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Cubs meet the Padres with 1-0 series lead

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

Chicago Cubs (25-31, fourth in the NL Central) vs. San Diego Padres (26-31, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Saturday, 10:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Drew Smyly (5-2, 3.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 53 strikeouts); Padres: Yu Darvish (3-4, 4.61 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 59 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -115, Cubs -105; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs meet the San Diego Padres with a 1-0 series lead.San Diego is 12-16 at home and 26-31 overall. The Padres have a 13-23 record in games when they have allowed a home run.Chicago is 25-31 overall and 10-15 on the road. The Cubs have the second-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .331.Saturday’s game is the fifth time these teams square off this season. The Cubs are up 3-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto leads the Padres with 10 home runs while slugging .484. Rougned Odor is 11-for-35 with four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI over the last 10 games.Nico Hoerner has eight doubles, ...

Pirates face the Cardinals leading series 1-0

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals (25-33, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (29-27, second in the NL Central)Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Jordan Montgomery (2-6, 4.48 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Pirates: Luis Ortiz (1-2, 4.35 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 14 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -141, Pirates +121; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.Pittsburgh has a 29-27 record overall and a 13-13 record in home games. The Pirates have a 19-2 record in games when they scored at least five runs.St. Louis has a 25-33 record overall and a 13-17 record in road games. The Cardinals have hit 78 total home runs to rank sixth in MLB play.The teams meet Saturday for the sixth time this season. The Pirates lead the season series 3-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew McCutchen has a .278 batting average to lead the Pirates, and has seven doubles and eight home runs. Ji-Hwan Bae is...

Brewers play the Reds leading series 1-0

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

Milwaukee Brewers (30-27, first in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (26-31, third in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Colin Rea (2-3, 4.89 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 35 strikeouts); Reds: Graham Ashcraft (3-3, 5.55 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 47 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -116, Reds -104; over/under is 10 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers play the Cincinnati Reds leading the series 1-0.Cincinnati has a 14-15 record in home games and a 26-31 record overall. The Reds are 16-7 in games when they out-hit their opponents.Milwaukee is 30-27 overall and 14-15 on the road. The Brewers have a 17-5 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jonathan India has 15 doubles and six home runs for the Reds. Matt McLain is 17-for-46 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.Christian Yelich has seven doubles and seven home runs wh...

Castellanos leads Phillies against the Nationals after 4-hit outing

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

Philadelphia Phillies (25-32, fourth in the NL East) vs. Washington Nationals (25-32, fifth in the NL East)Washington; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 52 strikeouts); Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 74 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Phillies -121, Nationals +101; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies take on the Washington Nationals after Nicholas Castellanos had four hits on Friday in an 8-7 loss to the Nationals.Washington is 12-17 at home and 25-32 overall. The Nationals have the third-best team batting average in MLB play at .265.Philadelphia has a 25-32 record overall and an 11-22 record on the road. The Phillies have a 21-9 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Jeimer Candelario has 17 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 28 RBI for the Nationals. Keibert Ruiz is 8...

Diamondbacks host the Braves on home winning streak

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

Atlanta Braves (33-24, first in the NL East) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (35-23, first in the NL West)Phoenix; Saturday, 10:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Spencer Strider (5-2, 3.11 ERA, .99 WHIP, 106 strikeouts); Diamondbacks: Ryne Nelson (2-2, 5.37 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 37 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Diamondbacks -140, Braves +120; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Atlanta Braves looking to continue a six-game home winning streak.Arizona has a 35-23 record overall and a 20-12 record at home. Diamondbacks hitters are batting a collective .261, which ranks second in the NL.Atlanta has a 33-24 record overall and an 18-10 record on the road. Braves pitchers have a collective 3.68 ERA, which ranks fifth in the majors.The teams square off Saturday for the second time this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Corbin Carroll has 14 doubles, a triple and nine home runs for the Diamondbacks. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 13-for-39 with four doubles, a triple and t...

México investiga amenazas contra diplomáticos peruanos

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

(CNN Español) — México informó que reforzó la seguridad de la delegación diplomática peruana en el país, luego de que autoridades de Perú denunciaran amenazas de muerte que habría recibido su embajada en territorio mexicano.“El Gobierno de México ha reforzado la seguridad de la legación y residencia particular”, informó el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en un comunicado, y agregó que están realizando las “investigaciones conducentes para esclarecer estos lamentables hechos”.Más temprano el viernes, el presidente del Consejo de Ministros de Perú, Alberto Otárola, condenó las presuntas amenazas de muerte que habría recibido la embajada del país en México, luego de que la cancillería peruana las denunciara.En su cuenta de Twitter, Otárola dijo que estos hechos deben ser investigados para conocer su origen.De acuerdo con un comunicado de la cancillería de Perú, el pasado miércoles el encargado de negocios de la delegación peruana habría recibido una am...

Le Maire hails ‘positive signal’ after S&P preserves France’s credit rating

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire vowed to pursue France’s “credible” public debt strategy after rating agency Standard & Poor’s decided to maintain France’s credit rating.“It’s a positive signal,” Le Maire said in an interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche published late Friday. “Our public finance strategy is clear. It’s ambitious. And it’s credible.”The French government’s aim, Le Maire said, is to “accelerate France’s debt reduction to reach 108 percent of GDP by 2027, and reduce the public deficit to below 3 percent by 2027.”S&P on Friday maintained France’s credit rating at AA, but said the outlook remained “negative” for its public finances due to the country’s “already elevated general government debt.”In spite of recent positive reforms, like the contentious pensions reforms which increased the retirement age from 62 to...

Fitch warns it could still cut US credit rating even after debt deal

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

Fitch Ratings on Friday warned that it could still downgrade the U.S.’s credit rating even after Congress passed a bill that averts an unprecedented default on government debt.While the deal to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending are “positive considerations,” Fitch said “repeated political standoffs” over the federal government’s borrowing limit “lowers confidence in governance on fiscal and debt matters.”Fitch issued its negative credit watch for U.S. debt last week. The company said it intends to “resolve” its negative watch by the end of September.President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation later today.Treasury securities are the lifeblood of financial markets and a benchmark for how everything from municipal debt to credit card rates are priced. A downgrade, which would mark only the second time a ratings service has knocked U.S. bonds from top-tier status, could drive up borrowing costs for consumers, businesses and governments — tightening credit con...

Pope warns of risk of corruption in missionary fundraising after AP investigation

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis warned the Vatican’s missionary fundraisers on Saturday not to allow financial corruption to creep into their work, insisting that spirituality and spreading the Gospel must drive their operations, not mere entrepreneurship.Francis made the comments in a speech to the national directors of the Vatican’s Pontifical Mission Societies, which raise money for the Catholic Church’s missionary work in the developing world, building churches and funding training programs for priests and nuns. Deviating from his prepared remarks, Francis appeared to refer to a recent Associated Press investigation into financial transfers at the U.S. branch of the Pontifical Mission Societies: The former head oversaw the transfer of at least $17 million from a quasi endowment fund and donations into a nonprofit and private equity fund that he created and now heads that invests in church-run agribusinesses in Africa.“Please don’t reduce POM to money,” Francis said, referring t...

Israeli army says exchange of fire along Egypt’s border wounds 2

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:26 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops were engaged in a shootout in southern Israel along the Egyptian border, the military said Saturday.It gave few details in a short statement, but said two people were wounded. Israel and Egypt signed a peace agreement in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their shared border is rare.The exchange of fire reportedly took place around the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt. The crossing is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip converge. It’s used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.Israel built a fence along the porous border a decade ago to halt the entry of African migrants and Islamic militants who are active in Egypt’s Sinai desert.The Associated Press