(The Sports Xchange) – First baseman Anthony Rizzo’s sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning lifted the Cubs to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday and edged them closer to the first National League wild-card spot. The Cubs (84-61) drew within three games of the Pirates (87-58) for the first wild-card spot and now hold a commanding eight-game lead for the second wild-card berth over
(The Sports Xchange) – Houston ace Dallas Keuchel had the worst outing of his big-league career as Texas rolled to a 14-3 victory on Wednesday that moved the Rangers 1-1/2 games ahead of the Astros in the American League West. Keuchel, a Cy Young candidate, gave up nine earned runs and three of the five home runs the Rangers smashed in their 16-hit performance. The Rangers wasted no time in
(The Sports Xchange) – Dustin Pedroia homered twice and drove in five runs while Henry Owens threw 7-2/3 shutout innings as the Boston Red Sox scored nine early runs and rolled to a 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Second baseman Pedroia is making his way back after sitting out 42 games due to a strained right hamstring and has started six of Boston’s last eight games with
HSBC is considering ending its sponsorship of its flagship golf tournament, the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, as the contract expires this year, a senior official told AFP. HSBC global head of sponsorship Giles Morgan said the British bank was currently evaluating its association with the $8.5 million event, one of four World Golf Championships (WGC) held worldwide. Morgan added that sponsorship of the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, one of
By Maja Zuvela TOVARNIK, Croatia (Reuters) – Amid chaotic scenes at its border with Serbia, Croatia said on Thursday it could not cope with a flood of migrants seeking a new route into the EU after Hungary kept them out by erecting a fence and using tear gas and water cannon against them. The European Union’s newest member state said it may try to stop taking in migrants, just as
By Felipe Iturrieta ILLAPEL, Chile (Reuters) – Residents picked through the rubble of destroyed buildings in central Chile on Thursday after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake killed 10 people and sent powerful waves barreling into coastal areas, forcing more than 1 million people from their homes. Violent aftershocks continued to shake the South American country on Thursday morning and local residents said they feared another big quake, although the government lifted
By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian military has recently started using new types of air and ground weapons supplied by Russia, a Syrian military source told Reuters on Thursday, underlining growing Russian support to Damascus that is alarming the United States. The Russian government said on Thursday its military support for Damascus was aimed at fighting terrorism, safeguarding Syria’s statehood and preventing a “total catastrophe” in the region.
A senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday that additional sanctions were a possible response to any North Korea missile launch and the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific said he favored deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear and Admiral Harry Harris made the comments at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee after North Korea said this
At least 23 people were killed and 68 others wounded when three bombs went off in mainly Shi’ite neighborhoods in central Baghdad on Thursday, security and medical sources said. Two suicide blasts claimed by Islamic State killed at least 19 people in the commercial district of Bab al-Shargi, a demonstration that the Sunni insurgent group can still launch attacks in the heart of the capital despite government efforts to thwart
Former president Blaise Compaore has no links to a coup in Burkina Faso, junta leader General Gilbert Diendere said on Thursday, suggesting the military acted due to the interim government’s handling of the country and election process. Diendere, who for three decades served as Compaore’s chief military adviser and operated an intelligence network spanning West Africa, said he did not want to keep power and would hand it back to
