Minnesota Sports Roundup: Liriano's 10Ks not enough as Orioles win 2-1

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Baltimore's Adam Jones' two-run homer in the first inning held up as the Orioles nipped the Twins 2-1 last night at Target Field. Tommy Hunter fired seven-and-a-third innings of one-run ball to improve to 4-and-4. Jim Johnson notched his 27th save. The O's snapped a three-game skid with the victory. Josh Willingham hit a solo homer in the fourth for Minnesota, which won the first two in the four-game series. Francisco Liriano struck out 10 over six innings, but allowed Jones' blast to fall to 3-and-9. The same two teams play this afternoon in Minneapolis.

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With Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline approaching, Francisco Liriano's time in Minnesota could be coming to an end. Last night, he took a tough-luck loss to the Orioles 2-1, but struck out ten Baltimore batters in six innings of work. That effort followed up a 15-strikeout performance against the Athletics on Friday. Liriano is the center of numerous trade rumors He is pitching better of late and is a pending free agent, both of which make him an attractive trade prospect for any team hungry for pitching that is still in the race. The non-waiver trade deadline is July 31st, meaning the Twins would not need to clear Liriano through waivers to trade him if they do it before the deadline. Liriano admits he's heard the trade rumors, but he says he is doing his best to try to ignore it.

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Lynx star Maya Moore tallied a team-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds to help the U.S. Women's National Basketball Team defeat Great Britain 88-63 in an exhibition game yesterday Manchester, England. Hutchinson's Lindsay Whalen was the other American with double figures with 13 points. Team USA now goes to Turkey to play a pair of exhibition games this weekend. They will open the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London with a game on July 28th against Croatia.

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The United States Olympic Men's Basketball team will play Great Britain in an exhibition game today in Manchester, England. The Americans beat the Brazilian national team in a scrimmage on Monday in Washington, D.C. Timberwolves star Kevin Love is a member of Team USA. The Olympics start in London later this month.

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The Red Sox have placed designated hitter David Ortiz, a former Twin, on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right Achilles tendon. Ortiz suffered the injury during Monday's 5-1 victory over the White Sox while stepping on second base. He has been placed in a walking boot as a precaution.

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Major League Baseball announced the results of the first-ever Competitive Balance Lottery on Wednesday. The lottery, which was agreed to as a part of the 2012-2016 Basic Agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association, gives clubs with the lowest revenues and in the smallest markets the opportunity to obtain extra picks. The Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins will receive a draft pick following the first round of the First-Year Player Draft. Minnesota's revenue to too high to be involved in the lottery.

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Here are results from Wednesday's games in the American Association:

St. Paul 5, Grand Prairie 2 (final)

Sioux Falls 5, Fargo-Moorhead 3 (final)

Winnipeg 10, Lincoln 4 (final)

Kansas City 12, Sioux City 7 (final)

Quebec 12, Gary 9 (final)

El Paso 10, Amarillo 6 (final)

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Here are results from Wednesday's games in the Northwoods League:

Alexandria 9, Willmar 7 (final)

Rochester 10, Mankato 7 (final)

St.. Cloud 7, Waterloo 6 (final)

Duluth 8, Thunder Bay 4 (final)

Wisconsin 2, Madison 0 (final)

LaCrosse 5, Eau Claire 4 (final)

Battle Creek 2, Lakeshore 1 (final)

Green Bay 5, Wisconsin Rapids 1 (final)

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The 41st annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon is set for next Friday, July 27th in Chicago. ESPN College Football host Chris Fowler will serve as the master of ceremonies at the event, which will take place at McCormick Place. All 12 head football coaches from the Big Ten, including the University of Minnesota's Jerry Kill, will speak at the luncheon. Traditionally, more than one-thousand fans attend the luncheon. A limited number of tickets still remain. Log on to the Big Ten webpage for information.

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enn State is expected to make a decision within ten days on a controversial statue of late former head football coach Joe Paterno. A school spokesman says the Penn State board of trustees will decide whether to remove the statue of Paterno that stands near Beaver Stadium. Calls for the removal of the statue have come after the recent release of a scathing report about the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The white paper from former FBI head Louis Freeh faulted Paterno and other university officials for not responding appropriately to reports that former assistant coach Sandusky sexually abused young boys. Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of scores of counts of child sex abuse.

Bemidji State athletic director Dr. Rick Goeb has been appointed as a member of the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey committee. His four-year term will begin on September 1st. The committee will oversee the NCAA men's ice hockey championship tournament, including oversight and selection. Goeb has been at BSU for 11 years. The Beavers have had some recent success on the ice, with an NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 2009. Goeb is a native of Anoka and is a member of the North Dakota State athletic Hall of Fame after a stellar wrestling career.

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The third major of the golf season is underway this morning with the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club. Minnesotan Tom Lehman won the Open Championship on this course in 1996. Lehman is playing in this year's event, with a tee time set for 6:04 a.m., Minnesota time.

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