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Phillies look to stop skid in matchup with the Mets

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Philadelphia Phillies (89-72, second in the NL East) vs. New York Mets (74-86, fourth in the NL East)New York; Sunday, 3:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Matt Strahm (9-5, 3.32 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 106 strikeouts); Mets: Jose Butto (1-3, 3.75 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 34 strikeouts)BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies, on a three-game losing streak, take on the New York Mets.New York has a 42-37 record in home games and a 74-86 record overall. The Mets are 57-11 in games when they out-hit their opponents.Philadelphia has gone 40-40 in road games and 89-72 overall. The Phillies have gone 42-16 in games when they hit two or more home runs.Sunday’s game is the 13th time these teams square off this season. The season series is tied 6-6.TOP PERFORMERS: Francisco Alvarez has 12 doubles, 25 home runs and 63 RBI for the Mets. Francisco Lindor is 12-for-37 with five home runs over the past 10 games.Kyle Schwarber has 19 doubles, a triple and 47 home runs while hitting .197 for the Phillies....

Brewers and Cubs meet, winner secures 3-game series

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Chicago Cubs (83-78, second in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (91-70, first in the NL Central)Milwaukee; Sunday, 3:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Justin Steele (16-5, 3.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 176 strikeouts); Brewers: Adrian Houser (7-5, 4.49 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 91 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -113, Brewers -108; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs play on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series.Milwaukee has a 48-32 record in home games and a 91-70 record overall. The Brewers have a 59-21 record in games when they record at least eight hits.Chicago has an 83-78 record overall and a 38-42 record on the road. The Cubs have a 42-24 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Sunday’s game is the 13th time these teams square off this season. The season series is tied 6-6.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Yelich has 34 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs and 77 RBI for the Brewers. Tyrone Taylor is 9-for-35 w...

Braves play the Nationals with series tied 1-1

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Washington Nationals (70-91, fifth in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (104-57, first in the NL East)Atlanta; Sunday, 3:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Jackson Rutledge (1-1, 6.00 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, eight strikeouts); Braves: Dylan Dodd (0-0)BOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals meet on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.Atlanta has a 104-57 record overall and a 52-28 record in home games. The Braves are 48-16 in games when they did not give up a home run.Washington has a 70-91 record overall and a 36-44 record on the road. Nationals hitters are batting a collective .253, which ranks sixth in the NL.The teams meet Sunday for the 13th time this season. The Braves lead the season series 8-4.TOP PERFORMERS: Ronald Acuna Jr. has 35 doubles, four triples, 41 home runs and 106 RBI for the Braves. Marcell Ozuna is 14-for-41 with five doubles, a triple, three home runs and 14 RBI over the past 10 games.Joey Meneses leads the Nationals with a .276 batting ave...

Marlins try to keep win streak going against the Pirates

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Miami Marlins (84-76, third in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (75-86, fourth in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Sunday, 3:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: No starters namedBOTTOM LINE: The Miami Marlins seek to build upon a three-game win streak with a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.Pittsburgh has a 75-86 record overall and a 38-42 record in home games. The Pirates have a 30-9 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.Miami is 84-76 overall and 38-41 in road games. Marlins hitters have a collective .407 slugging percentage to rank 10th in the NL.The teams meet Sunday for the seventh time this season. The Marlins lead the season series 5-1.TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has 31 doubles, five triples and 24 home runs for the Pirates. Jared Triolo is 18-for-39 with five doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.Luis Arraez has 30 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 69 RBI for the Marlins. Jon Berti is 17-for-30 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and six...

Reds play the Cardinals after Marte’s 4-hit game

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (82-79, third in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (70-91, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Sunday, 3:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Hunter Greene (4-6, 4.71 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 146 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (8-13, 4.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 127 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Reds -123, Cardinals +103; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds take on the St. Louis Cardinals after Noelvi Marte’s four-hit game on Saturday.St. Louis has a 34-46 record in home games and a 70-91 record overall. The Cardinals are 40-16 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Cincinnati has an 82-79 record overall and a 44-36 record in road games. The Reds have hit 197 total home runs to rank seventh in the NL.Sunday’s game is the 13th time these teams meet this season. The season series is tied 6-6.TOP PERFORMERS: Paul Goldschmidt has 31 doubles and 25 home runs while hitting .268 for the Cardinals. Tommy Edman is 12-for-39 wi...

Giants and Dodgers meet with series tied 1-1

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (99-62, first in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (79-82, fourth in the NL West)San Francisco; Sunday, 3:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Bobby Miller (11-4, 3.89 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 115 strikeouts); Giants: Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -176, Giants +149; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.San Francisco has a 79-82 record overall and a 45-35 record at home. The Giants have a 58-24 record in games when they record eight or more hits.Los Angeles has a 99-62 record overall and a 46-34 record on the road. Dodgers hitters have a collective .341 on-base percentage, the second-ranked percentage in the NL.Sunday’s game is the 13th time these teams meet this season. The season series is tied 6-6.TOP PERFORMERS: Wilmer Flores leads San Francisco with 23 home runs while slugging .509. Thairo Estrad...

US shutdown averted: Senate clears stopgap bill with hours to spare

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

The Senate cleared a stopgap funding bill Saturday night, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk just in time to avert a government shutdown.The legislation effectively punts the deadline for Congress’ various spending fights to Nov. 17. It passed the upper chamber by a wide margin, 88-9.“It’s been a day full of twists and turns, but the American people can breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no government shutdown,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said shortly after passage.The package is a departure from Senate leaders’ original ambitions to include Ukraine aid in the short-term funding bill. The final version of the bill — which overwhelmingly passed the House with bipartisan support Saturday afternoon — only includes disaster relief alongside regular government funding. Senate Democrats now say they’ll be seeking a supplemental bill to continue assisting Ukraine in its war against Russia.“Most Senate Republicans remain committ...

Russian gas supplies ensured German growth, Merkel adviser says

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s economic adviser was adamant that his country wasn’t in the wrong by working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure massive gas supplies.“It helped to deliver us strong growth rates that paid for things we otherwise wouldn’t have had, for a period of 10-15 years, things which would otherwise not have been possible,” Lars-Hendrik Röller said in an interview with the Financial Times.Merkel, Germany’s chancellor from 2005 to 2021, had little choice but to bet big on Russian gas after deciding to phase out nuclear energy, according to Röller, who was Merkel’s chief economic aide for her last 11 years in power. “You can argue whether that was the right thing to do, but it was the consensus in society at the time,” he said.“If we’d known then what we know now, we would of course have acted differently,” Röller added. While Merkel was long considered the Western leader of her time who knew Putin best, her polic...

Explosion, gunfire rock Ankara in terror attack, Turkey says

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

A suicide bombing on a government building in Turkey’s capital of Ankara Sunday morning was a terrorist attack, Turkish Internal Affairs Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.“At around 9:30 a.m., two terrorists arrived with a light commercial vehicle in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of Internal Affairs [and] carried out a bomb attack,” Yerlikaya said in a statement.“One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other terrorist was neutralized,” the minister said. Two police officers were injured. “Our struggle will continue … until the last terrorist has been neutralized,” Yerlikaya said.Local media reports said explosions and gunfire were heard in the city. Atatürk Boulevard, home to a number of government buildings and the country’s parliament, was closed. MPs were due to return to work Sunday following the summer recess.Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launc...

Five Celtics storylines to watch as 2023-24 training camp begins

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:25:04 GMT

A year ago at this time, the Celtics were a team in the midst of turmoil after the sudden departure of Ime Udoka just days before training camp began. They got through that early adversity to make another playoff run deep into the spring, but a championship ultimately remained out of reach.There isn’t nearly as much drama following the Celtics as they begin camp this week, but still plenty of questions to answer as they embark on another title pursuit. Here are five storylines to watch:1. Malcolm Brogdon’s statusIt’s been an interesting offseason for Malcolm Brogdon. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year had a disappointing end to his season, when he suffered a partial tendon tear in his right elbow/forearm during the Eastern Conference Finals, which made him a non-factor in the series. Weeks later, it looked like the guard was en route to Los Angeles in the Kristaps Porzingis trade before the deal fell apart, reportedly because there were concerns over Brogdon’s medicals. The Celtics ...