Brewers drop 3rd-straight with 3-2 loss in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matthew Liberatore pitched six-plus solid innings, and Brendan Donovan had a pair of singles and drove in a run to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 Friday night.
Liberatore (2-2) allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits with four strikeouts. He has completed six innings in all five of his starts this season.
Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.
Lars Nootbaar drove in Masyn Winn with a single to right in the bottom of the fifth inning and later scored on Donovan’s single to left field to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead.
Winn singled to leadoff the inning and chase Brewers starter Chad Patrick. Winn then stole second and advanced to third when shortstop Joey Ortiz couldn’t handle catcher William Contreras’ throw.
Patrick (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings for Milwaukee, which has lost three straight and four of its last five.
Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell departed the game in the middle of the fourth inning with left oblique tightness after grounding out to Winn in the top of the inning.
Key moment
Milwaukee loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh when Sal Frelick doubled off Liberatore, Rhys Hoskins singled off Kyle Leahy and Issac Collins walked. Pinch-hitter Jake Bauers drove in Frelick on a groundout to cut Milwaukee’s deficit to 3-2, but Caleb Durbin grounded out, and Brice Turang flied out to center to end the threat.
Key stat
Nootbaar drew his ninth leadoff walk of the season in the bottom of the first, breaking Davey Lopes’ record of eight leadoff walks in March and April, set in 1975 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Up next
Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (1-0, 1.93 ERA) opposes Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray (3-0, 3.41) on Saturday.
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Trent ties Bucks playoff mark with 9 3s, he and Giannis score 37 in 117-101 Game 3 win over Pacers
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. tied a franchise playoff record with nine 3-pointers and scored 37 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had 37 and the Milwaukee Bucks used a big second half to beat Indiana 117-101 on Friday night and cut the Pacers’ series lead to 2-1.
The Pacers led 57-47 at halftime, but Trent hit three 3-pointers early in the third to pull the Bucks even at 62. The Bucks grabbed a 72-69 lead on Antetokounmpo’s three-point play and led 86-75 at the end of the quarter.
The lead grew to as many as 20 in the fourth and Trent finished 9 for 12 behind the arc to tie Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s mark for most 3-pointers in a postseason game.
Antetokounmpo added 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, which hosts Game 4 on Sunday. A.J. Green scored 12 points and Bobby Portis had 10 for the Bucks, who took on the Pacers for the 18th time in the past two seasons.
Indiana had won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and ousted the Bucks from the playoffs in the opening round last season.
Pascal Siakam had 28 points and Aaron Nesmith scored 18 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
After trailing throughout Game 2, the Bucks grabbed an early lead. Antetokounmpo and Trent, who got a rare start, combined to score Milwaukee’s first 21 points. No other Bucks player scored until Green sank a 3-pointer with 2:28 left in the opening quarter.
Milwaukee shot 4 for 23 from 3-point range over the first two quarters but was 11 for 18 after halftime.
Bucks star guard Damian Lillard was held to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting. He made just 1-of-8 3-pointers.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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Packers select wide receiver Matthew Golden with No. 23 pick in NFL draft
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers did something in the first round of the NFL draft that they hadn’t done since 2002.
The host team for this year’s NFL draft selected a wide receiver, taking Texas’ Matthew Golden at No. 23 overall on Thursday night.
The previous time the Packers took a wide receiver in the opening round was 23 years ago when Javon Walker went 20th.
The 21-year-old Golden is coming off an excellent junior season in which he had 58 catches for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. During nine of the Longhorns’ games, Golden averaged 20 yards per catch.
A speedster, clocking a 40-yard dash time of 4.29 seconds, Golden joins a young Packers wide receiving group. Green Bay is looking for a true No. 1 receiver with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath all playing integral roles on last season’s team.
Reed was the Packers’ leading receiver in 2024 with 857 yards. Watson added 620 yards and Doubs came through with 601 yards. Green Bay has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams in 2021.
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Yelich’s 5th career slam and Bauers’ 2-run homer power the Brewers to an 11-3 win over the Giants
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Christian Yelich hit his fifth career grand slam and Jake Bauers added a two-run homer as part of an eight-run sixth inning, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to an 11-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.
Yelich’s fifth home run this season and first grand slam in more than three years came on a 2-2 fastball from reliever Lou Trivino and broke open what had been a close game. Three batters later, Bauers went deep for his second homer of the season.
Brice Turang added four hits for Milwaukee. Bauers had three hits and William Contreras drove in two runs to help the Brewers win for the fourth time in 11 road games this season.
Jose Quintana (3-0) remained unbeaten after allowing one run and six hits in six innings. Quintana, who was a reliever for the Giants in 2021, had three strikeouts and two walks.
Grant Anderson, Bryan Hudson and Joel Payamps each retired three batters to complete the win for the Brewers.
Wilmer Flores had three hits and an RBI for San Francisco.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks (1-3) allowed eight hits and six runs, five earned, in five innings. Since throwing six scoreless innings in his first start of the season, Hicks has been tagged for 20 runs over 21 1/3 innings (8.44 ERA).
Key moment
With runners at first and second in the sixth inning, Giants catcher Patrick Bailey was charged with a passed ball and then threw wildly into right field for an error that allowed one run to score.
Key stat
The Giants hit into three double plays.
Up next
Giants RHP Logan Webb (2-1, 2.40 ERA) faces Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (2-1, 1.91) on Wednesday.
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Bucks late push falls short as Indiana takes 2-0 series lead
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and All-NBA guard Damain Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes, his first game action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.
Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.
The game had a little bit of everything. There was a scuffle in front of the Pacers bench that led to double technical fouls, words between multiple players in the final minutes, players repeatedly hitting the floor, a little zone defense, a smattering of full-court pressure and, of course, plenty of points.
But, Indiana controlled the entire game after racing to a 31-16 lead in less than 7 1/2 minutes. The Bucks used a late 13-0 run to get within 115-113 with 2:31 to go before Indiana closed it out with an 8-2 run to end the game.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst gearing up for different kind of draft with Green Bay serving as host
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers hold the 23rd overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, but general manager Brian Gutekunst has more to think about than just the player he wants to take.
Including, with the city of Green Bay hosting the event, how he’s going to get to his Lambeau Field office each day.
Although he didn’t have any issues on Monday.
“I rode my bike,” Gutekunst joked as he kicked off his annual pre-draft press conference.
Gutekunst downplayed any logistical challenges he and the rest of the Packers staff might be facing amid the carnival-like atmosphere in the area surrounding the iconic stadium, with the league expecting 250,000 fans to attend the three-day draft.
He also insisted that whomever the Packers pick in the first round won’t necessarily have to contribute immediately to a team that has made the playoffs the past two years with limited contributions from defensive end Lukas Van Ness and offensive lineman Jordan Morgan. The Packers took Van Ness with the 13th overall pick in 2023 and acquired Morgan with the 25th overall selection last year.
“It’s great when they do (contribute), but that’s not always the case,” said Gutekunst, who enters the draft with eight total selections — one in each of the first six rounds, plus two seventh-round choices. “The transition to the National Football League is tough. It’s not always easy. … Most of the time, a guy’s impact in his rookie year comes down to the opportunities that he had, more than anything.”
With needs at wide receiver, on the defensive line and at cornerback, there could be opportunities at those spots sooner rather than later. That said, Gutekunst also expressed confidence in the team he’s already assembled.
“I feel really good about our roster right now. That doesn’t happen every year (heading into the draft),” Gutekunst said. “But if we had to go play next week, I feel really good about our roster. I feel like we could win and go compete — really, across the board.”
Gutekunst does have a few roster situations to deal with, however.
For starters, there’s two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander’s unresolved situation. Gutekunst acknowledged last month that he is actively seeking to trade Alexander.
“We invested a lot in Jaire and want to make sure — if he’s not going to be on our football team helping us win games — that we get something back for that investment,” Gutekunst said at the NFL owners meetings.
Alexander, who has two years remaining on his existing contract, has played in just seven regular-season games each of the last two years. During that stretch, he has missed 19 total regular-season games because of injury and one for a 2023 suspension because of conduct detrimental to the team.
A knee injury forced him to miss 10 of the Packers’ final 11 games last season, including their 22-10 playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Asked if he would simply keep Alexander this season if he can’t trade him before or during the draft, Gutekunst replied, “We’ll work through that. I don’t really have any updates on Jaire. He’s obviously on our roster right now. We’ll see how the draft goes and then see where we are at that point.”
Meanwhile, Gutekunst wouldn’t say whether he would extend the fifth-year options to the team’s two 2022 first-round draft picks — linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt — before the league’s May 1 deadline.
But, he emphasized that he wants both on the team long-term.
“I think for both those guys, whatever mechanism we use, we’d like to keep those guys around for ’26 and beyond,” Gutekunst said. “So whether that’s through doing the fifth-year option on these guys or extending them one way or the other, we’re planning to do that. We’d like to do that.”
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Hoskins and Henderson help Brewers beat Athletics 14-1 before starting a 10-game trip
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Rhys Hoskins went 3 for 5 with a homer, four RBIs and one of Milwaukee’s franchise-record nine steals and Logan Henderson recorded nine strikeouts in his major league debut as the Brewers trounced the Athletics 14-1 on Sunday.
Brice Turang scored three runs and stole three bases to help the Brewers win the rubber match of this series. Christian Yelich also scored three runs. Sal Frelick was 3 for 4 with two steals.
The Brewers finished a 4-2 homestand before beginning a season-long, 10-game road trip.
Milwaukee stole six bases in the first inning, the most by any team in a single inning since at least 1961 according to Elias Sports Bureau. The Brewers had all nine of their steals in the first four innings to shatter the team’s 33-year-old single-game record.
Henderson (1-0) allowed just three hits and one run in six innings. The lone run he allowed came on Seth Brown’s homer in the fifth.
Tyler Alexander pitched three innings of shutout relief for his first career save.
Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (3-2) left in the fourth inning with soreness in his right hamstring.
Key moment
The Brewers set the tone for the rest of the game by executing two double steals in the first inning. On the first one, Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers’ throw to third went all the way to left field, enabling Turang to score and Yelich to reach third. Langeliers had two throwing errors on stolen-base attempts in the first inning.
Key stat
This is the third straight season that a team has stolen nine bases in a game. Boston did it in a 9-3 win over the New York Yankees last year and the Cincinnati Reds accomplished the feat in a 10-8 loss to Milwaukee in 2023.
Up next
The Athletics start a three-game series at home Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. Starting pitchers are right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-1, 2.61 ERA) for the Athletics and left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.86) for the Rangers.
The Brewers begin a four-game series at San Francisco. Right-hander Quinn Priester (1-0, 0.90 ERA) starts for the Brewers and left-hander Robbie Ray (3-0, 4.19) pitches for the Giants in Monday’s opener.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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Bucks drop Game 1 in Indy, 117-98
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam finished with 25 points and seven rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 for a a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series on Saturday.
Indiana led by as much as 28 and fended off a charge that got the Bucks within 12 midway through the third quarter by holding the Bucks to only three points over the final 5:24. Myles Turner’s 3-pointer with 1:59 sealed the win. Turner had 19 points and four blocks.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 12 rebounds but the Pacers held him to just one assist in a rematch of last year’s opening round series, which Indiana won 4-2. Antetokounmpo missed all six of those games with a calf injury.
AJ Green scored 15 and the only other Bucks to reach double figures were Gary Trent Jr. with 14 and Kevin Porter Jr. with 12. Bucks All-Star guard Damian Lillard sat out as he continues to work his way back from deep vein thrombosis in his calf.
Indiana held Milwaukee, which shot a league-best 38.7% on 3-pointers, to just 2 of 16 in the first half and finished 9 of 37. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle threw an assortment of defenses at Antetokounmpo, who had 24 points over the final three quarters after scoring 12 in his first quarter of playoff action since 2023.
The Pacers took charge with an 11-3 spurt late in the first half, extending the lead to 60-43.
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Christian Yelich drives in 3 runs in Brewers’ 5-3 win over Athletics
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich drove in three runs and Caleb Durbin had two hits in his major league debut to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-3 victory over the Athletics on Friday night.
Freddy Peralta (2-1) threw 93 pitches and allowed seven hits in five shutout innings for the Brewers.
Jackson Chourio had an RBI double before scoring on a single by Yelich to put the Brewers up 2-0 in the fourth off Athletics starter J.T. Ginn (1-1).
Brice Turang had a two-out single, stole second and scored on a base hit by Yelich to make it 3-0 in the fifth.
JJ Bleday drew a walk off Nick Mears and scored on a forceout by Gio Urshela to get the A’s within two in the sixth.
Durbin led off with a single in the seventh and scored his first run on a groundout by Yelich.
Bryan Hudson allowed two runs in the ninth before Trevor Megill got the final two outs for his second save.
Ginn gave up three runs on four hits, pitching 4 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.
Key moment
Bryan Hudson issued a pair of walks before Brent Rooker doubled in a run to get MLB home run leader Tyler Soderstrom — with nine — to the plate as the tying run. Megill entered and retired Soderstrom on a sacrifice fly before striking out Shea Langeliers for the Brewers’ third straight win.
Key stat
Brewers 3B Oliver Dunn and Vinny Capra had an MLB-worst .188 on-base percentage and the second worst OPS at .429. Dunn was optioned to Triple-A Nashville before the game in favor of Durbin, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade.
Up next
RHP Luis Severino (0-3, 4.01 ERA) starts for the Athletics against Brewers rookie RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 1.76) on Saturday night.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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Christian Watson’s knee injury could cause Packers to try boosting receiving group in NFL draft
The likelihood that wide receiver Christian Watson will miss much of the upcoming season creates a dilemma for the Green Bay Packers as they make their draft plans.
Watson, the Packers’ top deep option, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Packers’ 2024 regular-season finale.
“It won’t shock me at all if he’s a big factor for us this season, but at the same time. … these are big injuries,” general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL owners meetings. “We have to make sure that we’re protected in case that doesn’t happen.”
The Packers’ only free-agent addition at receiver was the speedy Mecole Hardman, who has just 27 catches over the past two seasons. Even if Watson’s unavailable, the Packers return three other wideouts who had at least 400 yards receiving last season in Jayden Reed (55 catches, 857 yards), Romeo Doubs (46 for 601 yards) and Dontayvion Wicks (39 for 415 yards).
But a receiving group that struggled with drops last season still needs reinforcements.
The Packers haven’t selected a wide receiver in the first round since taking Javon Walker 20th overall in 2002. It would be quite the story if they finally took one that early the year Green Bay hosts the draft.
Needs
The Packers also could use some help at cornerback — particularly given Jaire Alexander’s uncertain future with the team — and they need more edge rushers and interior defensive linemen.
Don’t need
The Packers return Pro Bowl selection Josh Jacobs at running back. Green Bay appears set at quarterback after Malik Willis went 2-0 as a fill-in starter to prove himself a worthy backup to Jordan Love. The Packers also are in good shape at safety with Xavier McKinney coming off an All-Pro season and Javon Bullard and Evan Williams showing promise as rookies.
Second-round receivers
The Packers often find quality receivers in the second round. Previous second-round selections include Greg Jennings (2006), Jordy Nelson (2008), Randall Cobb (2011), Davante Adams (2014), Watson (2022) and Reed (2024).
Finding gems after the first round
Gutekunst has done his best work lately on the final two days of the draft.
The Packers added three key contributors on defense last year by taking linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Bullard in the second round as well as Williams in the fourth. They got good value in 2023 by selecting Reed in the second round, tight end Tucker Kraft in the third, defensive lineman Karl Brooks in the sixth and cornerback Carrington Valentine in the seventh.
Where they stand
The Packers have two picks in the seventh round and one selection in each of the other six rounds.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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