The Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon celebrates with Carlos Pena.
The Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon celebrates with Carlos Pena.

Rays batter Red Sox again to take 3-1 lead



BOSTON // The Tampa Bay Rays battered the Red Sox 13-4 last night and gave the Boston pitchers a torrid time to open a commanding 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series. The Rays, enjoying a breakout season after clinching the AL East title for the first time in its 11-year existence, surged ahead in the first inning. The first baseman Carlos Pena hit a two-run homer and the third baseman Evan Longoria claimed his fifth home run of the post-season to set up Tampa Bay's third straight win over the defending World Series champions and its second crushing victory at Boston's Fenway Park in two days.

"It was tough. Sitting through that wasn't a whole lot of fun," the Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after the match. "We have not had an answer for a lot of things." Francona turned to the bullpen early, removing the starting pitcher Tim Wakefield in less than three innings after a two-run homer by the designated hitter Willy Aybar and a hard base hit into left field by Dioner Navarro. All three home runs sailed over Fenway Park's infamous Green Monster fence and Aybar's landed outside the stadium.

"I know our bats have gotten better. They gotten a lot better obviously," the Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden told reporters. "It's kind of contagious. Just like the lack of something is contagious." The Red Sox catcher Kevin Cash put Boston on the board in the third inning with a solo home run off Rays' starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine, who threw 97 pitches over seven innings and allowed just six hits.

Tampa Bay widened their lead in the fifth inning when Ayber scored Carl Crawford with a shallow hit to left field. "It's astounding what they are doing at the plate right now," said Sonnanstine. Boston's World Series hopes and a shot at a third championship victory in five years faded further in a miserable sixth inning when Tampa Bay added five runs and kept the bases loaded through nearly their entire line-up of hitters.

Wakefield entered the game facing tough odds. The knuckleballer, 42, struggled against the Rays through the regular season, allowing 10 earned runs over 15 innings in just three appearances. Tampa Bay piled on two more runs in the top of the eighth when Crawford tripled off a hard fly ball to right-centre field that slipped out of the glove of outfielder JD Drew. *Reuters

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

Summer special
Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

RESULT

Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal:
Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87') 

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Five personal finance podcasts from The National

 

To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes 

·

Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth 

·

What is a portfolio stress test? 

·

What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested? 

·

How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies 

·

Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?  

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director: Jon Watts

Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon 

Rating:*****

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SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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