Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks meet in game 2 of series

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks meet in game 2 of series Arizona Diamondbacks (25-20, second in the NL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-20, second in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 8.59 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 11 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (5-1, 2.38 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 69 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Pirates -137, Diamondbacks +116; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.Pittsburgh has a 24-20 record overall and an 11-9 record in home games. The Pirates have a 15-7 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Arizona has an 11-10 record on the road and a 25-20 record overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .332 on-base percentage, the third-ranked percentage in the NL.The matchup Saturday is the second meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Suwinski leads the Pirates with seven home runs while slugging .482. Andrew McCutchen is 11-for-34 wit...

St. Louis Cardinals face the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals face the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday Los Angeles Dodgers (29-17, first in the NL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (19-27, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 5.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.91 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 41 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -110, Dodgers -110; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.St. Louis has gone 9-15 in home games and 19-27 overall. The Cardinals are 16-6 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Los Angeles has a 29-17 record overall and a 12-10 record on the road. Dodgers hitters have a collective .450 slugging percentage to rank second in the NL.Saturday’s game is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Dodgers are up 4-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Paul Goldschmidt has a .301 batting average to lead the Cardinals, and has 16 doubles and seven home runs. Nolan Ar...

Phillies aim to break losing streak in game against the Cubs

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Phillies aim to break losing streak in game against the Cubs Chicago Cubs (20-24, third in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (20-24, fourth in the NL East)Philadelphia; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Jameson Taillon (0-2, 6.29 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Phillies: Aaron Nola (3-3, 4.53 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 43 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -169, Cubs +144; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies play the Chicago Cubs after losing five games in a row.Philadelphia has an 11-8 record in home games and a 20-24 record overall. The Phillies have hit 45 total home runs to rank 10th in the NL.Chicago is 9-13 in road games and 20-24 overall. The Cubs have the fourth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.98.The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Castellanos has 14 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI while hitting .300 for the Phillies. J.T. Realmuto is 13-for-34 with six doubles over the last 10 games.Nico Hoerner has eight doubles, a trip...

Cumbre del G7: Zelenskyy llega a Hiroshima mientras líderes sancionan a Rusia

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Cumbre del G7: Zelenskyy llega a Hiroshima mientras líderes sancionan a Rusia HIROSHIMA, Japón — El presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, aterrizó el sábado en Hiroshima para mantener conversaciones diplomáticas con los líderes de las democracias más poderosas del mundo que han endurecido las sanciones para castigar a Moscú y cambiar el curso de su invasión de 15 meses a Ucrania.Japón dice que la decisión de Zelenskyy de visitar Hiroshima se deriva de su “fuerte deseo” de participar en conversaciones que influirán en la defensa de su nación contra Rusia.Un funcionario de la UE, que habló bajo condición de anonimato para informar a los periodistas sobre las deliberaciones, dijo que Zelenskyy participará en dos sesiones separadas el domingo. La primera sesión será solo con miembros del G7 y se centrará en la guerra en Ucrania. La segunda sesión incluirá al G7, así como a las demás naciones invitadas a participar en la cumbre, y se centrará en “la paz y la estabilidad”.El asesor de seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos, Jake Sullivan...

French minister warns of resumption of ‘Islamist terrorist’ threat in Europe

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

French minister warns of resumption of ‘Islamist terrorist’ threat in Europe There’s a risk of a “resumption” of the “Islamist terrorist” threat in Europe, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said during a visit to the U.S. Stressing the importance of anti-terrorism collaboration between intelligence services from both sides of the Atlantic, Darmanin said in an interview with Agence France-Presse that “for Europeans and for France the primary risk is Sunni Islamist terrorism.” While pointing to concerns facing the U.S., including shootings and white supremacism, Darmanin said Americans mustn’t forget “what appears to us to be the primary threat in Europe,” which the minister said was Sunni terrorism. Darmanin also highlighted the risk of people carrying out a “Bataclan-type attack,” referring to the Paris attacks in 2015 that saw 130 people killed, including 90 at the Bataclan theater. France has seen several terrorist incidents in recent years, including the stabbing of a police officer in 2021, which led President Emmanuel...

Target practice: How a job in retail ignited Orioles reliever Bryan Baker’s fire

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Target practice: How a job in retail ignited Orioles reliever Bryan Baker’s fire In two seasons with the Orioles, right-handed reliever Bryan Baker hasn’t hesitated to show his emotions when pitching. He has let out yells, pounded his chest, and, of late, backpedaled off the mound after the occasional inning-ending strikeout.He got his passion from Target.During 2020′s canceled minor league season, the Toronto Blue Jays invited Baker to their alternate training site, a hub for players who were not on the major league roster but could be called upon during the shortened campaign. But with more than a month left on the schedule, the Blue Jays sent Baker home, ending his season as it continued for others. He went home to Florida and worked in retail with his sister, Chelsea, pushing carts around Target to fill out mobile orders in hopes of saving money for offseason training.“It told me everything I needed to know: I needed to be better,” Baker said. “It was something I knew I needed at that time to support myself, but I knew it was so...

Horoscopes May 20, 2023: Cher, focus and proceed

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Horoscopes May 20, 2023: Cher, focus and proceed CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Daya Vaidya, 43; Matt Czuchry, 46; Tony Goldwyn, 63; Cher, 77.Happy Birthday: Simplify your life. Consider your objective and the best way to achieve your goal. Use your charm to drum up support, suggestions and hands-on help. Stop pondering over the past and start living life your way. Let go of what’s holding you back and replace it with fresh ideas and renewed faith in yourself and your ability to get things done. Focus and proceed. Your numbers are 5, 13, 26, 32, 34, 41, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Don’t share too much information. If you keep others guessing, you’ll stand a better chance of getting what you want. Focus on what you can do to improve your situation, and help others follow suit. Set a good example and see what happens. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Get in the conversation, let your voice resonate and make a difference. Offer an upbeat rendition of what’s possible and how you can use your skills to get a po...

Ask Amy: The wedding invitation has an aggressive edge I don’t like

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Ask Amy: The wedding invitation has an aggressive edge I don’t like Dear Amy: I’m asking about an aggressive version of a familiar issue.I am in my mid-20s and at the age where I am being invited to weddings of friends. Some are close friends, others not so much.I work in local media, and, as you may know, make a measly wage. We in local media work on short-term contracts and tend to move frequently.One of my friends in the field, who often shares my financial woes, is likely getting married early next year. We do not live in the same part of the country.This friend has made it clear that they do not want to hear anything about guests not being able to attend their wedding due to living too far away, or not having enough money.This friend quite literally (and aggressively) stated this over a text message.This person has been OK as a friend, but is not my closest.I am really turned off by this approach.I have a feeling they will sever both personal and professional ties with me if I don’t attend this wedding.Our line of work does not give the time of...

The Debt Limit Is Just One of America’s Six Worst Traditions

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

The Debt Limit Is Just One of America’s Six Worst Traditions The dome of the U.S. Capitol is reflected, on Jan. 6, 2022 in Washington, D.C.Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImageImagine that your family has a generations-long tradition that requires that for every 10th dinner, you search your neighbors’ trash cans like raccoons and eat whatever garbage you find.Usually none of you asks why you do this. It’s just what you learned from your parents. But occasionally someone does some family research and finds out it originated in the early 1800s, when your great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather explained in his diary that he was creating this custom “so every feventh child will expire from famonella.” And you have to admit this still works, since every now and then one of your children dies from food-borne illness. Yet you keep on eating the garbage.This is what American politics is like, except we have dozens of these aged traditions whose purpose is actively malevolent or simply serves no purpose at all. They nonetheless cling like barna...

Clinton man gets 6 life sentences for 2017 stabbing of sister, 2 cousins

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:45:05 GMT

Clinton man gets 6 life sentences for 2017 stabbing of sister, 2 cousins A Clinton, Maryland, man convicted of killing his sister and two cousins in 2017 was given six life sentences by a judge Friday — three without the possibility of parole.“He will not return to our community,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, speaking about 30-year-old Antonio Williams.It was a horrific case and a bloody crime scene after he stabbed his six-year-old sister Nadira Withers and his cousins — six-year-old Ajayah and nine-year-old Ariana DeCree — numerous times in August 2017.Their bodies were found by Williams’ mother, who said she won’t accept that her son was responsible for the murder. After an initial confession, Williams also argued he wasn’t responsible.During the trial, prosecutors said the girls were killed in their sleep after playing loudly around the house and upsetting Williams earlier that day.“They had a right to grow up. To be women. They had a right to have a future,” said B...