Minnesota Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- The first time the Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau absolutely crushed the pitch over the Metrodome fence Friday night, the Orioles pitcher who served it up couldn't watch. By the second time Morneau did it - eight innings and a couple hours later to give the Twins a 7-5, 12-inning victory before what remained of a crowd of 22,894 - the victimized Orioles pitcher and his team couldn't help but stare motionless and defeated. Orioles@Twins Today, 2:10 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM Starters: Orioles' Erik Bedard (5-5, 5.84)

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Reliever Tyler Yates allowed a two-run single to designated hitter Rondell White as the Minnesota Twins came back to beat the Orioles, 5-4, before 7,363 at Hammond Stadium yesterday. Trying to protect a 4-3 lead, Yates allowed two straight hits, and after getting one out, gave up White's game-winning single, which eluded a diving David Newhan at first. The Orioles take a 10-17 record into their Grapefruit League finale against Florida today in Jupiter. Orioles vs. Marlins Jupiter, Fla., today, 1:05 p.m.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Josh Rabe's two-run home run off Orioles reliever Marino Salas broke an eighth-inning tie and gave the Minnesota Twins a 4-2 victory before 3,882 yesterday at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Losers of three straight, the Orioles (2-6) tried to rally in the ninth inning, putting two men on against Twins reliever Kevin Cameron, but pinch hitter Nick Markakis grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game. Orioles vs. Marlins Jupiter, Fla., today, 1:05 p.m.

Kevin Millar hit his first spring home run to tie the game at 2 in the seventh, but Josh Rabe belted a two-run homer off Marino Salas in the eighth to give the Minnesota Twins a 4-2 victory over the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. David Newhan reached on an infield hit and Napoleon Calzado singled in the ninth, but Nick Markakis grounded into a force at second base to end the game. Perlozzo noted that Chris Ray had a better breaking ball yesterday. And the Orioles are really impressed with Sendy Rleal, who pitched a scoreless ninth.

Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Fame outfielder who won two World Series in a 12-year career with the Minnesota Twins, died yesterday, a day after suffering a stroke at his Arizona home. He was 45. Puckett was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., after undergoing surgery Sunday at a nearby hospital. He was given last rites and died in the afternoon. Puckett will be honored with a moment of silence before today's World Baseball Classic game in Phoenix between the United States and Mexico.

IT SEEMS LIKE it took forever to get here - especially if you've followed the Orioles - but baseball is finally entering its stretch run. The pretenders are looking to next year, while the wild-card races in both leagues have achieved their purpose: infusing excitement into September. Expect the wild-card hunt to go down to the final weekend, when most of the divisional titles will be wrapped up. That's a prediction made with confidence. Handicapping the season's final month is trickier.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Step away from baseball reality for a moment. Forget what you know about the sport. Abandon logic. Instead, envision the baseball impossible: Neither the New York Yankees nor the Boston Red Sox make the 2005 playoffs. Neither one represents the American League in the World Series. Assume the two superpowers take their bats, their balls and their combined $335 million payrolls and go home. Maybe their aging rotations break down or their multitude of millionaires clashes in the clubhouse or key injuries ravage their offenses.

The Orioles scored five times in the seventh inning yesterday to take the lead, doing all their damage against Florida closer Guillermo Mota, and posted a 7-3 rain-shortened victory over the Marlins. Both teams sat through a 2-hour, 50-minute delay after the second inning. Large puddles had to be removed from the outfield, but umpires deemed the conditions safe enough to continue. The Orioles ran out of pitching after 7 1/2 innings, and play was halted. Catcher Sal Fasano singled to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

NEW YORK - The New York Yankees started another postseason the way they finished the last one: unable to get a clutch hit and frustrated by the hottest pitcher in the game. The Minnesota Twins' Johan Santana stepped on the diamond that Josh Beckett called his own last Oct. 25 and accomplished a similar feat, shutting out the Yankees, 2-0, in Game 1 of the American League Division Series before 55,749 at Yankee Stadium last night. The Twins send Brad Radke against Jon Lieber in Game 2 tonight.

The Orioles have decided to shut down left-hander Erik Bedard for the last three weeks of the season, with Matt Riley taking his place in the rotation for Wednesday's game in Toronto. The decision came after Bedard threw 73 pitches in two innings Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins, leaving him 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA in 26 starts. Bedard will have bullpen sessions on alternating days, and the Orioles want him to develop a better off-speed pitch. He has been toying with a split-fingered grip on his changeup, which he used effectively Sept.