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Beeks escapes bases-loaded jam, Lowe, Siri hit homers as Rays beat Cubs 4-3

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Jalen Beeks had no idea he’d be the one called on to close out a game if Tampa Bay wound up in a difficult situation.He came through in a big spot and helped the Rays avoid their first sweep this season.Beeks got the final two outs after entering the game with the bases loaded, Brandon Lowe and Jose Siri each hit late two-run homers and Tampa Bay beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday.Lowe connected in the seventh. Siri put Tampa Bay ahead in the eighth with his drive against Mark Leiter Jr., and the Rays pulled out a tight one after dropping 1-0 and 2-1 nail-biters.Beeks came in with one out in the ninth after the Cubs loaded the bases against Kevin Kelly. He struck out Miles Mastrobuoni swinging at a 3-2 pitch and fell behind 3-0 to Yan Gomes.Beeks got him to look at a strike before fouling off two pitches. He then retired Gomes on a line drive to left field and came away with his first save this year.“I don’t want to go 3-2, but in the end, it’s t...

Reynolds’ 3 RBIs, great catch lead Pirates over Giants 9-4, back over .500

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bryan Reynolds drove in three runs and made a leaping catch against the wall, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 9-4 on Wednesday to climb back above .500.Former Giants Andrew McCutchen and Connor Joe each went 3 for 4 with an RBI as the Pirates (28-27) won consecutive games after dropping below .500 for the first time since they were 1-2. Pittsburgh is 8-19 following a 20-8 start.Mitch Keller (7-1) improved to 4-0 in his last five starts, allowing four runs and 10 hits in six innings with eight strikeouts. It was his seventh consecutive outing with at least eight strikeouts.Alex Wood (1-1) allowed a season-high six runs, eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings as the Giants fell back to .500 at 28-28.Pittsburgh outhit San Francisco 14-12. Reynolds hit a two–run single in the fourth and an RBI grounder in a two-run sixth. He made a spectacular leaping catch at the top of the left-field wall with two on in the sixth, holding Ca...

Tielemans announces departure from Leicester after relegation from Premier League

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

LEICESTER, England (AP) — Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans announced Wednesday he will be leaving Leicester following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.The 26-year-old Tielemans, who joined from Monaco on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal, holds a special place in Leicester’s history after scoring the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.He is out of contract this summer and will not be staying around to help Leicester return to the top division after its relegation, which came seven years after the team won the Premier League.“From the first day I set foot on this ground, your warmth and passion embraced me,” Tielemans said in a video on Instagram. “Victory and triumph, love, hope and even defeat, we’ve shared many special moments together.“This is not a goodbye,” he added, “but a heartfelt farewell.”It could mark the start of an exodus of top players from Leicester, with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes also e...

Sevilla wins Europa League again at Mourinho’s expense as Montiel clinches another penalty shootout

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Five months after scoring the winning penalty in the World Cup final, Gonzalo Montiel converted the clinching spot kick in the Europa League final to earn Sevilla a seventh title in the competition at the expense of Jose Mourinho’s Roma on Wednesday.The Argentina international’s penalty sealed a 4-1 win in the shootout for Sevilla after the match finished 1-1 after extra time in Budapest, where Mourinho was looking to maintain his record of having never lost a final in European competitions.Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez failed to convert for Roma from the spot.Sevilla has still never lost a final of the Europa League or its precursor, the UEFA Cup — the team also won the competition in 2006, ’07, ’14, ’15, ’16 and ’20 — and secured a place in next season’s Champions League.It was the first loss for Mourinho in a European final after five victories. As Sevilla players celebrated on the field, Mourinho kept his calm.Paulo Dybala put Roma ahead in the 35th ...

Naylor HR and 6 RBIs highlights Guardians’ rare power surge in 12-8 win over Orioles

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez hits a double off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Baltimore. Guardians' Myles Straw scored on the double. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez hits a double off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Baltimore. Guardians' Myles Straw scored on the double. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Josh Naylor homered, had a career-high four hits and drove in six runs to highlight a rare power display by the Cleveland Guardians in a 12-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.Josh Bell and Gabriel Arias also went deep for th...

Biden arrives in Colorado for Air Force Academy speech

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KXRM) — On Thursday, 919 cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy will graduate and hear a commencement speech from President Joe Biden.Biden arrived just before 6 p.m. Wednesday at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.The graduation event is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket and will be held at Falcon Stadium.USAFA said visitors to Falcon Stadium for graduation should refrain from bringing large bags, coolers, backpacks or other items that will require additional scrutiny or searches. Polis makes wager: If Nuggets win finals, Disney World moves to Colorado USAFA advises guests to dress comfortably and be prepared for Colorado weather. "You may experience all four seasons during the ceremony," according to the USAFA.The final event of graduation will be a salute to the graduates by the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds. Guests will have to remain in the stadium during the Thunderbird's performa...

Gordon Ramsay, competing chefs dish out deets on new Fox show ‘Food Stars’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

Like many of us, Chef Gordon Ramsay just can’t stay away from the kitchen. But unlike some of us, he’s not there looking for Doritos and a can of Cheez Whiz. (He doesn’t know what he’s missing.)Ramsay’s busy with a project on the front burner. His “Food Stars” is returning to Fox Wednesday night, and if he seems a little grumpier than usual, there’s a reason: he’s serving his own money to the winner.Caroline D’Amore: “We did our best.”Ashley Davies: “No, we didn’t do our best.”Only the best of the best will do for Chef Gordon Ramsay … especially to be on his new Fox show, “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.”Gordon Ramsay: “To be in a position now to change this up and get behind those ideas — get into the marketing, the digital, the creativity and more importantly, invest my own cash into their business — this is unlike any competition I’ve ever done before.&#...

Local healthcare company Compass Medical announces plan to close practices after ‘steady stream of challenges’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

Local healthcare company Compass Medical confirmed an “imminent plan” to close its practices Wednesday, sharing a message on its website after after patients complained that the company with several locations in Massachusetts had suddenly shut down.Compass Medical’s facilities include local sites in Quincy, Braintree, Bridgewater and Abington, among other locations. In its statement, Compass said “a steady stream of challenges” ultimately forced the company to close its offices effective immediately. “There is no good way to share this news,” Compass said. “We are heartbroken and truly sorry as we know the unprecedented impact on our valued patients.” State officials also responded on Wednesday, saying the state is launching an investigation into the matter.“Our administration is concerned by reports of Compass Medical’s closure,” a spokesperson for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said...

Red Sox Notebook: Garrett Whitlock is living the Ted Lasso life

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

Early Sunday morning, after a strong first game back following more than a month on the injured list, Garrett Whitlock went for a hike wearing a royal blue t-shirt bearing a large yellow rectangle with the word ‘Believe.’ View this post on InstagramA post shared by Garrett Whitlock (@gwhit17)Any fan of the show ‘Ted Lasso’ will recognize the iconic design, a motif throughout the show’s three seasons, which came to an end on Tuesday night.As the shirt suggests, the young Red Sox starting pitcher counts himself among them, though Whitlock is relatively new to the Lasso-verse, a kinder, gentler version of the world as we know it. He started watching during spring training and has been binging the show whenever his frenetic baseball schedule allows. He’s currently a couple episodes into the third, and likely final season.“I just fell in love with the person, who he is, and everything,” he says.“To me, what resonates is like, there&#...

Column: A blown chance to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays and an injury to Justin Steele make the Chicago Cubs’ day a total loss

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:51:13 GMT

The Chicago Cubs were in prime position to end a horrible May on a positive note, threatening to send the Tampa Bay Rays to their first series sweep of the season.With a day off Thursday before a 10-game West Coast trip, a win over the mighty Rays would’ve been reason to believe the Cubs’ prolonged stretch of bad baseball was behind them.But a pair of late two-run homers off Mark Leiter Jr. gave the Rays a 4-3 comeback win in front of a sun-baked crowd of 29,360 at Wrigley Field, and an injury to Cubs starter Justin Steele made the day a total loss.Steele was removed after three innings with left forearm tightness, a move the left-hander labeled precautionary.“I’m really not too concerned about it,” Steele said, adding his forearm was “throbbing” after the second inning. But he went out to pitch the third.“Radar went way up, obviously,” manager David Ross said. “The trainers, they felt comfortable, and then watched him pump...