Sports
Newly promoted Trevor McDonald pitches Giants past Padres
May 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Trevor McDonald (72) pitches the ball in his major league debut during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Minor league call-up Trevor McDonald allowed just two hits in seven innings, Casey Schmitt homered and the San Francisco Giants opened a six-game homestand with a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Rafael Devers drove in Luis Arraez twice, with a single and a sacrifice fly, teaming with Schmitt to produce all the offense McDonald (1-0) and two relievers would need to snap a six-game losing streak.
After Jackson Merrill hit McDonald’s sixth pitch for a solo home run three batters into the game, the Giants immediately countered with a pair of runs in the last of the first inning to take a lead they never relinquished.
Schmitt socked his fifth homer of the season on Padres starter Randy Vasquez’s ninth pitch to get San Francisco even. Arraez followed with a double, and Devers came through one out later with an RBI single to center.
The Giants’ only other scoring came in the sixth, when Arraez doubled again, advanced to third on a groundout by Heliot Ramos and this time raced home on a Devers fly ball to right field.
The multiple-RBI game was the first for Devers in almost a month, since he drove in a season-best four runs in a home win over the Philadelphia Phillies on April 8.
McDonald, promoted from Triple-A Sacramento earlier in the day, matched his career best with a seven-inning effort in his first major league appearance of the season. He gave up just the first-inning run, struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
The only other hit he allowed in his third career major league start was also delivered by Merrill — a single leading off the fourth.
Giants reliever Keaton Winn needed just eight pitches to throw a 1-2-3 eighth. Caleb Kilian yielded a leadoff homer to Ramon Laureano in the ninth before registering three straight outs, two via strikeout, finishing off McDonald’s second career big-league win.
Kilian, a fourth-year major-leaguer, was credited with his first career save.
The homers were the fourth of the year for Merrill and fifth for Laureano.
Vasquez (3-1) was charged with all three Giants runs in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out two.
Arraez and Merrill were the only players in the game with multiple hits. The Giants had six hits to the three collected by the Padres, who took their fifth loss in six games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ivan Herrera's bases-clearing double lifts Cardinals past Brewers
May 4, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Iván Herrera (48) hits a three run double against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Ivan Herrera hit a three-run double, JJ Wetherholt drove in two and the host St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on Monday night.
Herrera, Wetherholt, Victor Scott II and Nolan Gorman had two hits each for the Cardinals, who have won seven of their past eight games.
Brice Turang homered and Jackson Chourio went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a walk in his first five plate appearances of 2026 for the Brewers, who lost their second straight. Chourio was activated pregame, having recovered from a broken bone in his left hand.
A two-run homer in the ninth by Turang, his fifth of the year, pulled Milwaukee within 6-3. One batter later, Riley O’Brien took over on the mound, and he got the last two outs for his 10th save.
St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out five.
Milwaukee starter Chad Patrick (2-2) gave up four runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
Wetherholt’s two-out RBI single in the second gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Herrera’s bases-loaded double in the fourth, after Wetherholt was walked intentionally, increased the lead to 4-0 and sent Patrick to the showers.
Luis Rengifo’s run-scoring single in the sixth, just after George Soriano replaced Leahy on the mound, pulled the Brewers within 4-1.
Masyn Wynn’s RBI single in the seventh and Wetherholt’s RBI single in the eighth padded the margin.
Milwaukee center fielder Garrett Mitchell made a spectacular effort on an attempted diving catch on Gorman’s third-inning liner to right-center that wound up being a double. Mitchell raced toward right, dived and appeared to make a catch in which the ball snow-coned in his glove, bounced up and back down into his glove as he was sliding.
However, St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol challenged the call, and the play was ruled a hit. A still shot showed that Mitchell trapped the ball.
The Brewers also activated Andrew Vaughn from the injured list earlier on Monday, and he went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter. He returned from rehabbing a fractured bone in his left hand.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics acquire catcher Jonah Heim from Braves
May 3, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Jonah Heim (20) during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images To shore up their catching situation, the Athletics acquired Jonah Heim from the Atlanta Braves on Monday, in exchange for cash considerations.
The A’s placed starting catcher Shea Langeliers on the paternity list and the switch-hitting Heim will replace him on the 26-man roster.
Earlier Monday, Heim, 30, was designated for assignment by the Braves. In 12 games, he was hitting .231 with one home run and eight RBIs. He had homered and drove in five runs in Sunday’s 11-6 Atlanta win at Colorado.
Heim had signed a one-year $1.5 million contract in February after serving as the Texas Rangers’ primary catcher since 2022.
Heim started his career with the Athletics in 2020, appearing in 13 games. He earned a spot on the Rangers’ roster in 2021 and moved into a starting role in 2022.
The Buffalo, N.Y. native earned All-Star honors in 2023, when he hit .258 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI’s. He posted an OPS of .755 for the surprise World Series champions.
For his career, Heim has played in 620 games and owns a batting mark of .225 with 69 home runs and 290 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red hot Knicks rout Sixers to take Game 1
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) and forward Paul George (8) and guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the second quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half Monday night for the New York Knicks, who remained red-hot by routing the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.
The Knicks, who eliminated the Atlanta Hawks with a 140-89 win in Game 6 of a first-round series last Thursday night, became just the second team in NBA history to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points.
In 1986, the Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 132-99 to end an Eastern Conference semifinal series before routing the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in Game 1 of the conference finals. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title.
These Knicks, who won the final three games over the Hawks by a combined 96 points, are the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points apiece.
New York picked up Monday where it left off on both ends of the floor against Atlanta.
New York shot 63.1 percent (53-of-84), a franchise record for a playoff game. The Knicks shot 51.4 percent (19-of-37) from 3-point land, their best mark ever for a playoff game in which they hoisted at least 30 attempts.
The Knicks also allowed fewer than 100 points for the fourth straight game.
OG Anunoby had 18 points while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges added 17 points each. Starters Towns, Bridges and Josh Hart all exited late in the third quarter while Brunson and Anunoby sat the entire fourth.
Paul George scored 17 points for the 76ers, who advanced to the conference semifinals by overcoming a three games to one deficit against the Celtics — the first such comeback in Philadelphia history.
Joel Embiid had 14 points while Tyrese Maxey scored 13 points. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. each added 12 points.
The 76ers took a one-possession lead five times in the first quarter, but Brunson hit the go-ahead basket for the Knicks every time, including the 3-pointer with 3:57 left that put New York up for good at 21-19.
The Knicks went ahead by double digits for good at 49-37 on Towns’ 3-pointer with 6:43 left in the second. Brunson ended the half on his own 11-3 run to extend New York’s lead to 74-51.
The Knicks led 109-78 at the end of the third and led by as many as 40 in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
Ivan Herrera's bases-clearing double lifts Cardinals past Brewers
Athletics acquire catcher Jonah Heim from Braves
