Sports
Jake Cronenworth homers to lead Padres past Pirates
Apr 8, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) pitches to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Nick Castellanos drove in two runs and Jake Cronenworth hit his first homer of the season to lead the San Diego Padres to a 8-2 victory over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon.
The Padres bounced back from Tuesday’s loss and secured their fourth win in their past five games.
It was more tough luck for Pirates starter Mitch Keller, who tossed six scoreless innings and allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four. Through his first three starts, Keller has a 1.00 ERA and has allowed only two runs in 18 innings but has just one win to show for it.
Justin Lawrence (0-1) took over for Keller in the seventh and things unraveled quickly after Xander Bogaerts reached on a throwing error by Nick Gonzales.
Miguel Andujar, who had two hits, lined a double into the left field corner. Castellanos followed with a double that landed just out of the reach of Jake Mangum in left field and put San Diego ahead 2-0. Two batters later, Cronenworth smacked a 93-mph fastball from Lawrence over the wall in right center to extend the Padres’ lead to 4-0.
After the Pirates cut San Diego’s lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning, the Padres added four more runs in the ninth, capitalizing on a pair of Pittsburgh errors. Luis Campusano and Fernando Tatis Jr. each drove in a run in that frame. Tatis Jr. later scored on a double steal.
San Diego starter Michael King (1-1) pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. King struck out four and threw 95 pitches. Mason Miller worked a scoreless ninth, but had a streak of 11 consecutive strikeouts snapped when Mangum grounded out to end the game.
Nick Yorke led the Pirates at the plate with three of their six hits and started Pittsburgh’s lone scoring rally in the seventh with a leadoff single. After a Gonzales double, Yorke came around to score on a sacrifice fly from rookie Konnor Griffin off reliever Kyle Hart.
Griffin signed a nine-year contract extension reportedly worth $140 million with the Pirates on Wednesday.
Joey Bart drove in Gonzales on an RBI single, and Pittsburgh threatened for more after Hart walked Mangum and Oneil Cruz hit into a fielder’s choice that left runners at the corners with two outs. But Brandon Lowe flew out to left to end the inning.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Warriors bringing back key reserve Gary Payton II
Apr 7, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) makes a layup past Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images Gary Payton II is returning to the Golden State Warriors on a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $3.9 million, according to multiple reports on Saturday.
Payton, 33, is a 6-foot-2 guard with the athleticism to play in the frontcourt. He’s coming off one of his best seasons after dealing with injuries in earlier seasons. Payton averaged a career-high 7.5 points along with 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 15.6 minutes in a career-best 73 games (one start) last season.
He averages 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 15.1 minutes in 343 regular-season games (52 starts) for the Milwaukee Bucks (2016-18), Los Angeles Lakers (2018), Washington Wizards (2019-20), Warriors (2020-22, 2023-present) and Portland Trail Blazers (2022-23).
He won the NBA championship with the Warriors in the 2021-22 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Walk-filled 3rd inning helps Pirates beat Reds, snap 4-game skid
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) tags out Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) on his way to second in the third inning between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft threw five solid innings and Jake Mangum had two hits and a run to lift the visiting Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
Ashcraft (11-4) allowed one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts before a 106-minute weather delay preceded the bottom of the sixth inning.
Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez, Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis finished with an RBI apiece for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Gregory Soto pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 14th save. Three Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Cincinnati to three hits. The Pirates recorded six hits.
Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the third despite collecting only one hit. Davis drew a leadoff walk, Mangum singled and Brandon Lowe coaxed a walk to load the bases. Reynolds and Valdez drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 2-0.
Gonzales followed with a fielder’s choice to plate Brandon Lowe and give the Pirates a three-run lead. As a steady rain fell throughout the inning, the grounds crew briefly tended to the mound.
Cincinnati got on the board in the fifth when Jose Trevino opened the frame with an opposite-field homer to right.
The Pirates extended their advantage to 4-1 in the sixth when Davis feathered an RBI single into shallow center, just beyond the reach of a diving TJ Friedl.
The Reds, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, threatened in the fourth. Sal Stewart was hit by a pitch before being forced out at second on JJ Bleday’s fielder’s choice. Nathaniel Lowe singled to center and, after Noelvi Marte popped out, Bleday advanced to third when no one covered second on Ashcraft’s pickoff attempt. But Eugenio Suarez struck out to end the inning.
Elly De La Cruz lined a rocket to center to open the eighth, but Mangum chased it down and made a leaping catch.
Reds starter Andrew Abbott (5-7) allowed three runs on three hits while matching a season high with five walks over five innings. He struck out one.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hunter Goodman (2 HRs, 5 RBIs), Rockies rough up Royals
Aug 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) celebrates with center fielder Brenton Doyle (9) in the dugout after hitting a three run home run during the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Hunter Goodman homered twice and drove in five, Willi Castro also went deep and the Colorado Rockies beat the Kansas City Royals 12-6 in Denver on Saturday night.
TJ Rumfield finished with three hits and three RBIs, Kyle Karros had two hits and two RBIs and Jake McCarthy also had two hits for Colorado, which won its 44th game of the season, eclipsing last year’s victory total with 51 games remaining.
Jac Caglianone, Salvador Perez homered and John Rave all went deep and Tyler Tolbert and Nick Loftin had two hits each for Kansas City, which pulled outfielder Lane Thomas from the game in the middle of the fourth inning. Multiple outlets reported Thomas had been traded to Atlanta along with left-hander Bailey Falter.
Rockies starter Ryan Feltner worked out of a jam in the first inning but couldn’t escape trouble in the second. Isaac Collins led off with a triple to the gap in right-center and one out later scored on Michael Massey’s sacrifice fly to left.
Tolbert started the third with a double to right and stole second, and two outs later Caglianone hit his 18th home run of the season. Perez followed with his 16th homer to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.
Feltner (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings.
Kansas City starter Luinder Avila faltered in the third when Colorado sent 11 batters to the plate. The Rockies loaded the bases with two walks and a single, then Karros drove in the first two with a double and Rumfield made it 4-3 with a single.
Goodman capped the scoring with his 32nd home run of the season, breaking his franchise mark for homers by a catcher in a season that he set last year, and gave Colorado a 6-4 lead.
Avila (5-4) was charged with six runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Colorado added to the lead in the fourth on Rumfield’s RBI single. Castro hit a solo homer in the fifth, his 12th, to make it 8-4.
Goodman extended his franchise record with a leadoff homer in the seventh and drove in another run in the Rockies’ three-run eighth. The Royals scored twice in the ninth.
-Field Level Media
Reports: Warriors bringing back key reserve Gary Payton II
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