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Braves face the Pirates leading series 1-0

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (65-76, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Atlanta Braves (92-48, first in the NL East)Atlanta; Saturday, 7:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.27 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 136 strikeouts); Braves: Dylan Dodd (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -232, Pirates +189; over/under is 10 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Atlanta has a 46-24 record at home and a 92-48 record overall. The Braves have hit 272 total home runs to lead MLB.Pittsburgh has a 65-76 record overall and a 31-39 record on the road. The Pirates have gone 46-21 in games when they record eight or more hits.Saturday’s game is the sixth time these teams match up this season. The Braves have a 3-2 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Olson leads Atlanta with 47 home runs while slugging .599. Ronald Acuna Jr. is 15-for-46 with six home runs and 11 RBI over the last 10 games.Bryan Reynolds has 19 home runs, ...

San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies play in game 2 of series

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Colorado Rockies (51-89, fifth in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (71-70, third in the NL West)San Francisco; Saturday, 9:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Chase Anderson (0-4, 5.98 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 47 strikeouts); Giants: Logan Webb (9-12, 3.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 173 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -253, Rockies +206; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants play the Colorado Rockies, leading the series 1-0.San Francisco is 39-31 at home and 71-70 overall. The Giants have a 42-13 record in games when they scored five or more runs.Colorado has a 51-89 record overall and a 22-51 record in road games. The Rockies have a 23-11 record in games when they did not allow a home run.Saturday’s game is the eighth time these teams square off this season. The Giants are ahead 6-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Wilmer Flores has 22 doubles and 22 home runs for the Giants. Thairo Estrada is 11-for-40 with two doubles over the past 10 games.Elias...

Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals play in game 2 of series

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (86-54, first in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (63-78, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Bobby Miller (9-3, 3.80 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 84 strikeouts); Nationals: Jake Irvin (3-5, 4.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 88 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Dodgers -217, Nationals +179; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers face the Washington Nationals with a 1-0 series lead.Washington has a 63-78 record overall and a 30-42 record in home games. The Nationals have the fifth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .256.Los Angeles is 39-30 on the road and 86-54 overall. The Dodgers have gone 69-18 in games when they scored at least five runs.The matchup Saturday is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Dodgers have a 3-1 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Lane Thomas has 32 doubles, three triples and 23 home runs for the Nationals. Jacob Young is 11-for-34 with five doubles...

Diamondbacks bring 3-game win streak into game against the Cubs

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (74-68, second in the NL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (76-66, second in the NL Central)Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (11-6, 3.34 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 159 strikeouts); Cubs: Justin Steele (16-3, 2.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 153 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -141, Diamondbacks +120; over/under is 7 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to build upon a three-game win streak with a victory over the Chicago Cubs.Chicago has a 40-33 record in home games and a 76-66 record overall. Cubs hitters have a collective .328 on-base percentage, the ninth-best percentage in MLB play.Arizona has a 36-33 record in road games and a 74-68 record overall. The Diamondbacks have the fifth-ranked team slugging percentage in the NL at .418.The matchup Saturday is the third time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Cody Bellinger ranks third on the Cubs with 49 extra base hits (24 doubles, a triple and 24 home runs). S...

With sexism in Spanish soccer being scrutinized, female players strike for higher league wages

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — First, Spain’s Women’s World Cup winners said they would no longer play for their country as they fight sexism in the nation’s soccer federation. Now, Spain’s women’s league players are on strike and calling for what they call a dignified minimum wage.The Liga F — Spain’s women’s league — was supposed to kick off its second season on Friday, but instead its players are striking for the first two rounds of games.The strike comes with the nation immersed in the scandal caused by soccer federation president Luis Rubiales when he kissed a Spain player on the lips without her consent during the Aug. 20 awards ceremony in Sydney, Australia after Spain had beaten England in the final.Rubiales’ conduct caused outrage in Spain. It also has drawn attention away from the greatest achievement in the history of Spanish women’s soccer, which has undergone spectacular growth over the last decade but still is fighting for a pay raise that, if granted, would...

Putin hopes for closer ties with North Korea in message to Kim Jong Un

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for Russia and North Korea to intensify their ties amid rumors that he could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming days.“I am convinced that thanks to our joint efforts we will continue to strengthen … bilateral ties on all fronts,” Putin said in a letter addressed to Kim on Friday, quoted by AFP and North-Korean media. The message came as North Korea celebrated the 75th anniversary of its foundation with a parade in Pyongyang which was reportedly attended by Russian and Chinese representatives.A U.S. official earlier this week said that Kim may travel to Russia to meet Putin by the end of September as Russia is looking for military equipment for its invasion of Ukraine. The North Korean leader might travel for 20 hours in a luxury armored train. U.S. intelligence gatherings have indicated that Russia and North Korea are in talks on arms supplies, with Russian officials repeatedly visiting North Kor...

Powerful quake in Morocco kills more than 800 people and damages historic buildings in Marrakech

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. The toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach the remote areas hit hardest.People woken by the quake ran into the streets in terror and disbelief. State television showed people clustered in the streets of Marrakech late at night, afraid to go back inside buildings that might still be unstable. A man said he was visiting a nearby apartment when dishes and wall hangings began raining down, and people were knocked off their feet and chairs. A woman described fleeing her house after an “intense vibration.’’ A man holding a child said he was jarred awake in bed by the shaking. Emergency workers looked for survivors in the rubble of buildings, their reflective yellow vests glowing in the dark. A hole gaped in the side of a home, and a car was nearly buried by the c...

Word Game: Sept. 9, 2023

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — DEMERIT (DEMERIT: dih-MER-it: A fault or defect.)Average mark 34 wordsTime limit 45 minutesCan you find 44 or more words in DEMERIT? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — NORMALLY nary norm normal only oral orally rally rayon roam roan roll roman royal mall manly manor many marl mayor moan molar molly moral morally moray morn myna alloy ally anomy army llano loam loamy loan loran lorn loyal yarnTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator...

Horoscopes Sept. 9, 2023: Adam Sandler, bold moves are the path to fulfillment

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Michelle Williams, 43; Eric Stonestreet, 52; Adam Sandler, 57; Hugh Grant, 63.Happy Birthday: Choose what you want by using your intelligence, following your heart and initiating the changes necessary to turn your ideas into something tangible. Let mistakes remind you what not to do and you’ll easily sail through any dilemma. Let your discipline and honesty be guides that carry you to perfection and the outcome you deserve. Bold moves are the path to fulfillment. Your numbers are 8, 14, 23, 28, 32, 35, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a break. Spend quality time with someone you love. Don’t feel obligated to indulge to keep others happy. Do what feels right. It’s up to you to take responsibility for your happiness. An image update will boost your morale. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Limit your intake and spending. Too much of anything will compromise you. Use your intelligence to figure out the best way forward. An opportunity is...

Ask Amy: She stiffed my kid for the cat-sitting, then sent a nasty note

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:07:50 GMT

Dear Amy: My 13-year-old daughter did a cat-sitting job for a neighbor and friend of ours, finishing on the first of the month.She sent a text to the cat’s owner on the last day, saying thanks for letting her pet-sit and that she enjoyed it. We never heard anything back.Five days later, I sent a text saying thanks for letting my kid pet-sit, and asking politely when she would get paid.Cat Owner said, “I’ll pay you on the 10th as I prefer to pay in cash and give feedback in person, is that OK? Or I could do Venmo, but only if you need that.” I agreed to payment on the 10th.On the 10th, Cat Owner texted saying, “I am too exhausted and have no cash so can’t do payment today. Can we do another day? Or if you urgently need money, I can do Venmo but prefer not to.”I responded, “Sure, we can do another day. Which day is good?” There was no response to this.On the 14th, I texted, “Hey, Cat Owner, just checking in on that payment for Anni...