KANSAS CITY, Mo. Willie Snead IV Ravens Jersey . -- 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. Kenny Young Jersey . A groundswell for raising the number of playoff qualifiers to seven in each conference figures to get plenty of support from the 32 owners. Most notably, Arizonas Bill Bidwill, who saw his Cardinals go 10-6 and not get in, while Green Bay (8-7-1) qualified by winning the NFC North. Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. http://www.cheapravensshoponline.com/Youth-Robert-Griffin-III-Ravens-Jersey/ ." The tournament was set to be held Sept. 15-21 and would have been the first ATP tournament held in Israel since 1996. But amid Israels military campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, ATP President Chris Kermode said "we do not feel we can proceed as planned given the situation in the region.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Royals bolstered their offence Monday by acquiring outfielder Josh Willingham from the Minnesota Twins, a move the long-suffering franchise hopes will help them end a playoff drought that stretches back nearly three decades. Kansas City had won seven straight games entering its series opener against Oakland, climbing into the second wild-card spot and a half-game back of AL Central-leading Detroit. The Royals have not been to the post-season since 1985, when they beat St. Louis to win the World Series. "Obviously the goal was to win with the Twins," Willingham said from Houston, where the Twins were preparing to play the Astros. "Unfortunately, we werent. Now I have a chance to go help another club and hopefully make the playoffs." Willingham is expected to arrive in Kansas City in time for Tuesday nights game. The Twins picked up minor league pitcher Jason Adam in the trade, while the Royals agreed to take on the remainder of Willinghams contract -- about $1.8 million of the $7 million that he was making in the final year of his three-year deal. Willingham was hitting just .210 for the Twins this season, but his 12 homers in limited at-bats were appealing for a Royals club that has struggled to find power. The 35-year-old Willingham hit a career-best 35 homers with 110 RBIs two years ago. "We see his presence in the middle of our lineup somewhere, and being that presence that can get some big hits for us," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "He had a big hit yesterday actually against Oakland. Hes a professional. Hes a winner. We feel very strong that hes going to help our team. Hes the type of player and presence that you add aat this time of year. John Brown Ravens Jersey. ." Moore said that Willingham is more likely to serve as a designated hitter than play in the outfield, where there is already a logjam of players. Billy Butler, the clubs normal DH, has been forced to play first base while Eric Hosmer is on the disabled list with a right hand injury. "I think hell be in the lineup most days as we set up right now," Moore said. The Royals cleared space for Willingham on the 40-man roster by requesting unconditional release waivers on right-hander Wilking Rodriguez. They will still have to make a move to add Willingham to the 25-man roster when he reports to Kansas City. "It doesnt soak in immediately," Willingham said. "Its one of those things you dont know what your mind is processing. You know its going on but you have mixed emotions. Any time youre saying goodbye to really good friends, its tough, but at the same time -- the other side of it, the baseball side of it -- theyre winning over there. From a business side, its good for me." The 23-year-old Adam, who grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, was 5-9 with a 4.67 ERA with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha this season. And while the Royals had toyed with making him a reliever, the Twins intend to convert him back to a starter. He will be assigned to the clubs Double-A affiliate in New Britain. "His stuff is pretty impressive," Twins GM Terry Ryan said. "You look at his bio, his numbers arent eye-popping, but you see him play, a number of our people have put in good reports on him. Were going to slow him down a bit and see if we cant get some of that under control." 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