Sports
Brewers finally get shot against NL team, and it's the struggling Nationals
Mar 28, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Chad Patrick (39) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers will look to bounce back from a pair of road losses behind right-hander Chad Patrick when they return home to face the Washington Nationals on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Patrick (1-0, 0.96 ERA) will be opposed by right-hander Jake Irvin (1-1, 8.00) as the Brewers face a National League opponent for the first time after opening with 12 games against American League teams.
The Brewers, who were idle Thursday, dropped the final two games in Boston, including a 5-0 defeat on Wednesday to lose their first series of the season. Milwaukee managed just four hits off veteran Sonny Gray and three relievers.
Washington, which also was off Thursday, lost at St. Louis 6-1 on Wednesday for its seventh loss in eight games.
Patrick has been effective in each of his first two starts, allowing one run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings his first time out as Milwaukee beat the visiting Chicago White Sox 6-1 on March 28. That was followed by four hits over five scoreless innings in his last start, a 5-2 win on Saturday at Kansas City.
“Five innings … he’ll be the first to admit he did not have his best location, he didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said following Patrick’s last start. “It’s more of a positive than anybody could know when you don’t have your best stuff and get through it.”
Patrick has struck out seven and walked four in 9 1/3 innings, allowing one home run.
Brewers veteran Christian Yelich is off to a hot start, hitting a team-leading .372 with two doubles, one triple, one homer and 10 RBIs. Speedy outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who missed almost all of last season with a left oblique strain, is hitting .310 with a team-high 13 RBI.
The Brewers also lead the majors with 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
Brewers second baseman Brice Turang missed the final two games of the Red Sox series with left ankle tendinitis.
“We’re just trying to get me off my feet for a couple days,” Turang said on Wednesday. “This rolls into an off day, so it will be three days and then I’ll be ready to roll on Friday. Just trying to get it knocked out, get it out of the foot.”
After a solid first start in defeating the host Chicago Cubs on March 29, Irvin struggled his last time out, allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings in a 10-5 home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
“Overall, these guys were jumping on him pretty early in counts,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said following Irvin’s last start. “He never seemed to be comfortable out there.”
Irvin has had little success against the Brewers, going 0-5 with a 6.59 ERA in six career starts against them, allowing five homers and 15 walks in 28 2/3 innings.
The Nationals have the worst team ERA in the majors at 6.06 over 12 games. On the offensive side, the Nationals are tied for third with 16 homers and fourth in team batting average at .266 as of Thursday afternoon.
Shortstop CJ Abrams is hitting .286 and leads Washington with four homers and 14 RBI. James Wood also has four homers with 10 RBI, but the outfielder is hitting just .216 with 18 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
76ers C Joel Embiid (appendicitis) out vs. Rockets
Apr 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo surgery on Thursday afternoon in Houston, the team announced.
Embiid initially was ruled out for the game against the Rockets on Thursday night due to an illness.
The eighth-place 76ers (43-36) remain in a tight battle with several teams in the Eastern Conference, attempting to avoid the postseason play-in tournament. They are one full game in back of the sixth-place Toronto Raptors (44-35) with three games to play.
Embiid, 32, is averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds in 38 games (all starts) this season.
The 2022-23 MVP and a seven-time All-Star, Embiid is averaging 27.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 490 career games (all starts) since being selected by Philadelphia with the third overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA clears Kings, says coach made mistake vs. Warriors
Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie yells during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images The NBA announced Thursday that Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie made an honest mistake in his team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The league was investigating Christie after he instructed forward Doug McDermott to intentionally foul Warriors guard Seth Curry with his team leading by one with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game.
“The league’s investigation determined that Christie mistakenly believed that the Warriors were not in the penalty and therefore instructed his team to foul in an attempt to stop the clock and utilize one of the team’s remaining timeouts,” the NBA’s statement said. “The investigation found that Christie made no intentional effort to give the Warriors a shooting foul, or to cause the Kings to lose the game.”
Curry made one of two free throws to tie the game at 101-101. The Kings (21-59) went on to lose the game, 110-105.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jannik Sinner sees record set streak snapped, advances in Monte Carlo
Mar 29, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a backhand against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic after beating him in the final of the men’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images No. 2 Jannik Sinner saw his record streak of consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events snapped at 37, but the Italian still managed to beat Czech competitor Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday.
Sinner, whose streak was 13 sets longer than any other since the 1000 series began in 1990, overcame committing more unforced errors (30) than winners (23) by winning 47.2% of his return points and by creating 11 break-point opportunities and converting seven of them.
He lost consecutive service games in the second set to fall behind 5-2 but rallied to force the tiebreaker which he lost handily to see his streak snapped.
“In the second set, I struggled a bit with trying to find the right energy. This can happen. I tried to push myself through, which I’ve done,” Sinner said. “Even when you don’t feel the best, I’m trying to find ways. That was the case today. I’m happy.”
He’ll face No. 6 Canadian Felix-Auger Aliassime for a semifinal spot after the latter’s 7-5, 2-2 victory over No. 9 Casper Ruud of Norway, who retired due to an apparent calf injury.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz survived a very sloppy second set to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in third-round action.
Of the Spaniard’s 47 unforced errors, 23 of them came in the second set. He finished with 45 winners and was never really in danger in the third set, breaking to open up a 3-0 lead and serving out the match from there in two hours and 24 minutes.
“I was playing really well in the first set. I was feeling the ball 10/10,” Alcaraz said. “Then I started pretty well in the second set as well and had a chance to break his serve in the second game, but I didn’t take it. When you don’t take the opportunities at this level, you have to run back. He played more aggressive after that, but I would say it was a great fight in the end.”
Alcaraz, who is in danger of losing his World No. 1 spot should Sinner win this event, will face eighth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan for a semifinal spot.
Bublik had an easier time on Thursday, needing just 75 minutes to beat No. 11 Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-5. While Lehecka had seven aces and no double faults, he was not able to force a single break point on Bublik, who won 40 of 51 service points (78.4%).
No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany is also through to the quarterfinals after a 6-2, 7-5 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. No. 5 Alex de Minaur of Australia outlasted Belgian qualifier Alexander Blockx 7-5, 7-6 (4).
In the first of two matches between unseeded competitors, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca coasted past Italian wild card Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 in 73 minutes.
Also, local competitor Valentin Vacherot rallied for a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to advance to the quarterfinals. It’s the deepest run a Monegasque player has ever made in Monte Carlo.
–Field Level Media
76ers C Joel Embiid (appendicitis) out vs. Rockets
NBA clears Kings, says coach made mistake vs. Warriors
