-of-30 from the field and missed only one of his 13 free throws. Gasol had 40 points through three quarters, and the Bulls pulled away in the fourth. Final Score: Houston 97, Utah 82 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden scored 30 points and the Houston Rockets forced 31 turnovers in a lopsided 97-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Donatas Motiejunas chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who cashed in with 38 points off turnovers and 28 fastbreak points. Trey Burke and Enes Kanter each scored 16 points to lead the Jazz, who were coming off a loss in Oklahoma City on Friday. Final Score: San Antonio 108, Minnesota 93 Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Austin Daye posted 22 points in a rare spot start, helping the San Antonio Spurs take down the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-93 on Saturday. Daye shot 8-for-13 and pulled down a team- high 10 rebounds in his second start of the season to lead six Spurs in double figures. Patty Mills gave 19 points off the bench and Tim Duncan shot 5-for-6 for 13 points in limited minutes. Tony Parker and Cory Joseph netted 12 points apiece and Boris Diaw had 11 for San Antonio, which was without Kawhi Leonard (hand) for the 13th straight game. Manu Ginobili also sat out with a back injury after playing just 10 minutes in Fridays win over Phoenix. The Spurs have won four of their last five games, but are just 8-8 without Leonard this season. Zach LaVine paced Minnesota with 19 points off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng finished with 18 apiece. The Wolves made all 26 of their free throws to set a franchise record for most makes without a miss from the line. Wiggins has scored in double figures in 10 straight, though the Timberwolves have lost 15 in a row since beating Portland on Dec. 10. Final Score: Portland 103, Orlando 92 Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and six rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Orlando Magic 103-92 on Saturday night. Wesley Matthews posted 18 points and eight rebounds and Damian Lillard added 16 points, five boards and five assists for the Blazers, who have won seven of their last eight games. Nik Vucevic tallied a career- high 34 points and 16 boards, while Victor Oladipo provided 18 points, eight rebounds and four helpers for Orlando, which has dropped six straight contests. ' ' '