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Padres host the Nationals, try to continue home win streak

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

Washington Nationals (28-47, fifth in the NL East) vs. San Diego Padres (37-39, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Saturday, 8:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Josiah Gray (4-6, 3.64 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 72 strikeouts); Padres: Matt Waldron (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -200, Nationals +168; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres host the Washington Nationals aiming to continue a three-game home winning streak.San Diego has a 37-39 record overall and a 20-20 record in home games. The Padres rank fifth in the NL with 92 total home runs, averaging 1.2 per game.Washington has a 28-47 record overall and a 15-20 record in road games. The Nationals have a 22-9 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.Saturday’s game is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The Padres hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto has 19 doubles and 14 home runs for the Padres. Fernando Tatis Jr. is 14-for-38 with six doubles, t...

Mets bring road skid into matchup against the Phillies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

New York Mets (34-41, fourth in the NL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (39-36, third in the NL East)Philadelphia; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Max Scherzer (6-2, 4.04 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 68 strikeouts); Phillies: Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 3.24 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Mets -130, Phillies +110; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets will aim to end a three-game road slide when they face the Philadelphia Phillies.Philadelphia has a 39-36 record overall and a 20-13 record in home games. The Phillies have gone 16-7 in games decided by one run.New York has a 17-26 record on the road and a 34-41 record overall. The Mets have a 25-5 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.Saturday’s game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Mets are ahead 3-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber has seven doubles, a triple, 20 home runs and 41 RBI while hitting .185 for the Phillies....

Miami Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (35-40, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Miami Marlins (43-34, second in the NL East)Miami; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Osvaldo Bido (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 13 strikeouts); Marlins: Bryan Hoeing (1-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Marlins -157, Pirates +134; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Miami Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.Miami has gone 23-16 at home and 43-34 overall. The Marlins have a 33-17 record in games when they record eight or more hits.Pittsburgh has a 17-21 record on the road and a 35-40 record overall. The Pirates have a 16-5 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.Saturday’s game is the third time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Luis Arraez has 15 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 35 RBI for the Marlins. Garrett Cooper is 10-for-38 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over the past 10 games.Andrew McCutchen has nine home r...

Giants meet the Diamondbacks with 1-0 series lead

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks (46-31, first in the NL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (43-33, second in the NL West)San Francisco; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly (9-3, 3.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 96 strikeouts); Giants: Ryan Walker (2-0, 1.56 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 16 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -168, Diamondbacks +143; over/under is 7 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.San Francisco is 22-18 at home and 43-33 overall. The Giants have an 18-9 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.Arizona has a 23-13 record in road games and a 46-31 record overall. Diamondbacks hitters have a collective .437 slugging percentage to rank fifth in the majors.The teams meet Saturday for the sixth time this season. The Diamondbacks lead the season series 3-2.TOP PERFORMERS: J.D. Davis has 12 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs for the Giants. Mike Yastrzemski is 11-for-39 with a double ...

Reds play the Braves after De La Cruz hit for the cycle

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

Atlanta Braves (48-27, first in the NL East) vs. Cincinnati Reds (41-35, first in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Jared Shuster (4-2, 4.57 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 23 strikeouts); Reds: Graham Ashcraft (0-0)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -144, Reds +122; over/under is 11 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds play the Atlanta Braves after Elly De La Cruz hit for the cycle against the Braves on Friday.Cincinnati has gone 21-18 at home and 41-35 overall. The Reds have a 31-17 record in games when they record at least eight hits.Atlanta is 24-12 in road games and 48-27 overall. The Braves have gone 28-6 in games when they hit at least two home runs.The teams meet Saturday for the fifth time this season. The Braves are ahead 3-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan India has 17 doubles and 10 home runs while hitting .266 for the Reds. Jake Fraley is 6-for-17 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.Ronald Acuna Jr. has...

Cardinals host the Cubs to start 2-game series

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

Chicago Cubs (36-38, third in the NL Central) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (31-44, fifth in the NL Central)London; Saturday, 1:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Justin Steele (7-2, 2.71 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 62 strikeouts); Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (3-1, 5.56 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 24 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -134, Cardinals +113; over/under is 13 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals begin a two-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.St. Louis is 31-44 overall and 13-21 in home games. The Cardinals are 19-11 in games when they hit two or more home runs.Chicago has a 16-21 record in road games and a 36-38 record overall. The Cubs have a 21-6 record in games when they scored five or more runs.Saturday’s game is the fourth time these teams match up this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Paul Goldschmidt has 20 doubles and 13 home runs while hitting .287 for the Cardinals. Dylan Carlson is 10-for-32 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.Nic...

Biden administration releases US intelligence on Wuhan lab

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

American intelligence agencies don’t know how the Covid-19 pandemic started, declassified intelligence says.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence in a report released today said that all agencies of the government “continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection.”The report acknowledges that researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists conducted coronavirus research in the city where Covid first emerged, fell ill in the fall of 2019, shortly before the pandemic began.The Wall Street Journal, confirming reporting by journalists at the Substack blog Public, reported last week that one of the sick researchers, Ben Hu, had worked on coronaviruses with U.S. funding.Advocates of the lab leak theory seized on the news as near-definitive proof that their hypothesis was correct.But the intelligence report says it’s not so certain.While several Wuh...

Putin raises specter of civil war as Wagner boss Prigozhin menaces Moscow

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

President Vladimir Putin raised the specter of Russia descending into civil war on Saturday after embittered warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin seized key parts of the south of the country — including the large strategic city of Rostov-on-Don — and threatened to march on Moscow. Prigozhin claimed to have taken control of Rostov — a crucial command center for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, with a population of more than 1 million — without a fight. In response, Putin lashed out at Prigozhin’s “treason” and vowed to “neutralize” the threat posed by his renegade Wagner mercenary army.In a five-and-a-half-minute address to the nation Saturday morning, the president denounced the mutiny as “a stab in the back of our nation and our people.” Without naming Prigozhin, he said: “We are dealing with treason.”The Russian president said the insurrection was “exactly the kind of blow that was dealt to Russia in 1917, when the country fought the First World War, bu...

Live Updates | Armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

The latest on the armed rebellion declared by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin:——Russian mercenary leader Yevgheny Prigozhin on Saturday denied allegations by President Vladimir Putin that he is betraying his country and called his fighters patriots.In an audio message on his Telegram channel, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said: “Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patriots of our homeland.”He said his fighters would not turn themselves in at the request of Putin, as “we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy.”Putin said in televised address to the nation earlier Saturday that “all those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment.” He said that “the armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders,” ——KEY DEVELOPMENTS:Putin calls armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and promises to defend RussiaWho is the head of the me...

Putin calls armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and vows to defend Russia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:32:35 GMT

President Vladimir Putin vowed Saturday to defend Russia against an armed rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key city south of Moscow. The uprising, which Putin called “a stab in the back,” was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power. The private army led by Prigozhin appears to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence briefing.In his address, Putin called the uprising by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a “betrayal” and “treason.”“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said. “The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.”Prigozhin called himself a patriot.“Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken. We are patr...