Sports
Jalen Green helps push Rockets past Lakers
Jan 5, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Jalen Green scored a game-high 33 points, Amen Thompson posted a double-double in his return from suspension and the Houston Rockets held on for a 119-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Green scored on consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter after the Lakers closed to within 112-108 on two free throws from Anthony Davis. Thompson paired 23 points on 11-for-19 shooting with a career-high 16 rebounds after missing the previous two games.
The Lakers trailed by 22 points in the first half but were within four on Davis’ 3-pointer with 1:11 to play before cutting that deficit to 117-115 when LeBron James made a driving layup with eight seconds left. But Houston forced two turnovers inside the final six seconds, with Fred VanVleet stealing an inbounds pass intended for James before Davis was whistled for an offensive foul with 4.1 seconds left.
Davis totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks while James (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Austin Reaves (21 points, 10 assists) also posted double-doubles. James added nine assists.
VanVleet finished with 15 points and three 3-pointers. Steven Adams added eight points and nine rebounds off the Houston bench.
James took over in the Lakers’ 40-point third quarter and had a hand in every point during a 16-4 run that narrowed the deficit to 75-70 at the 5:55 mark. James scored eight points in that stretch and assisted on 3s from Reaves and Davis in addition to feeding Davis for an alley-oop. Davis closed the period with four free throws that sliced the margin to 91-89.
Green controlled the first quarter and scored eight points during the Rockets’ 13-2 close to the period. He made 7 of 8 shots and scored in a variety of ways, drilling three 3-pointers and converting a dazzling three-point play after absorbing a foul from James on a driving layup.
Houston carried a 36-22 lead into the second after Jae’Sean Tate nailed a buzzer-beating corner 3 and extended that margin to 22 points after Alperen Sengun made a 16-footer with 5:20 left in the half. Davis scored on three successive possessions to help the Lakers close to within 57-44, but the Rockets reclaimed a 67-47 lead when Thompson led a one-man fast break that resulted in a VanVleet 3-pointer late in the first half. Houston held an 18-point cushion at the break.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
May 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) hits a two run RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the tenth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Houston Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.
Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.
Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.
Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.
Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.
Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.
The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.
Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Busch drives in 4 as Cubs win, sweep D-backs
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros (25) celebrates his two-run home run with second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Michael Busch drove in four runs to lead the host Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday.
Busch doubled and scored a run in the second and broke the game open for good with a three-run triple in the fifth as Chicago finished the three-game sweep with its 11th straight win at home.
Matthew Boyd (2-1) picked the win. The southpaw gave up four hits and two earned runs over six innings, walking one and fanning five in 94 pitches. The quality start was the Cubs’ seventh in their last 10 home games.
Chicago tied a season high with six extra-base hits. Busch, Nico Hoerner, Moises Ballesteros, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly all contributed a pair of hits.
The Cubs extended a 3-2 lead with a three-run fifth.
Ballesteros led off with a walk and Alex Bregman reached on a fielder’s choice when Nolan Arenado’s throw was too late to get Ballesteros at second.
Ian Happ loaded the bases with a walk and Busch tripled into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give Chicago a 6-2 lead.
The triple chased Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly (1-3). The veteran right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs. He struck out five and walked three in 92 pitches.
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the second when Arenado doubled with one out and Gabe Moreno hit his first home run of the season deep to left field for a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Kelly singled in Busch with two outs.
Chicago took the lead for good in the third when Hoerner singled to deep short and Ballesteros smashed an opposite-field home run to left-center for a 3-2 advantage.
The Cubs scored a pair of insurance runs in the seventh when Happ led off with a walk and Suzuki doubled into the left-field corner.
Busch drove in his fourth run of the game with a deep sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-2 Cubs and Kelly singled in Suzuki to give Chicago an 8-2 lead.
D-backs pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to finalize the scoring. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a run for the visitors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres' Walker Buehler looks for better results vs. Giants
Apr 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler (10) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images A pair of two-time All-Stars accustomed to big-time winning will look to wipe out losing records when Walker Buehler and the San Diego Padres continue a brief three-game road trip against Logan Webb and the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.
The Giants snapped a six-game losing streak in Monday’s series opener, riding Trevor McDonald’s pitching to a 3-2 victory. It was San Francisco’s third win in four meetings with San Diego this season.
Buehler (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will take the mound in San Francisco for the 10th time in his career. The right-hander has gone 6-2 with a 3.65 ERA at Oracle Park and 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA overall in 15 appearances (13 starts) against the Giants in his career.
In his first season with the Padres, Buehler has struggled in his past two starts, lasting a total of 7 1/3 innings in a pair of 8-3 losses to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs.
“Just not good enough,” Buehler told reporters after his most recent outing a week ago against the Cubs. “Got to get deeper and get more efficient. We’ve kind of established that the stuff has improved, and I’m in a lot better spot. But I haven’t quite had that one that it all kind of clicks together in terms of the execution.”
Buehler will be facing a Giants team that has totaled just 12 runs in its last seven games.
San Francisco went homerless while going winless on a six-game trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay last week, a drought Casey Schmitt ended in the first inning of Monday’s win.
The Giants have won their past three home games. The long flight home from Florida and a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered, Schmitt said.
“The big thing was to flush that road trip. Obviously it didn’t go any way we wanted it to go,” Schmitt said. “It’s a new series, a new day.”
No doubt, Webb (2-3, 4.30) also would be perfectly happy to turn the page after having nothing to show for a pair of hard-luck efforts in his past two outings. The right-hander allowed just four runs over 14 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies in those starts, games the Giants lost 3-0 and 3-2.
Webb would like nothing better than to get the level of support he received when he pitched in a 9-3 win at San Diego in the first week of the season. It improved his career record against the Padres to 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts.
Schmitt got the loudest of San Francisco’s six hits in the series opener on Monday and Luis Arraez chipped in with a pair of doubles and scored twice. The biggest news of the night offensively, however, was the two-RBI performance of Rafael Devers, who hadn’t had a multiple-RBI game since April 8.
Playing first base, Devers responded on a day when the Giants promoted one of their top prospects, Bryce Eldridge, who is seen as the future of the first base position in San Francisco.
Eldridge was used as the DH in his big-league season debut Monday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
The 21-year-old, who got 37 plate appearances last season, has never faced Buehler.
–Field Level Media
