Ernesto grows into Cat 2 hurricane as it aims for Bermuda, leaving many in Puerto Rico without power

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto strengthened into a Category 2 storm Thursday night as it barreled toward Bermuda after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water. Sweltering heat enveloped the U.S. territory, raising concerns about people’s health.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda, with Ernesto expected to pass near or over the island Saturday.

The storm was centered about 410 miles (660 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda late Thursday. Its maximum sustained winds had risen to 100 mph (155 kph), and the storm was moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph) over open waters.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is for every resident to use this time to prepare. We have seen in the past the devastating effects of complacency,” said National Security Minister Michael Weeks.

Ernesto was forecast to possibly reach Category 3 strength Friday and then weaken as it approaches Bermuda, where it was forecast to drop 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas.

“All of the guidance show this system as a large hurricane near Bermuda,” said the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Ernesto was then expected to pass near or east of Atlantic Canada on Monday.

Meanwhile, the spinning storm on Thursday was generating southern winds in Puerto Rico, which have a heating effect as opposed to the typical cooling trade winds that blow from the east.

“We know a lot of people don’t have power,” said Ernesto Morales with the National Weather Service as he warned of extreme heat and urged people to stay hydrated.

More than 290,000 of 1.4 million customers remained in the dark Thursday evening, more than a day after Ernesto swiped past Puerto Rico late Tuesday as a tropical storm before strengthening into a hurricane. A maximum of 735,000 clients had been without power Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands also were without water as many questioned the widespread power outage given that Ernesto was only a tropical storm when it spun past the island.

“I haven't slept at all,” said Ramón Mercedes Paredes, a 41-year-old construction worker who planned to sleep outdoors on Thursday night to beat the heat. “I haven't even been able to take a shower.”

At a small park in the Santurce neighborhood of the San Juan capital, Alexander Reyna, a 32-year-old construction worker, sipped on a bright red sports drink that friends provided as roosters crowed nearby above the slap of dominoes.

He had no water or power and planned to spend all day at the park as he lamented the lack of breeze, a slight film of sweat already forming on his forehead: “I have to come here because I cannot stand to be at home.”

The situation worried many who lived through Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4 storm that hit Puerto Rico in September 2017 and was blamed for at least 2,975 deaths in its sweltering aftermath. It also razed the island's power grid, which is still being rebuilt.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory on Thursday warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.”

Faustino Peguero, 50, said he was concerned about his wife, who has fibromyalgia, heart failure and other health conditions and needs electricity. He has a small generator at home, but he is running out of gasoline and cannot afford to buy more because he hasn't found work.

“It's chaos,” he said.

Officials said they don’t know when power will be fully restored as concerns grow about the health of many in Puerto Rico who cannot afford generators or solar panels on the island of 3.2 million people with a more than 40% poverty rate.

Crews have flown more than 540 miles (870 kilometers) across Puerto Rico and identified 400 power line failures, with 150 of them already fixed, said Juan Saca, president of Luma Energy, a private company that operates the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico. The remaining failures will take more time to fix because they involve fallen trees, he added.

“We haven’t seen anything catastrophic,” he said.

When pressed for an estimate of when power would be restored, Alejandro González, Luma’s operations director, declined to say.

“It would be irresponsible to provide an exact date,” he said.

At least 250,000 customers across Puerto Rico also were without water given the power outages, down from a maximum of 350,000. Among them was 65-year-old Gisela Pérez, who was starting to sweat as she cooked sweet plantains, pork, chicken and spaghetti at a street-side diner. After her shift, she planned to buy gallons of water, since she was especially concerned about her two small dogs: Mini and Lazy.

“They cannot go without it,” she said. “They come first.”

Electric workers carry out repairs in the community of Puerta de Tierra after the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

An electrical transformer explodes after the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Bartolomei)

A man fishes after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed through Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

La Plata river floods a road after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed through Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A man pose with a fish after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed through Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

La Plata river floods a road after Tropical Storm Ernesto passed through Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 4 p.m EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Ernesto northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and moving over open waters, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (NOAA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — On their first big night in New York this October, the Cleveland Guardians took a walk on the wild side.

Rookie reliever Joey Cantillo threw four wild pitches, two that allowed pivotal runs to score in the third inning, and the Guardians lost 5-2 to the New York Yankees in their American League Championship Series opener Monday.

“Joey has done a good job for us coming out of the bullpen, and that inning just kind of got away from us, and that was it,” manager Stephen Vogt said.

Cleveland walked seven batters and threw five wild pitches in all — equaling a postseason record.

“I wasn’t very sharp. Obviously, fell behind on guys,” Cantillo said. “I didn’t execute pitches, and the control obviously was not there. Just got to be better next time. That performance was obviously the difference in the game. So, that’s on me.”

Cleveland trailed 1-0 when Cantillo replaced ailing starter Alex Cobb, who walked three batters to load the bases with two outs in the third.

The left-hander fell behind in the count 2-0 on Anthony Rizzo and then bounced a 92 mph fastball that got away from catcher Bo Naylor, allowing Aaron Judge to score from third.

Cantillo also bounced a 1-2 heater to No. 9 batter Alex Verdugo that went to the backstop, letting Giancarlo Stanton score easily.

Two wild pitches in a span of six deliveries, and suddenly it was 3-0.

“I kind of talked to him a little bit afterward. I feel responsible for him having to even be in that position in the first place," Cobb said. "He's got a really good future ahead of him. Going in to bases loaded, Yankee Stadium, in a playoff game is probably not ideal for anybody. ... So you know, I feel for him there. But he’s going to be fine. He’s going to be a big piece for us going forward.”

Cantillo struck out Verdugo to end the inning, but then walked Gleyber Torres leading off the fourth and uncorked a pair of wild pitches that sent him all the way to third base.

“A few of ’em were heaters. At this level, with heaters of that velocity, ultimately you just try to get a glove on it and see if you can get it,” Naylor said. “I think there was a changeup that got away from me. I think it just kind of stayed down, got through my legs.”

After a full-count walk to Juan Soto, Cantillo was lifted for Pedro Avila. Torres scored on Judge's sacrifice fly to make it 4-0, and the Guardians never recovered in their first ALCS game since 2016.

In just his second outing since Sept. 27, the 24-year-old Cantillo walked three of the four batters he faced and threw only seven of 21 pitches for strikes.

He was asked if nerves were a factor at all.

“No, not necessarily,” said Cantillo, who grew up in Hawaii. “I fell behind and didn't make my pitches, and then one thing led to another.”

Cantillo's four wild pitches set a franchise record for a reliever and tied the team mark for any pitcher in a postseason or regular-season game. The previous Cleveland pitcher to throw four wild pitches in a game was Jake Westbrook at the Chicago White Sox on April 5, 2010.

Andrew Walters threw another wild pitch in the eighth, though that one didn't end up costing the Guardians.

The only other team to throw five wild pitches in one postseason game was the St. Louis Cardinals — and they were all by rookie starter Rick Ankiel as he struggled with the yips early in a 2000 NL Division Series opener against Atlanta.

Ankiel later gave up pitching and became a lefty-hitting outfielder.

“Joey's not a guy I really worry about in terms of confidence or getting his mind back to a right spot,” Naylor said. "He wants those moments, whether he comes out on the good end or the bad end. He always looks for new ways to get better.

“You just kind of pick him up, let him know that this team is behind him at all times. Just let him take care of the rest. He's got a strong head on his shoulders, and a guy that I'm very happy to have on my side.”

When reporters entered Cleveland's quiet clubhouse after the game, Cantillo was sitting on a chair facing deep into locker. But he soon stood up tall and answered a string of questions confidently.

“He's very mature. He’s accountable. He’s a really hard worker," Cobb said. “Everything you look for in someone who’s going to have a really long career.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez reacts after grounding out against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

Cleveland Guardians players watch from the dugout during the ninth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Joey Cantillo throws against the New York Yankees during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Joey Cantillo throws against the New York Yankees during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge scores on a wild pitch by Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo, right, talks with catcher Bo Naylor during the third inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Joey Cantillo adjusts his cap after walking New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres during the fourth inning in Game 1 of the baseball AL Championship Series Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vásquez)