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Germany, Brazil & Canada are out. Here’s why this is the most open Women’s World Cup ever

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Change is happening fast in women’s soccer.A leveling of the playing field is being highlighted at the Women’s World Cup, which saw two-time champion Germany crash out of the tournament on Thursday.In the biggest upset of a World Cup that has been full of surprises, the second-ranked Germans, two-time World Cup winners, were eliminated in group stage for the first time in team history. Copa America champion Brazil and Olympic gold medalist Canada were also eliminated in the first round, while Morocco, South Africa and Jamaica all advanced to the knockout stage while making history along the way. “If I’m candid, I really am surprised,” said Jill Ellis, who coached America to World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019. “I think when you suddenly see a Germany or a Brazil get knocked out of a World Cup at the group stage, I don’t think any of us could have predicted that.“Am I excited by the development? Of course, for sure. But I think I was thinking that (there would be) one more ...

Padres host the Dodgers on 3-game home win streak

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Los Angeles Dodgers (62-45, first in the NL West) vs. San Diego Padres (54-55, fourth in the NL West)San Diego; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Bobby Miller (6-2, 4.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 59 strikeouts); Padres: Yu Darvish (8-7, 4.53 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 117 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Padres -111, Dodgers -108; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Los Angeles Dodgers.San Diego has gone 29-25 in home games and 54-55 overall. The Padres have the top team ERA in baseball at 3.70.Los Angeles has a 28-25 record in road games and a 62-45 record overall. The Dodgers have the second-ranked team slugging percentage in the NL at .457.Friday’s game is the seventh time these teams match up this season. The Dodgers are up 5-1 in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Juan Soto has 25 doubles and 23 home runs for the Padres. Gary Sanchez is 10-for-33 with two doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI over the last...

Reds host the Nationals on 5-game home win streak

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Washington Nationals (46-63, fifth in the NL East) vs. Cincinnati Reds (59-52, second in the NL Central)Cincinnati; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Nationals: Patrick Corbin (7-11, 5.14 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 87 strikeouts); Reds: Graham Ashcraft (6-7, 5.31 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 76 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Reds -185, Nationals +157; over/under is 10 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds, on a five-game home winning streak, host the Washington Nationals.Cincinnati has a 59-52 record overall and a 28-26 record at home. The Reds have the eighth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .253.Washington is 24-29 in road games and 46-63 overall. The Nationals have the 10th-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .318.Friday’s game is the fifth time these teams match up this season. The Reds have a 4-0 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Spencer Steer leads the Reds with 42 extra base hits (23 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs). Elly De La Cruz is 11-f...

Cubs host the Braves on 3-game home win streak

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Atlanta Braves (69-37, first in the NL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-53, third in the NL Central)Chicago; Friday, 2:20 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Max Fried (0-0); Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (4-5, 3.61 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 48 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Braves -172, Cubs +146; over/under is 8 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Atlanta Braves.Chicago has a 56-53 record overall and a 30-27 record at home. The Cubs have a 37-14 record in games when they scored five or more runs.Atlanta has gone 32-17 in road games and 69-37 overall. The Braves lead the NL with 206 total home runs, averaging 1.9 per game.The matchup Friday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.TOP PERFORMERS: Cody Bellinger has 16 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs for the Cubs. Dansby Swanson is 10-for-36 with a double and six home runs over the last 10 games.Ronald Acuna Jr. has 27 doubles, a triple and 25 home runs for the Braves. Austin Riley i...

Brewers bring 1-0 series lead over Pirates into game 2

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Pittsburgh Pirates (48-60, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (59-51, first in the NL Central)Milwaukee; Friday, 8:10 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Quinn Priester (2-1, 9.19 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 13 strikeouts); Brewers: Colin Rea (5-4, 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 83 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Brewers -167, Pirates +141; over/under is 9 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates, leading the series 1-0.Milwaukee has gone 30-24 in home games and 59-51 overall. The Brewers have a 37-16 record in games when they record at least eight hits.Pittsburgh is 48-60 overall and 22-32 in road games. The Pirates are 21-6 in games when they hit at least two home runs.Friday’s game is the eighth time these teams match up this season. The Brewers have a 6-1 advantage in the season series.TOP PERFORMERS: Christian Yelich has 16 home runs, 51 walks and 63 RBI while hitting .291 for the Brewers. William Contreras is 14-for-42 with six doubles, a home r...

Cardinals begin 3-game series at home against the Rockies

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Colorado Rockies (42-66, fifth in the NL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (48-62, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Friday, 8:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Chris Flexen (0-5, 8.08 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 33 strikeouts); Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (3-5, 7.18 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 34 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -170, Rockies +144; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals host the Colorado Rockies on Friday to start a three-game series.St. Louis is 48-62 overall and 24-31 at home. The Cardinals have the 10th-ranked team ERA in the NL at 4.50.Colorado has a 42-66 record overall and a 17-36 record in road games. The Rockies have a 29-15 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.Friday’s game is the fourth meeting between these teams this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nolan Arenado has 21 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs and 78 RBI for the Cardinals. Lars Nootbaar is 12-for-33 with a double, four home runs and eight RBI over the past 10 games.R...

Knockout round opens at Women’s World Cup with Japanese vs Norway, unproven Swiss faces Spain

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Brazil and Canada are out. Same for Italy and Germany, all powerhouse teams already eliminated from the Women’s World Cup following shocking upsets in group play. The United States, meanwhile, hardly looks as dominant as it did in winning the last two consecutive titles. The round of 16 begins Saturday in what’s now a wide-open World Cup with plenty of underdogs still in contention. Morocco, ranked 72nd in the world and in the tournament for the first time, used an unbelievable upset over Colombia to advance. South Africa made it through to the round of 16 for the first time in its history, and same for Jamaica, which needed a GoFundMe campaign to afford the travel to the tournament. Nigeria is through for the first time since 1999, while Colombia and its 18-year-old star Linda Caicedo made it to the round of 16 for the second time in team history and just four years after it failed to qualify for the tournament. There are plenty of heavyweights still in...

Firefighters extinguish blaze at Miami duplex; 1 hospitalized, dog dead

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

The City of Miami Fire Rescue Department responded to a duplex blaze that has left one person hospitalized and one dog dead. On Friday, just before 2:30 a.m., fire crews arrived at 3448 SW 15th St. and were met with a two-story residential duplex engulfed in heavy smoke and flames. Firefighters extended hose lines into the building to maintain and extinguish the flames. Within minutes, the fire was extinguished, but responders discovered the lifeless body of a dog within the residence.Paramedics on the scene assessed two adult residents for injuries sustained during the ordeal. One of the occupants, an adult male, endured burns to the arms and face; he was transported to Jackson Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for treatment. As of the latest update, the patient is in stable condition.The American Red Cross has provided necessary assistance and support for the six people that have been displaced due to the fire. The cause and origin of the fire remain unknown at this time. The M...

NTSB releases report on February runway scare at Logan Airport, says charter jet crew took off without permission

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

Federal investigators said Thursday that the pilot of a charter jet took off without permission, creating a “conflict” with a JetBlue plane that was preparing to land on an intersecting runway at Boston’s Logan International Airport in February.A screen grab from video shot from the JetBlue cockpit captures the moment that the Learjet operated by charter service Hop-A-Jet crossed the runway just in front of the JetBlue plane.Pilots of the JetBlue Embraer jet estimated they were about 30 feet (9 meters) off the ground when they saw a plane cross in front of them — the captain said he couldn’t estimate how close they were to the smaller plane, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The JetBlue pilots were able to pull up and circle around and land safely.The captain of the Hop-A-Jet said he heard air traffic controllers tell him to line up and wait before taking off — and even repeated the order back to the controller — “but in his m...

Water main break floods street in Dorchester

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:25:54 GMT

A water main break flooded part of Dorchester early Friday morning. The pipe burst near the intersection of Stoughton Street and Windermere Road. Police had the area taped off as of around 3:15 a.m. and water was also shut off to the area as crews worked to make repairs. Video from the scene showed water flowing over the street with some emergency crews on site. No further information was immediately available.