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Column: Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman could be in line to start in the All-Star Game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

All-Star voting tabulations released Tuesday provided a clue to the Chicago Cubs’ chances of sending a position player to the Midsummer Classic in Seattle.No one was higher than fifth at their position, so barring a late surge of votes the next two days, none of your favorite Cubs will be in the starting lineup.Dansby Swanson, who led all shortstops in WAR on Tuesday, could be selected as a reserve, and manager David Ross also mentioned Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki as possibilities, while lobbying for Christopher Morel to get an invite to the Home Run Derby.But the Cubs’ only sure bet for Seattle appears to be pitcher Marcus Stroman, who threw seven shutout innings Tuesday in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.Stroman, who improved to 9-4 with his seventh straight win, leads the National League with a 2.28 ERA, while his 14 quality starts leads the majors. Home runs by Tucker Barnhart and Mike Tauchman helped the Cubs to their ninth win in 11 games and their fourth s...

Gerrit Cole sinks Mariners as Billy McKinney continues to make most of opportunity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

With the Yankees looking to end a four-game losing streak on Tuesday, Gerrit Cole effectively played the part of stopper against the Mariners.With the ace leaning heavily on his fastball and slider, Cole held Seattle to just a run in a 3-1 Yankees win. The right-hander totaled four hits, one walk, eight strikeouts and 105 pitches.A fired-up Cole also added a finger wave and shoulder shrug after the Mariners appeared to take issue with him staring in the direction of second baseman Jose Caballero and their dugout at the end of the seventh inning. Cole had appeared annoyed with Caballero during their inning-ending at-bat.The Yankees offense, meanwhile, somewhat shrugged off their recent woes and scored three runs against New York native George Kirby, who blanked the Bombers for eight innings in Seattle on May 31.Kirby wasn’t awful on Tuesday, as he went seven innings while allowing eight hits, zero walks and four strikeouts over 95 pitches. But his defense didn’t help him ...

Solo act: The Chicago White Sox have been hitting home runs recently, and looking for more with runners on base

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. provided instant offense for the Chicago White Sox on Monday against the Texas Rangers.Vaughn connected on an Andrew Heaney slider for a home run to left with two outs and nobody on in the sixth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Five pitches later, Robert homered to center off a Heaney fastball.It was the third time in the last five games the Sox went back-to-back.Oddly enough, it was also the eighth and ninth consecutive solo home run for the team.That streak came to an end in the first inning Tuesday with a two-run homer by Eloy Jiménez.The Sox have hit at least one homer in 12 of their last 15 games, with Jiménez’s first-inning blast giving the team a total of 23 during the stretch.The homer, with Vaughn on base, was exactly what the team has been looking for and what was missing in previous games.“It’s making a truth of the point that solos don’t beat you, crooked numbers beat you,” manager Pedro Grifol sai...

Mets Notebook: Francisco Alvarez avoids injury after getting hit by foul ball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

HOUSTON — One night after a foul pitch to the hand, catcher Francisco Alvarez is back in the Mets’ lineup. The club was extremely relieved to learn they wouldn’t lose one of their best hitters for an extended period of time, especially since Pete Alonso just missed a week with a wrist injury that occurred when he was hit with a fastball.“I had him show me his hands, I was looking at them between innings,” manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. “It’s hard to tell what looks swollen on him. His hands are very meaty, to say the least. But it looks like we dodged one there.”Alvarez had his throwing hand in front of him when Martin Maldonado fouled off a pitch that hit him right between his thumb and index finger Monday night in the first game of a three-game series against the Houston Astros. He remained in the game, though clearly in some discomfort, and X-rays were negative.The injury looked serious upon impact.“I...

Man killed in Liberty Station shooting identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 20-year-old man who died in a shooting in Liberty Station over the weekend during a Juneteenth celebration has been identified, authorities said. Jonathan Shields-Pullum, of San Diego, was announced as the deceased, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.The shooting occurred Saturday around 6:47 p.m. at NTC park at 2455 Cushing Road, according to police. When officers arrived on scene, they saw a large group of event attendees running from the area, Sharki said. A man was also found with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body.The victim was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, authorities confirmed.Police learned another victim had been shot. According to Sharki, the 20-year-old man left the scene in a vehicle a short distance away before first responders were able to bring him to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Mom of children killed in SR-78 crash suspected of DUI While the...

Hiker who drowned at Three Sisters Falls identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 28-year-old hiker who drowned at Three Sisters Falls in Julian last week has been identified.Richard William Oliver, of Rancho Cucamonga, was announced as the deceased, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said on its website.The fall occurred Friday afternoon while Oliver and a friend were taking photos, when Oliver fell into the middle falls, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO). Oliver became submerged in the water and did not resurface, law enforcement said. VIDEO: Baby seal climbs onto Pacific Beach surfers’ boards Oliver's friend was unable to locate the victim and called first responders, per SDSO.A search and rescue wasn't attempted until Monday morning due to the dangerous water current conditions.Divers found the body on Monday and airlifted him to the trailhead, where he was pronounced dead.On June 8, a woman died in a fall at Three Sisters Falls when she tried to keep a teen from going over the ledge. The tee...

Why haven’t China and the US agreed to restore military contacts?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up a closely watched visit to Beijing during which he and President Xi Jinping pledged to stabilize plunging U.S-China ties. But China refused the biggest U.S. request: restoring military-to-military contacts.Blinken said he raised the issue of military communications “repeatedly” but was rebuffed by the Chinese. “It is absolutely vital that we have these kinds of communications,” he said, adding that it was something the United States will “keep working on.”Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and President Joe Biden have called often over the past few months for China to reestablish military communication channels with the U.S.WHY DID CHINA HALT MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS?China suspended regular contacts with the U.S. military last August after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, challenging Beijing’s principle that other countries should refrain from official exchanges with self-governing Taiwan, whi...

Foreign companies are shifting investment out of China as confidence wanes, business group says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Foreign companies are shifting investments and their Asian headquarters out of China as confidence plunges following the expansion of an anti-spying law and other challenges, a business group said Wednesday.The report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China adds is one of many signs of growing pessimism despite the ruling Communist Party’s efforts to revive interest in the world’s No. 2 economy following the end of anti-virus controls.Companies are uneasy about security controls, government protection of their Chinese rivals and a lack of action on reform promises, according to the European Chamber. They also are being squeezed by slowing Chinese economic growth and rising costs.Business confidence in China is “pretty much the lowest we have on record,” the European Chamber president, Jens Eskelund, told reporters ahead of the report’s release.“There’s no expectation that the regulatory environment is really going to improve over the next five years,” Eskel...

Ex-state legislator defeats incumbent senator in Virginia primary race centered on abortion rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former state legislator Lashrecse Aird defeated incumbent, self-described “pro-life” Democrat Sen. Joe Morrissey on Tuesday in a closely watched primary election in Virginia that centered on abortion rights.Aird, a former member of the state House of Delegates, ran a campaign heavily focused on Morrissey’s position on abortion. A veteran lawmaker and one of the most controversial figures in Virginia politics, Morrissey had expressed a willingness to vote with Republicans to enact stricter limits on abortion in Virginia sought by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.Morrissey was just one of many incumbents facing spirited challenges Tuesday in an election season that’s been upended by redrawn political maps legislative candidates are running in for the first time this year. In another high-profile race, Democrat L. Louise Lucas, a veteran legislator, defeated fellow Sen. Lionell Spruill. The race in the heavily Democratic Hampton Roads seat was one of only two featuri...

US and China are talking at a high level again, but their rivalry remains unchecked

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:14:30 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China may be back to talking at a high level, but their battle for global power and influence remains unchecked and mutual suspicion still runs deep.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set low goals for his visit to Beijing this week, and he met them. About the most the rivals can hope for these days is to stop things getting much worse.Blinken pointed to difficult days ahead, while China’s foreign ministry warned the relationship was in a downward spiral.“It was clear coming in that the relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognized the need to work to stabilize it,” Blinken said of the reason for his trip. “And specifically, we believe that it’s important to establish better lines of communication, open channels of communication, both to address misperceptions, miscalculations and to ensure that that competition doesn’t veer into conflict.”The two-day visit to the Chinese capital helped restore top-level ties, but Chin...