Oakland A’s have win streak snapped in front of familiar-sized crowd

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Oakland A’s have win streak snapped in front of familiar-sized crowd OAKLAND – JJ Bleday’s three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday was exactly the kind of big hit the Oakland A’s had been getting on their season-long seven-game win streak that began earlier this month.The rest of the A’s performance against the Tampa Bay Rays, though, bore more resemblance to the first two months of the season.Bleday’s homer accounted for the A’s only offense Wednesday in a 6-3 loss to the Rays before 7,055 at the Coliseum, roughly one-quarter of the announced crowd of 27,759 that attended Tuesday’s game when fans organized a ‘Reverse Boycott’ to implore team owner John Fisher to sell the franchise.Fisher wants to move the A’s to Las Vegas and on Wednesday, Nevada lawmakers gave final approval to public funding for a portion of a proposed $1.5 billion stadium located on the Las Vegas Strip.Against the Rays, the A’s left five runners on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position as they dropped their first game since June 5 w...

Miami’s Jesús Sánchez makes game-saving catch as Marlins top Mariners 4-1

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Miami’s Jesús Sánchez makes game-saving catch as Marlins top Mariners 4-1 SEATTLE (AP) — Miami’s Jesús Sánchez made a leaping, game-saving catch at the wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to rob Seattle’s Eugenio Suárez of a grand slam, and the Marlins avoided a three-game sweep with a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.Seattle loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning against A.J. Puk thanks to a pair of errors by Luis Arraez. Suárez lined a 2-1 pitch from Puk deep to right field, but Sánchez quickly tracked his way to the wall and made a leaping grab and pulled back the potential game-tying homer. Ty France scored on the play to break up the shutout, but Cal Raleigh lined out to Sánchez to end the game. Sánchez’s defensive gem made a winner out of 20-year-old rookie Eury Pérez, who dazzled in just his seventh start. Pérez limited the Mariners to just a pair of hits and pitched into the sixth for the first time. Pérez (4-1) struck out six and walked only one and helped Miami’s pitching recover after getting ...

Wacha earns 7th win; Tatis and Machado homer in Padres 5-0 victory

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Wacha earns 7th win; Tatis and Machado homer in Padres 5-0 victory SAN DIEGO (AP) — Michael Wacha pitched seven shutout innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hit two of San Diego’s four solo homers in the Padres’ 5-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz also homered for the Padres, who have won five of their last six games and have an opportunity to sweep the three-game series versus Cleveland and reach the .500 mark for the first time since May 11th.Wacha (7-2), who has a major league best 0.91 ERA since the beginning of May, gave up four singles in 6 2/3 innings. He lowered his season ERA to 2.89.Tatis led off the first inning with his 14th homer of the season, a shot that cleared the left-field wall by a few feet for a 364-foot home run. It was his 11th career lead-off homer and came against Aaron Civale (2-2).Machado hit a solo home run to left-center in the third to stake the Padres to a 2-0 lead against Civale, who gave up two runs in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and allowe...

White Sox manager Grifol ejected in 6th inning vs Dodgers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

White Sox manager Grifol ejected in 6th inning vs Dodgers LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol was ejected in the sixth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.The Dodgers had just tied it 2-all when Grifol came out of the dugout to argue with home plate umpire Pat Hoberg. The first-year manager kept pointing to his right as Hoberg tossed him.Grifol continued jawing as crew chief Brian O’Nora came over from his position at third base. A member of the White Sox coaching staff separated Grifol from O’Nora while the manager’s rant went on.It was Grifol’s third ejection of the season.The Dodgers rallied for four runs in the inning to take a 4-2 lead.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Canadian quits Chinese-founded development bank, complains ‘Communist Party hacks’ dominate it

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Canadian quits Chinese-founded development bank, complains ‘Communist Party hacks’ dominate it BEIJING (AP) — A Canadian public relations manager for a Chinese-founded development bank announced his resignation Wednesday in a statement that accused it of being dominated by “Communist Party hacks” and said Canada’s interests weren’t served by being a member.The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank confirmed in an email that Bob Pickard resigned as its director general of global communications and rejected his criticism as unfounded.The AIIB, seen by some as a Chinese rival to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was founded in 2016 to finance railways and other infrastructure. It has 106 member governments including most Asian countries and Australia, Canada, Russia, France and Britain. Japan and the United States aren’t members.Pickard, who worked for AIIB for 15 months, said in a statement on Twitter that resigning was his only course as a “patriotic Canadian.” He complained that the bank was dominated by “Communist Party hacks” who were “like an in-house K...

White Sox’s Clevinger leaves start against Dodgers with right biceps soreness

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

White Sox’s Clevinger leaves start against Dodgers with right biceps soreness LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger left his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning Wednesday night because of right biceps soreness.The right-hander exited the field in apparent physical discomfort with two outs. Clevinger was biting the top of his jersey while accompanied by the team’s trainer.He will be reevaluated Thursday.He was pitching to J.D. Martinez when he kicked his right leg high and the momentum spun him around with his right arm twisting in a different direction. Clevinger nearly went down to his knees, using his left hand to keep himself on his feet.He was replaced by Gregory Santos with the White Sox leading 2-0.Clevinger gave up three hits, struck out five and walked two on 77 pitches in his 12th start of the season. He was on the injured list from May 21 to June 2 with right wrist inflammation, missing two starts. Clevinger has appeared in just 42 games since the start of the 2020 season. The 32-year-old missed the entire...

UK’s own climate adviser brands government ‘hypocrites’ over North Sea oil and gas

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

UK’s own climate adviser brands government ‘hypocrites’ over North Sea oil and gas LONDON — The U.K. would undermine its international reputation as a climate leader if it goes ahead with a major new oil and gas field, the outgoing chair of the country’s official climate advisory committee said.John Gummer, the Conservative peer who chairs the U.K.’s Climate Change Committee (CCC), told POLITICO that the British government’s current stance in favor of expanding production of fossil fuels in the North Sea meant the U.K. had “perfectly properly been called hypocrites.”The committee advises parliament on progress on emissions targets and was designed as an independent check on the U.K.’s progress.A government decision is expected within weeks giving the go-ahead to start drilling in the biggest undeveloped oil and gas field in the North Sea, Rosebank. A green light for Rosebank is likely to prove highly controversial at a time when the future of U.K. oil and gas production in the North Sea has become a major dividing line between the government and the opposition Lab...

POLITICO Pro Central Banker: Fed holds — ECB poised — BoE pressured

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

POLITICO Pro Central Banker: Fed holds — ECB poised — BoE pressured Our one-stop source for central banking & monetary policy news.View in your browser or listen to audioBy GEOFFREY SMITHwith CARLO BOFFA, JOHANNA TREECK, BEN MUNSTER, BJARKE SMITH-MEYER and IZABELLA KAMINSKASNEAK PEEK— The ECB is expected to raise interest rates by 0.25 percent, 2:15 p.m.— The Federal Reserve suspended its cycle of rate hikes but warned that more would be needed later this year. — Beyoncé’s Stockholm concert drives inflation higher in Sweden.POLICY TICKERECB 3.75% ⇡ — BOE 4.5% ⇡ — FED 5.35% ⇡— SNB 1.5% ⇡— BOJ -0.10% ⇣— RBA 4.10% ⇡— PBOC 3.65%⇣— CBR 7.5% ⇣ — BOC 4.75 ⇡— SARB 8.25% ⇡Good morning and welcome to part two of the G3 central bank trifecta. The Federal Reserve held off hiking interest rates for the first time in 15 months, as expected, but chair Jerome Powell warned that “nearly all” policy-makers thought that further increases (sic) would be necessary by year end, the first of them coming as soon as July. Powell’s signalling — wh...

Migrants bused from Texas to Los Angeles in move mayor calls 'despicable stunt'

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Migrants bused from Texas to Los Angeles in move mayor calls 'despicable stunt' LOS ANGELES (AP) — A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday were sent from Texas in a move the city's mayor called a “despicable stunt” by a Republican governor. Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. and were being cared for by city agencies and charitable organizations, Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León’s office said. “They left yesterday and it was 23 hours on the bus and they did not have a chance to eat or to have water,” said Jorge Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, who spoke to several migrants.“They are being fed; they're taking shelters; they’re talking to attorneys,” he said. “These are migrants that have been allowed by the U.S. to enter because they have credible fears. They have not yet received asylum."Many were from Latin American countries, including Honduras and Venezuela, and one person had an immigration appointment in New York, he said.Mayor ...

Colorado gay nightclub shooter expected to strike plea deal: ‘I have to take responsibility’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 03:10:45 GMT

Colorado gay nightclub shooter expected to strike plea deal: ‘I have to take responsibility’ COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The suspect in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is expected to strike a plea deal to state murder and hate charges that would ensure at least a life sentence for the attack that killed five people and wounded 17, several survivors told The Associated Press. Word of a possible legal resolution of last year’s Club Q massacre follows a series of jailhouse phone calls from the suspect to the AP expressing remorse and the intention to face the consequences at the next scheduled court hearing this month.“I have to take responsibility for what happened,” 23-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich said in their first public comments about the case. Federal and state authorities and defense attorneys declined to comment on a possible plea deal. But Colorado law requires victims to be notified of such deals, and several people who lost loved ones or were wounded in the attack told the AP that state prosecutors have given them advance word that Aldrich w...