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Rockies try to break road skid, face the Cubs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Colorado Rockies (56-97, fifth in the NL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (80-74, second in the NL Central)Chicago; Saturday, 2:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Chris Flexen (1-8, 7.19 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 70 strikeouts); Cubs: Marcus Stroman (10-8, 3.76 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 115 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cubs -241, Rockies +197; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies hit the road against the Chicago Cubs looking to end an eight-game road skid.Chicago has an 80-74 record overall and a 43-36 record at home. The Cubs are 39-19 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Colorado is 56-97 overall and 22-57 on the road. Rockies hitters are batting a collective .249, which ranks ninth in the NL.The matchup Saturday is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The season series is tied 2-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Cody Bellinger has 28 doubles, a triple and 26 home runs while hitting .309 for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki is 13-for-38 with a double and four home runs over the ...

Reds host Pittsburgh Pirates, look to end home skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (73-81, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Cincinnati Reds (79-76, third in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Saturday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Bailey Falter (2-9, 4.58 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 59 strikeouts); Reds: Connor Phillips (1-0, 5.74 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 17 strikeouts)BOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates looking to stop their three-game home losing streak.Cincinnati has a 79-76 record overall and a 37-42 record in home games. The Reds rank eighth in the NL with 179 total home runs, averaging 1.2 per game.Pittsburgh has a 73-81 record overall and a 35-41 record in road games. The Pirates have gone 30-8 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Saturday’s game is the 12th meeting between these teams this season. The Pirates have a 7-4 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Spencer Steer leads Cincinnati with 22 home runs while slugging .456. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is 10-for-32 with three home runs and six RBI over the...

Prost! DC-area Oktoberfest events to cheers to

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Traditionally, Oktoberfest is an annual celebration that is hosted from mid-September to early October in the Bavarian state in Germany. The festival originated on Oct. 12, 1810, and has continued ever since, with as much as approximately two million gallons of beer served each year. For those in the D.C. area who are in search of Bavarian brunches, stein holding competitions and oompah bands, skip the long flight to Germany and instead consider the following local Oktoberfest events. For more autumnal events, check out WTOP’s list of 25 D.C.-area festivals for more of what you should look forward to in the coming months.DCThe Wharf’s Stein Hoisting CompetitionSept. 23 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.Across The Wharf at participating restaurantsFreeIn the Southwest Waterfront, participating restaurants at The Wharf will allow their guests to go head-to-head in a test of strength with stein hoisting competitions. Restaurants that are participating include Boardwalk Bar & Arcade, Brigh...

Padres take on the Cardinals after Machado’s 4-hit game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

St. Louis Cardinals (67-87, fifth in the NL Central) vs. San Diego Padres (76-78, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Saturday, 8:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Jake Woodford (2-2, 5.31 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 28 strikeouts); Padres: Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.73 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 95 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -171, Cardinals +146; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres take on the St. Louis Cardinals after Manny Machado’s four-hit game on Friday.San Diego has a 76-78 record overall and a 43-36 record in home games. The Padres have a 58-13 record in games when they scored at least five runs.St. Louis has gone 34-42 in road games and 67-87 overall. The Cardinals rank 10th in MLB play with 205 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.The teams meet Saturday for the fifth time this season. The season series is tied 2-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Xander Bogaerts has a .281 batting average to lead the Padres, and has 30 doubles, a triple and 19 home runs. Juan Soto ...

Chinese government sentences a famed Uyghur scholar to life in prison, foundation says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A prominent Uyghur scholar specializing in the study of her people’s folklore and traditions has been sentenced to life in prison, according to a U.S.-based foundation that works on human rights cases in China.Rahile Dawut was convicted on charges of endangering state security in December 2018 in a secret trial, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation said in a statement Thursday. Dawut appealed but her conviction was upheld, the foundation said.“The sentencing of Professor Rahile Dawut to life in prison is a cruel tragedy, a great loss for the Uyghur people, and for all who treasure academic freedom,” John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, said in a statement.Dawut was a professor at Xinjiang University and founder of the school’s Ethnic Minorities Folklore Research Center. She disappeared in late 2017 amid a brutal government crackdown aimed at the Uyghurs, a Turkic, predominately Muslim ethnicity native to China’s northwest Xinjiang regio...

Ophelia touches down: Tropical storm rolls through DC region over the weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Beach-goers brave the weather and walk along the sand at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches in Virginia Beach, Va. The storm was gaining strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)(AP/Kendall Warner) Beach-goers brave the weather and walk along the sand at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, as Tropical Storm Ophelia approaches in Virginia Beach, Va. The storm was gaining strength as it churned toward the North Carolina coast on Friday, promising a weekend of heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. (Kendall Warner/The...

Por segunda vez en la historia se transplanta un corazón de cerdo a un hombre vivo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

(CNN) — Por segunda vez en la historia, se ha trasplantado un corazón de cerdo a un receptor humano vivo, anunció el viernes el Centro Médico de la Universidad de Maryland.La innovadora operación fue realizada el 20 de septiembre en el UMMC por el mismo equipo de trasplantes que llevó a cabo la primera operación experimental de este tipo en 2022.En un comunicado de prensa, el hospital dijo que el receptor, Lawrence Faucette, de 58 años, “actualmente respira por sí mismo y su corazón funciona bien sin asistencia de dispositivos de apoyo”.Faucette padecía una cardiopatía terminal. Tenía una enfermedad vascular periférica preexistente y complicaciones con hemorragias internas que le hacían inelegible para un trasplante de corazón tradicional, dijo el hospital en el comunicado. Ingresó en el UMMC el 14 de septiembre tras experimentar síntomas de insuficiencia cardiaca.“La única esperanza que me queda es el corazón de cerdo, el xenotrasplante”, declaró Fauce...

F1 leader Verstappen has pole position at Japan GP after record winning streak ended in Singapore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — Formula One series leader Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in Saturday’s qualifying, finishing .581 seconds ahead of McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri.Highly motivated after missing out on the podium in Singapore, Verstappen has topped every session since arriving in Japan. The Red Bull driver clocked the fastest time of 1 minute, 28.877 seconds at the Suzuka circuit.Australian Piastri will be on the front row for the first time in his F1 career. His teammate Lando Norris was third-fastest. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was fourth-fastest while Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the top five.A front-row start is key at Suzuka. The winner has only come from behind the front row once in the past 12 races when Valtteri Bottas won from third in 2019.Verstappen saw his record streak of 10 consecutive wins end in Singapore last weekend when he finished fifth. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz won at Marina Bay, knocking Red B...

Wings to visit Aces Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Dallas Wings (22-18, 11-9 Western Conference) at Las Vegas Aces (34-6, 18-2 Western Conference)Las Vegas; Sunday, 5 p.m. EDTFANDUEL SPORTSBOOK WNBA LINE: Aces -10.5; over/under is 174.5WNBA PLAYOFFS SEMIFINALS:BOTTOM LINE: The Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings.The Aces’ record in Western Conference play is 18-2. Las Vegas leads the Western Conference averaging 92.8 points and is shooting 48.6%.The Wings have gone 11-9 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks 12th in the WNBA averaging 6.8 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 31.7% from deep. Arike Ogunbowale leads the team averaging 2.9 makes while shooting 34.3% from 3-point range.TOP PERFORMERS: A’ja Wilson is shooting 55.8% and averaging 22.9 points for the Aces. Kelsey Plum is averaging 17.4 points over the last 10 games for Las Vegas.Ogunbowale is averaging 21.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals for the Wings. Satou Sabally is averaging 18.5 points over the last 10 games for Dallas.LAST 10 GAMES: Ac...

Giorgio Napolitano, twice elected Italian president, dies at 98

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:33 GMT

Giorgio Napolitano, a former president of Italy who served in that post for an unprecedented two mandates, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 98. Napolitano was first elected president in 2006 and then again in 2013. In Italy, the position of president is an institutional and not a governmental role, but it still carries with it significant political weight, particularly in delicate moments like when a government is being formed, or when one falls. Napolitano saw the country through a period of political turbulence in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi’s government. The politician was elected to the Italian parliament’s lower house in 1953 in the ranks of the Italian Communist Party (PCI). After the dissolution of the PCI in the early 1990s in the wake of fall of the Soviet Union and the Tangentopoli corruption scandal, Napolitano joined Italy’s center-left, and held ministerial positions in Romano Prodi’s ...