Twins

Maryland is one of many schools in the running for Abdul-Malik Abu . The 2014 forward was profiled over the weekend by NBC Sports' College Basketball Talk. One Division I coach told NBC that Abu reminded him of " a young Emeka Okafor . " He claims interest and offers from a long list of schools, among them Maryland Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Providence, Miami, Kansas, Michigan State, Temple, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Rutgers, and others. ** Northstar Basketball caught up with 2014 Potomac guard Dion Wiley for an update on his recruitment.

At the Metrodome, MinneapolisDay ....... ....... Time ... TV .... StartersBTonight ... ....... 8:05 ... 54 .... Ben McDonald (7-0, 3.08) vs....... .... ....... .... ... .. .... Pat Mahomes (2-1, 6.12)Tomorrow night .... 8:05 ... 54 .... Sid Fernandez (2-0, 1.95) vs....... .... ....... .... ... .. .... Scott Erickson (3-4, 5.44)Sunday .... ....... 2:05 ... 54 .... Jamie Moyer (1-1, 5.82) vs....... .... ....... .... ... .. .... Kevin Tapani (2-2, 7.78)Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) and WTOP (1500 AM)

Limiting runs, anyway Orioles pitchers gave up 17 hits to the Minnesota Twins yesterday at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, but they yielded just four runs in a 4-3 loss. Only Jim Johnson, in the sixth, pitched a perfect inning. The Twins put the lead runner on base in seven of the first eight innings but could not consistently score. Orioles starter David Pauley, who is out of options and is attempting to make the rotation, allowed nine base runners in three innings but allowed just two runs, thanks in large part to Adam Jones' defense in center field.

Kirby Puckett's agent and Minnesota Twins general manager Andy MacPhail met face to face for the first time in two months, but they reported no new developments in negotiations over a contract extension."

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Orioles finally lost a Grapefruit League game. The Twins jumped out to a six-run lead Thursday afternoon, three of them off starter Jair Jurrjens in the first inning, as the Orioles lost their first spring game, 7-1, at Hammond Stadium. The Orioles had won their first five Grapefruit League games. Jurrjens, making his second spring start, struggled mightily through a 34-pitch first inning . Jurrjens, who is trying to earn a rotation spot after signing a minor league contract, allowed three earned runs on two hits and three walks, battling with his control throughout the outing.

ATLANTA -- If the throw was another foot to the right, Minnesota catcher Brian Harper would have blocked the plate, tagged out Dave Justice and extended the longest night game in World Series history one more breathtaking inning.But the throw from leftfielder Dan Gladden was just slightly off-line. Justice slid past Harper to give Atlanta its 5-4 victory in 12 innings. A game the Twins must quickly forget. A game they surely regret.They survived Steve Avery. They conquered Alejandro Pena.

Two weeks ago, Ronald Byrd was in a Chinese orphanage waiting to see his 2 1/2 -year-old twin daughters for the first time.On Feb. 25, after an exhausting and emotional trip from China, Mr. Byrd stepped off a plane at Baltimore-Washington International Airport with two very tired little girls.The twins, who were abandoned at 1 month, are settling in with their adoptive parents, Mr. Byrd and his wife, Lissa, who live in Finksburg.After a few days of motherhood, Mrs. Byrd says she has learned quite a bit about the girls' likes and dislikes.

After the Orioles' first two games here in Minnesota, silence reigned in the visiting clubhouse at  Target Field.   Forget about hearing a pin drop. You could hear the sound of the Orioles' season plummeting. But after the team's 2-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday night - a victory anchored by solid pitching and stellar defense - Eminem's “Lose Yourself” blared through the clubhouse speakers. You could sense the relief. The players have no doubt sensed that their season has started to slide.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Trayvon Robinson's two-run homer in the eighth inning gave the Orioles a 5-3 win over the Twins in their Grapefruit League opener at Ed Smith Stadium. Robinson, who is competing for a reserve spot in a cluttered outfield mix, took Twins left-hander Tyler Robertson over the left-field fence. Russ Canzler led off the inning with a walk. "He's going to get an opportunity here to show what he can do," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Robinson, 25. "Switch-hitting guys who can play three [outfield]