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Deadspin | Reds relying on strong pitching ahead of rematch vs. Marlins

Syndication: The EnquirerCincinnati Reds pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch in the fourth inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Cincinnati has a majors-worst 34 runs this season. Of that total, five have come in extra innings.

Despite the team-wide hitting slump, the Reds are 8-3 because their pitching ranks fifth in the majors with a 2.82 ERA. The Reds’ staff should get even better once two injured starters return: Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.

The Reds — who have won five straight games — will start right-hander Brady Singer (0-0, 5.00 ERA) on Wednesday night against the host Miami Marlins in the third contest of a four-game series.

Singer represents a big change for the Marlins, who have faced four consecutive left-handed starters. The Marlins are 3-3 against southpaw starters this season and 3-2 vs. right-handers.

As for Singer, he is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins.

Singer, a former University of Florida star, was named the nation’s Player of the Year in 2018. That same year, he was the 18th player selected in the MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

Since being acquired by the Reds following the 2024 season, Singer is 14-12 with a 4.08 ERA. Last year, he led the Reds in wins, quality starts and innings.

Leading Cincinnati’s offense is first baseman Sal Stewart, a Miami native who is hitting .351 with a 1.063 OPS.

“I’m excited, but I still have to do my job,” Stewart said of playing in his hometown. “Once we get between those lines, it’s time to win.”

The Marlins would love to win, especially after a painful 6-3 loss to Cincinnati in 10 innings on Tuesday night. Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara led 2-0 when he was removed from the game with one out in the ninth.

Reliever Anthony Bender allowed both inherited runners to score, and the Reds pulled away in the 10th inning.

It was a crushing defeat for Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, who said he decided to remove Alcantara even before he got to the mound.

“It didn’t work out, but I thought at that time that the best (pitcher) to win the game was Bender,” McCullough said. “It hurts.”

Alcantara also was upset, which makes it interesting to see how the Marlins will react on Wednesday.

“I’m mad at myself,” Alcantara said. “I should have done better. I believe in my teammates and my coaches, but next time they have to make sure to ask me before they take me out of the game.”

On Wednesday, the Marlins will start right-hander Eury Perez (0-1, 5.73 ERA), who is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three career starts vs. Cincinnati.

As for Miami’s offense, center fielder Jakob Marsee is coming off a game in which he stole a career-high four bases. He also went 2-for-4 with one walk and two runs.

“He’s having good at-bats,” McCullough said. “He’s a threat when he’s on the bases.”

–Field Level Media

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Best MacBook deal: Get the new M5 MacBook Air for its lowest price yet

SAVE $150: As of April 8, get the Apple MacBook Air (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $949 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,099. That’s a discount of 14% and the lowest price we’ve seen.


$949
at Amazon

$1,099
Save $150

 

If you’re shopping for a new laptop, there’s an easy recommendation we can make: one of Apple’s new MacBook Air models. Despite releasing nearly a month ago, this M5-equipped version of the laptop has dropped to the lowest price we’ve seen, which means it’s time to pick one up.

As of April 8, get the Apple MacBook Air (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $949 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,099. That’s $150 off and a discount of 14%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.

This M5 version of the popular M4 Air isn’t leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, but it’s a great pick if you’re ready to bring home a new computer. It’s the perfect place to start with its expansive base storage, Apple’s N1 wireless chip for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support, and of course, the M5 chip.

It’s kitted out with all the niceties you’d expect from the M4 Air as well, including the 60Hz Liquid Retina display, 12MP Center Stage webcam, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a lengthy 18-hour battery life to work with. That makes it a great contender for all the things you might need to get done on the go.

If you want to snag this zippy MacBook Air for an excellent discount this early, now’s the time to go ahead and buy in. Lock yours in before the discount disappears.

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Americanii au pierdut 21 de miliarde de dolari într-un singur an din fraude online, iar escrocheriile cu AI cresc rapid


Americanii au pierdut 21 de miliarde de dolari într-un singur an din fraude online, iar escrocheriile cu AI cresc rapid

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British cryptographer Adam Back is the secret creator of Bitcoin, claims new report — Back refutes investigation, says parallels to Satoshi are just a coincidence

On October 31, 2008, Bitcoin was born in a white paper published under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, who went on to mine its genesis block a few months later. Since then, the mystery behind Satoshi’s true identity has grown second only to Bitcoin’s own meteoric rise. Now, a recent NYT investigation points toward recurring candidate Adam Back as the man behind the blockchain.

The 40-page-long report was published by journalist John Carreyrou — who previously exposed Theranos — piecing together evidence in an 18-month-long investigation. The article starts with several mailing lists tied to the Cypherpunk movement of the 1990s and 2000s, which Back was a regular part of. His politics aligned with those of cryptographic liberation, using code to circumvent government censorship.



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Wednesday April 8th MLB Pitcher Props: Dylan Cease and Kyle Bradish Bet Picks | Deadspin.com

Jun 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) throws a first inning pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn ImagesJun 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) throws a first inning pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

I’m pretty sure yesterday was the coldest baseball game I’ve ever attended. 

But I’m all thawed out and ready for today’s MLB picks.

Season Record 3-6-1, -3.51 Units

Dodgers at Blue Jays

Dylan Cease Over 15.5 Outs Recorded (-108 DraftKings)

We have two teams headed in opposite directions here. The Dodgers are playing without Mookie Betts but look fully engaged for the moment and ride a five game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are down half their starting pitchers plus catcher Alejandro Kirk and have dropped five in a row. 

But they have their Dylan Cease on the mound and they really could use a big afternoon from their near ace. Their offense is struggling right now at a 91 wRC+ through the first 10 games and the bullpen is taxed after getting just two innings from Max Scherzer on Monday and 5.1 from Kevin Gausman last night.

So is Cease up to it? 

15.5 outs is a low number for a pitcher of his quality and history or durability. His issue is that he just doesn’t throw enough strikes. Cease has a 38.8% Ball% in his two starts this year, nearly identical to his 38% career level. He does get his share of K’s as well But despite that, he averages 5.4 IP per start over his career. Cease can get the whiffs, 28.7% K% in his career and 40.7% K% this year, but the Dodgers are tough to strike out at 20.7% K%. This is very much a leap of faith. But I’m a bit of a Cease believer and I think he steps up in a spot where his team really needs him and the Dodgers maybe take their foot off the gas a bit in an afternoon getaway day game.

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Orioles at White Sox

Kyle Bradish over 5.5 K’s (-135 DraftKings)

Well, it’s a theme for me personally here as Bradish is another SP I really like who has gotten off to a shaky start. He has an ugly 6.23 ERA and 1.62 WHIP through 8.2 IP, though his 2.79 xERA tells a very different story. So does his .333 BABIP. It’s not all bad luck though as Bradish has a bloated 15.3% BB%.

I see a good chance for a get-right outing here as well. Bradish has a 26.4% K% (64th percentile) and 29.5% Whiff% (65th percentile). 

Plus he’s facing one of the easier teams to teams strikeout as the White Sox fan at a 28.9% K%, third worst in the league.

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Bearded Dragon Once Left for Dead Now Loves Being Pet Like a Dog by Her Dedicated Human

A beautiful bearded dragon named Lolita, who was left for dead because of her neurological difficulties, was taken in by Shakira Free of Special Needs Lizard Care, who, with a great deal of time and effort, brought Lolita back to life. This long healing process allowed the pair to bond deeply, and with that, now Lolita will come to Free like a dog in search of some good petting.

She started to recognize me fairly quickly, especially as she started to come out of the state of collapse. ….I hadn’t really comprehended that I could have such relationship with a reptile before. But I think because she had faced such an injustice, you can’t help but want to be there for her and take care of all of her needs possible and never allow her to suffer again.

Free also said that these reptiles are far more intelligent and loving than they might seem.

Many people don’t appreciate how complexly intelligent and smart these animals are. I think the reason that they’re so neglected, I believe, is because they just don’t seem to have the same facial expressions as other animals. And I think people just don’t have the sense of understanding that they have the capacity to suffer deeply, but also to create really good relationships with people as well.

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Un stadion din România ar putea purta numele „Mircea Lucescu”: „Luăm în calcul acest lucru”

Zi de doliu local în Hunedoara

Mircea Lucescu a încetat din viață marți seară, la vârsta de 80 de ani, la Spitalul Universitar de Urgență București. Acesta va fi înmormântat cu onoruri militare vineri la Cimitirul Bellu din București. De asemenea, Consiliul Local al municipiului Hunedoara a decis declararea zilei de 10 aprilie 2026 drept „zi de doliu local” în memoria legendarului antrenor.

La Corvinul Hunedoara, Mircea Lucescu a debutat ca antrenor în 1978. El a fost declarat și cetățean de oanoare al municipiului Hunedoara.

„Am făcut acest lucru și când a murit Mihai Leu, este a doua oară când, în istoria Hunedoarei, se decretează zi de doliu local. Mircea Lucescu este și cetățean de onoare, are și o stea pe aleea celebrităților. A fost o personalitate foarte puternică. Este o pierdere mare”, a declarat primarul municipiului Hunedoara, Dan Bobouţanu, pentru GSP.

Primăria Hunedoara a transmis un mesaj emoționant în ziua în care a murit Mircea Lucescu.

„Pentru Hunedoara, domnul Mircea Lucescu a fost lumina care a dat speranță unui oraș în vremurile gri ale unui regim în care bucuriile erau puține. Domnia sa a venit la Hunedoara și a construit nu doar o echipă de fotbal, a construit un loc al memoriei: Corvinul Hunedoara”.

Stadionul „Mircea Lucescu”, un omagiu pentru o legendă

În semn de respect pentru contribuțiile legendarei personalități sportive, autoritățile din Hunedoara iau în calcul să redenumească viitoarea arenă a Corvinului, aflată în construcție și programată să fie finalizată în 2029, după numele lui Mircea Lucescu.

„Eu am mai discutat cu Andone acest lucru, și cu nea Mircea, când a fost la un meci cu CFR în Cupă. (…) Luăm în calcul acest lucru, am și discutat. Omul acesta nu a fost doar un om de sport, el a fost un om care a clădit alți oameni. N-am întâlnit pe nimeni care să fi investit la fel de mult în tineri. A format tineri, le-a dat încredere, așa a fost și la Corvinul”, a mai spus primarul Bobouțanu.

În prezent, complexul sportiv din Hunedoara poartă numele „Corvinul 1921 Hunedoara”, după ce inițial a fost numit „Michael Klein”, în onoarea fostului fotbalist al echipei. Din cauza unei dispute cu familia acestuia, denumirea a fost schimbată. În acest context, decizia de a redenumi viitoarea arenă în cinstea lui Mircea Lucescu ar putea deveni o realitate.

Amintiri din Hunedoara: „M-a pus să-i promit că voi duce Corvinul înapoi în Liga 1”

Legătura lui Mircea Lucescu cu Hunedoara a fost una profundă. Potrivit lui Dan Bobouțanu, antrenorul revenea deseori în oraș pentru a-și revedea prietenii și pentru a retrăi amintirile de pe vremea când activa la Corvinul.

„Ne sunam de zile onomastice, el a fost des în ultimii ani la Hunedoara. Înainte de pandemie, în 2019, de ziua mea, a venit la Hunedoara și a stat două zile aici. M-a pus să-i promit că voi duce Corvinul înapoi în Liga 1. Avea o vorbă: «V-am lăsat o echipă pentru 10 ani, care apoi a dispărut de pe scena fotbalului de prim-plan. Doi ani mai târziu, în 2021, am început proiectul. N-am apucat să ne bucurăm împreună de Corvinul în prima ligă…”, a rememorat primarul.

Corvinul Hunedoara este liderul la zi din Liga a 2-a și cel mai probabil urmează să promoveze în Superliga. 

Personalitatea lui Mircea Lucescu, comparată cu cea a lui Iancu de Hunedoara

Într-un moment de emoție, primarul Dan Bobouțanu l-a comparat pe Mircea Lucescu cu una dintre cele mai mari figuri istorice ale regiunii, Iancu de Hunedoara.

„Aseară ( 7 aprilie n.r.), când am aflat (de moartea lui Mircea Lucescu n.r.), mă gândeam – păstrând proporțiile și fără să fiu judecat – că Mircea Lucescu poate fi comparat cu o personalitate ca Iancu de Hunedoara. Iancu și-a dedicat întreaga viață luptelor pentru creștinătate, nea Mircea – o viață întreagă dedicată fotbalului, petrecută pe terenul verde”,a mai spus edilul.

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Tom Holland Teases New Tweaks for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Reshoots

Peter Claffey teases the trials to come for Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ second season. Eric Kripke has an update on The Boys‘ Mexico-set spinoff. Plus, could Pluribus‘ second season start filming later this year? Spoilers, away!

Io9 2025 Spoiler

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Speaking to GQ, Tom Holland revealed that the film has recently undergone reshoots to add more humor and to increase focus on one of the film’s villainous subplots.

I can positively say that the stuff we’re doing, we don’t need.The movie works and sings as it is. We’re just adding the icing on the cake in certain areas. We’re finding some ways to add a little bit more humor. We’re layering in a villain plotline in a new way and some really fun stuff.


Heart Eyes 2

Dread Central has word both Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are currently in talks to return for a sequel to last year’s Heart Eyes, which “could go into production as early as this summer.”


The Glorious Dead

According to Variety, The Adams’ Family’s next project is a zombie film titled The Glorious Dead and concerns “a small town sheriff” who “wakes to find the world” overrun by “meaty skin-monsters and the fetid holes from which they crawl.” The film is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Festival’s Frontières Platform this May.


Dune: Part Three

According to the official IMAX website, Dune: Part Three runs two hours and twenty minutes long.


The Boys

Deadline reports Ely Henry has joined the cast of The Boys‘ final season as The Worm, while Dylan Colton, Emma Elle Paterson, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan will portray members of Teenage Kix, “Vought International’s all-teenage superhero team.”


The Boys: Mexico

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eric Kripke revealed “a draft of the pilot” script for The Boys‘ Mexico-set spinoff series has been delivered to Amazon.

Yeah. They just delivered a draft of the pilot to Amazon. Amazon seemed to really like it and seemed to be making all the right noises. They gave some notes, so we’re gonna incorporate those notes. Gareth [Dunnet-Alcocer], who is the writer, is so smart and good. He’ll do, I’m sure, another draft. But it feels like…who the hell knows? You can never predict this stuff, but we’re hopeful.


The Eternaut

Deadline also has word a second season of The Eternaut is currently in “advanced development” at Netflix.


Pluribus

Speaking with Screen Rant at PaleyFest, Zosia actress Karolina Wydra stated she believes the second season of Pluribus will begin filming “sometime in the fall.”

No. I wish I did. I really do. I can’t wait. So, Rhea [Seahorn] couldn’t meet us because she was working. Samba [Schutte], [Carlos-Manuel] Vesga and me, we met up for coffee yesterday and we have such a beautiful connection, the four of us, and we genuinely love each other and care about each other and we’re rooting for each other. So, I cannot wait for us to be in one city, because Vesga lives in Colombia, so we don’t get to see him that often. So I cannot wait for us to be together every day. So, I don’t know when we’re going back, but I cannot wait. I’m counting the days. Sometime in the fall. [Laughs]


A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

In conversation with The Playlist, Peter Claffey stated the second season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be “totally different” from the first.

It’s totally different. The Sworn Sword is my favorite novella of the three in the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms book. It’s a tragic love story. It’s a completely different job for Dunk to navigate. And I suppose he has his first kind of experience with…his first kind of experience with kind of trying to navigate talking and chatting to women, which he’s terrible at, and trying to establish a work relationship with a woman, which he’s absolutely awful at.


Ghosts

Finally, CBS has released three new clips from this week’s episode of Ghosts.

 


 

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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Deadspin | After winning first series against Astros since 2021, Rockies go for sweep

MLB: Houston Astros at Colorado RockiesApr 7, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Antonio Senzatela (49) and catcher Brett Sullivan (26) celebrate defeating the Houston Astros in the inning at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Kyle Freeland became the first Rockies starter to pitch into the seventh inning this season in Colorado’s 5-1 win over Houston on Tuesday night.

Michael Lorenzen has a chance to make it two straight when he takes the mound against the Astros on Wednesday afternoon in Denver.

The improved Rockies already have guaranteed a series win, having beaten the Astros 9-7 on Monday in the series opener and then again on Tuesday.

It marks Colorado’s first series win against Houston since 2021.

Lorenzen (0-1, 14.73 ERA) is looking for a bounce-back start after he gave up nine runs over three innings on Friday in a 10-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs in the first inning but stuck around to give Colorado some much-needed innings.

Lorenzen, 34, who signed a free-agent contract with the Rockies in the offseason, said he is not panicking after his bad outing.

“Three years ago, even two years ago, I’d have been super frustrated,” he said. “It’s not like I welcome losing and failing, but over my career it has been better for me, because you have to learn, grind it out and figure a way to get better. That’s how you improve.

“That gives me the ability to come to Colorado, knowing that I’m going to get my teeth kicked in every once in a while but be like, ‘I’m going to learn more about who I am and how to handle it.'”

Lorenzen has faced Houston six times — four of them starts — and is 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA in those outings. He started one game against the Astros last season as a member of the Kansas City Royals, allowing four runs on seven hits and struck out five over 7 1/3 innings. He was charged with the 4-3 loss.

Houston has lost three games in a row after winning six of the seven previous games, and the normally potent offense went silent in hitter-friendly Coors Field on Tuesday night. The Astros managed just three hits in the loss after scoring 28 runs in its previous three games — two of them losses.

Cristian Javier (0-1, 12.96 ERA) will try to salvage the last game of the series for Houston.

With the rotation already suffering key injuries, the Astros hope Javier can pitch deep into the game. The right-hander has faced the Rockies twice in his career (one start) and has a 4.76 ERA over 5 2/3 innings. He did not record a decision in either outing.

Houston was dealt a blow when ace Hunter Brown was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain and will be out for several weeks. Manager Joe Espada is piecing together his staff, relying on some relievers to give him extended innings.

The Astros could bring up pitchers from Triple-A Sugar Land to fill the void.

“I think there’ll be guys that can fill in for the amount of weeks that (Hunter Brown is) going to be out, whether it’s six or eight total when it’s all said and done,” general manager Dana Brown said. “We’ll have guys that can step up. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise where he gets a little bit of rest, we build him back up, and we get him for the rest of the season. So this break could be what he needs.”

–Field Level Media

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NYT Connections hints and answers for April 8. Tips to solve ‘Connections’ #1032.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you wear glasses.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

Here are today’s Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections #1032 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

  • Cohort member: ASSOCIATE, COLLEAGUE, FELLOW, PEER

  • Aesthetic: DESIGN, LOOK, SCHEME, STYLE

  • Kinds of bar apparatuses: MONKEY, PARALLEL, PULL-UP, UNEVER

  • Eyewear in the singular: CONTACT, GOGGLE, SHADE, SPECTACLE

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.



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