Brewers' season opener postponed due to rain
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball openers in New York and Philadelphia were postponed a day until Friday because of rainy forecasts in both cities.
Pete Alonso and the New York Mets were scheduled to host the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday afternoon, a day featuring the first full slate of major league games this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres started the season with a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea, last week.
But with wet weather expected much of Thursday in Queens, the Mets announced Wednesday the game was pushed back to Friday at 1:40 p.m.
Minutes later, the Philadelphia Phillies announced their sold-out opener against the NL East rival Atlanta Braves was moved from Thursday at 3:05 p.m. to Friday at the same time due to anticipated rain.
“I’d rather play when it’s safe for the guys, obviously,” new Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “Our pitching is a moving target a little bit, you know what I mean? So it’s nicer to have those off days in between, to be honest. But you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”
New York and Milwaukee both worked out Wednesday under a cloudy sky at Citi Field.
“Obviously, everybody's anxious to get going," Murphy said. "But it's a six-month season and guys that, our leaders that know better, that have been around — even though there's only a few of 'em — it's all part of it. They understand it.”
Murphy took over the defending NL Central champions after manager Craig Counsell bolted for the rival Chicago Cubs during the offseason.
New York turns to first-timer Carlos Mendoza — the former Yankees bench coach was hired to replace Buck Showalter by new president of baseball operations David Stearns, who used to run the Brewers after growing up a Mets fan in New York City.
“It’s getting real,” Mendoza said Wednesday before the opener was postponed. “There will be a lot of emotions and I'm really looking forward to it."
After trading No. 1 starter Corbin Burnes, a three-time All-Star and the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, Milwaukee gives Freddy Peralta his first career opening-day start.
Jose Quintana goes for the Mets, minus 2023 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Kodai Senga because of a shoulder strain. Senga recently began playing catch again, but he's not expected back until at least late April or May — possibly longer.
Quintana, born in Colombia, just became an American citizen last week.
“I’d rather have it be a nicer day than opening in weather that you have to get pitchers up and then lose pitchers because of the weather,” the 65-year-old Murphy said. “How it affects me is not important. And anxiousness? Nah, I’m too old to be anxious.”
When the Phillies and Braves play Friday, right-handers Zack Wheeler and Spencer Strider will square off in a juicy NL East matchup.
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Braves finished 14 games ahead of Philadelphia each of the past two years. But the Phillies ended Atlanta’s postseason in Game 4 of a Division Series at Citizens Bank Park both times.
BREWERS UPDATE
Milwaukee left-hander Wade Miley faced teammates taking simulated at-bats at Citi Field. Miley will open on the injured list after being slowed this spring by shoulder soreness and a groin problem. He is aiming to make his season debut during an April 8-11 series in Cincinnati.
METS UPDATE
Veteran slugger J.D. Martinez, signed late in spring training, stayed back at the team's complex in Florida when New York broke camp. The 36-year-old designated hitter is taking simulated at-bats against his new teammates and running the bases as he works his way into game shape.
He'll remain in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for at least a week to 10 days, Mendoza said, before Martinez and the team determine the next step. He isn't expected to make his Mets debut until at least April 7.
“When we get him, it's going to be a lot deeper lineup,” Mendoza said.
Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell expected to miss start of season with broken hand
PHOENIX (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell has a fracture in his left hand and is expected to miss the start of the season.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters about the injury Monday and said Mitchell was seeing a specialist.
It's the latest injury-related setback for Mitchell since the Brewers selected him out of UCLA with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft. Mitchell missed most of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery last May to repair a torn labrum, though he returned to action in late September.
Mitchell, 25, batted .246 with a .315 on-base percentage, three homers and seven RBIs in 19 games last season. He hit .311 with a .373 on-base percentage, two homers, nine RBIs and eight steals over 28 games in 2022.
He had an impressive spring and appeared likely to get regular playing time this year before the injury. Mitchell hit .319 with a .385 on-base percentage, one homer, eight RBIs and two steals in 47 Cactus League at-bats.
The defending NL Central champion Brewers have had a tough spring with regard to injuries. All-Star closer Devin Williams, who won his second National League reliever of the year award last season, has two stress fractures in his back and could miss at least three months.
Milwaukee opens the season Thursday in New York against the Mets.
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Wisconsin announces home-and-home with California
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin and California will play a home-and-home series in 2029 and 2030.
Under the agreement that was announced Tuesday, Wisconsin will play at California on Sept. 1, 2029. California will visit Wisconsin on Aug. 31, 2030.
Wisconsin had been scheduled to play non-conference games with UCLA in 2029 and 2030, but those got scrapped when UCLA announced it would be joining the Big Ten beginning this season. Wisconsin will be visiting UCLA in 2026 and hosting the Bruins in 2027 as part of their Big Ten schedules.
California and Wisconsin haven’t faced each other since 1990. California leads the series 5-1, with Wisconsin winning in 1946.
Antetokounmpo scores 30, Middleton gets triple-double as Bucks roll past Thunder 118-93
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks emphatically demonstrated just what they're capable of accomplishing when they have all their top players available.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, Khris Middleton recorded his second career triple-double and the Bucks trounced the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-93 on Sunday.
“With a full team out there, we realize what we can do as a team,” said Middleton, who had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double since Jan. 20, 2018. “We have so many guys, so many weapons that can carry us, or guys that can make a play or just attract a crowd.”
This marked the first time since a Feb. 3 victory at Dallas that the Bucks had Antetokounmpo, Middleton and seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard on the floor for the same game. It was the first time since a Jan. 31 loss at Portland that they had their preferred starting lineup of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley.
Middleton had missed 16 straight games with a sprained left ankle and also sat a victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday due to injury management. Lillard also had a sprained left ankle that caused him to sit out two games in early February. Antetokounmpo returned Thursday after missing two games due to an issue with his left hamstring.
“I just feel this appreciation feeling of having everybody healthy and available to play,” Antetokounmpo said. “Because when we're not healthy, I think sometimes we play well, sometimes we don't, sometimes we create this excuse in our mind that like, ‘OK, when he gets back, we're going to be better.' But now we're all here. There's no more excuses.”
Milwaukee broke open a close game in the second half as Oklahoma City (49-21) fell out of the Western Conference lead. The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets (50-21) didn’t play Sunday and moved a half-game ahead of the Thunder.
Oklahoma City posted its lowest point total and shot its lowest percentage (.371) of the season. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points — the first time since Jan. 16 he was held below 20 — and sat out the entire fourth quarter after the Bucks had built a lopsided lead.
“They had him in a crowd for much of the night and made it very difficult for him to get his cracks,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought as a team, just our overall pace and sharpness on offense wasn't where it needed to be.”
Milwaukee had seven players score in double figures. Bobby Portis had 15, Lopez 14, Lillard and Pat Connaughton 11 apiece and Jae Crowder 10.
“Just having everybody together just makes the game easier for everybody,” Antetokounmpo said. “We don’t have to force anything. We just keep on playing good basketball, keep on moving the ball. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be my night. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be Khris’ night. There’s going to be some nights that it’s going to be Dame’s night. But we don’t have to force anything. Everybody out there is a threat. I think our bench is unbelievable, and they keep on getting better.”
Josh Giddey scored 19 and Jalen Williams added 18 for the Thunder.
The Bucks led 48-47 at halftime and broke open the game by outscoring Oklahoma City 18-2 in the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter. Oklahoma City didn’t make its first basket of the third period until Williams converted a layup with 5:38 left that ended a 16-0 Milwaukee spurt.
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort appeared to take a hit to the head under the basket as Williams scored, causing the swingman to leave the game. Although Dort didn't return, Daigneault said after the game that “I think he's fine.”
UP NEXT
Thunder: At New Orleans on Tuesday.
Bucks: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Ohio State women edge Wisconsin 1-0 to claim Frozen Four championship
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Joy Dunne scored the only goal of the match with 7:12 remaining to spark top-seeded Ohio State to a 1-0 victory over defending-champion and second-seeded Wisconsin in the final of the women's Frozen Four at the Whittemore Center Arena on Sunday.
Dunne used assists from Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes to help the Buckeyes avenge a 1-0 loss to Wisconsin in last season's championship game. Ohio State (35-4) set a school record for wins in slipping past the Badgers (35-6). It is the second championship for the Buckeyes, who won their first in 2022 with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota-Duluth.
Wisconsin was aiming to extend its record championship haul to eight after winning seven of its previous 10 trips to the event.
Badgers freshman goalie Ava McNaughton had eight saves and Ohio State's Raygan Kirk stopped seven shots in a scoreless first period.
McNaughton added 12 more saves and Kirk notched 10 as the match remained scoreless through two periods.
Dunne's netter helped Ohio State beat Wisconsin for the fourth time in six matchups this season. It was Dunne's 24th goal of the season, the 26th assist for Bilka and the 25th assist for Barnes.
Kirk finished with 26 saves for her school-record 21st win of the season. McNaughton saved 27 of 28 shots.
Ohio State beat Clarkson 4-1 in the semifinals, while Wisconsin advanced with a 3-1 victory over Colgate.
The Badgers lead the all-time series with the Buckeyes 79-25-10.
Wisconsin beats Colgate in Frozen Four, looks to defend women's ice hockey title against Ohio State
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Kirsten Simms and Vivian Jungels scored the opening two goals and defending champion Wisconsin advanced to the women's ice hockey championship game for the second straight season after a 3-1 victory over Colgate on Friday night in the Frozen Four.
The win by Wisconsin (35-5-0) sets up a rematch of the 2023 title game on Sunday with top seed Ohio State. The Badgers are seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Clarkson in 2018 — and notch the program's eighth championship.
Colgate (32-7-1), which had won its last six games by a combined score of 27-4, was the only team in the Frozen Four that had not won a national championship. The only previous trip to the Frozen Four for the Raiders came in 2018 against Clarkson.
Simms, the WCHA player of the year, buried her 33rd goal of the season 11 minutes into the game to extend her points streak to seven-straight games. Jungels made it 2-0 midway through the third on a shot from the face-off dot that went under the glove of Kayle Osborne.
Kristýna Kaltounková pulled Colgate within 2-1 with 2:10 to play, but Laila Edwards sealed it with an empty-netter.
Wisconsin rolled into the NCAA Tournament after beating Ohio State in the WCHA championship game.
Brewers: Top prospect Jackson Chourio will start the year in the majors
Texas’ Wyatt Langford and Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio will open the season in the majors.
Jackson Holliday – the exciting young Baltimore Orioles infielder – won’t be joining them in the big leagues just yet.
The Rangers announced Langford will open in the season with them and the Brewers did the same with Chourio, while the Orioles reassigned Holliday to their minor league camp.
Chourio, who turned 20 on March 11, agreed to an $82 million, eight-year contract during the offseason despite having played only six games above Double-A. He hit .283 with a .338 on-base percentage, 22 homers, 91 RBIs and 44 steals in 128 games while playing Double-A and Triple-A ball last season.
Heading into Friday, Chourio was hitting .280 with a .333 on-base percentage, no homers and three RBIs in 50 Cactus League at-bats.
Lillard goes for 30 points in Bucks' win over Brooklyn
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard had 30 points and 12 assists and made two late steals as the Milwaukee Bucks capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return to beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-108 on Thursday night.
Antetokounmpo had 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists after missing two games because of an issue with his left hamstring. The Bucks rested Khris Middleton a night after he played 33 minutes in a 122-119 loss at Boston, as they continue to manage his workload in his recovery from a sprained left ankle.
Mikal Bridges scored 24 points, Nic Claxton had 22 and Cam Thomas 21 for the Nets, who made a big second-half comeback but still lost their fifth straight.
After trailing by 20 points late in the second quarter and 18 early in the third, the Nets pulled ahead by outscoring the Bucks 21-6 over the first 5 1/2 minutes of the final period.
Cam Johnson made a 3-pointer with 6:58 left to put Brooklyn ahead 87-88, giving the Nets their first lead since 11-9. Dennis Smith Jr. followed with a steal and a basket to make 90-87 with 6:41 remaining.
Antetokounpmo made a 3-pointer to tie it with six minutes left, and the game went back and forth from there.
It was tied at 96 when Lillard got a steal and started a fast break. The sequence resulted in Antetokounmpo scoring on the other end of the floor while getting fouled. Antetokounmpo hit the ensuing free throw to complete a 3-point play with 3:36 remaining.
Milwaukee extended the lead to five on two occasions, but the Nets cut it to 103-101 on Bridges' 3-pointer with 2:17 left.
After Antetokounmpo missed a shot, the Nets had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Dennis Smith Jr. drove into the lane, but Lillard stole the ball, headed upcourt and found Malik Beasley open for a corner 3-pointer that made it 106-101 with 1:37 remaining.
Lillard then sealed the victory by scoring the game's next five points, including a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left.
Over his last three games, Lillard has averaged 31 points and 11.3 assists. He has scored at least 30 points in each of those games.
UP NEXT
Nets: At New York on Saturday.
Bucks: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Bucks beat Phoenix in Khris Middleton's return
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard had 31 points and 16 assists and Bobby Portis had 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead Milwaukee past the Phoenix Suns 140-129 on Sunday, as the Bucks hit 24 3-pointers to win without star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo, averaging 30.8 points and 11.2 rebounds, was out with left hamstring soreness. He missed just his fourth game of the season and first since March 4, when he was out with Achilles tendinitis.
“It’s not an injury, we were just concerned a little bit,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Plus, when you look at the schedule, you have one, two, three, four, five days off. We planted it in him and he had to do it. We’re happy that he decided to do it.”
Phoenix trailed 109-94 after three quarters, but closed within 122-115 on a lay-in by Bradley Beal with 6:17 left. Lillard’s 3-pointer from the top left put Milwaukee up 134-120 with 3:18 remaining.
“I just wanted to come out and be in attack mode,” said Lillard, who became the first Bucks player in history to have a 30-point, 15-assist game. “I didn’t really think to myself I’m going to have to score a bunch of points. I just knew I had to be a problem for the defense.”
Khris Middleton added 22 points for Milwaukee in his first game back after missing 16 games with a sprained left ankle. The Bucks finished 24 of 41 from 3-point range, with Portis and Malik Beasley hitting five apiece.
“I thought it was huge, especially with Giannis being out,” Lillard said of Middleton’s return. “Any time you’re down your best player and then you add another weapon to a team that’s already down, it’s a pick-me-up just because we’re excited to have him back.”
Beal had 28 points, Grayson Allen had 25 points and Devin Booker scored 23 for Phoenix.
Milwaukee’s 18 first-half 3-pointers matched the NBA record for 3-pointers in the opening half held by the Suns and Utah Jazz.
“They changed their team, obviously, with Giannis not being in there, and Dame is an elite attacker that requires you to really extend your defense on him,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “The risk in that is exposing the 3-point line.”
Portis came off the bench for 25 first-half points, hitting 10 of 13 shots, including 5 of 5 from beyond the arc, in just under 13 minutes.
Allen’s 3-pointer capped an 11-point run that brought the Suns within 93-83 with just over 4 ½ minutes left in the third quarter. Lillard hit a 3-pointer from the edge of the logo just ahead of the buzzer to put Milwaukee up 109-94 entering the final period.
Milwaukee moved 1 ½ games ahead of Cleveland for the second-best record in the East. Phoenix entered in sixth place in the West, a half-game ahead of Sacramento and a game in front of Dallas.
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Bucks: Visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Wisconsin comes up short in title game loss to Illinois
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 34 points on 15-for-17 shooting from the free-throw line, helping 13th-ranked Illinois outlast Wisconsin 93-87 in Big Ten tournament championship game on Sunday.
Marcus Domask added 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Dain Dainja had nine points and seven rebounds for the Illini (26-8), who won their fourth conference title — and second in four years — after shooting 16 of 26 from the floor in the second half.
A.J. Storr had 24 points and Chucky Hepburn added 20 points for the Badgers (22-13), who went 7 for 20 from 3-point range after going 33 for 79 over their first three games.
Shannon finished with 102 points in three games this weekend, one short of the Big Ten Tournament scoring record, and was voted the Most Outstanding Player. Keegan Murray had 103 points for Iowa in 2022, but the Hawkeyes played four games that year on the way to the title.
After celebrating in a shower of orange-and-blue confetti and cutting down the nets at Target Center, the Illini hustled to a side room for the NCAA Tournament selection show to learn they're the No. 3 seed in the East Region, with a first-round game on Friday against Morehead State.
Wisconsin got the No. 5 seed in the South Region and a first-round matchup against James Madison.
Shannon, who broke the Big Ten Tournament single-game record with 40 points in the semifinal win over Nebraska, still faces a rape charge in Kansas for an alleged incident last year. His school-issued suspension was overruled by a federal judge after six games.
The Wisconsin fans taunted him often, but he’s not the type of player who can be rattled. He casually and coolly pulled up for a 3-pointer off the break to give Illinois a 41-40 lead with 31 seconds left before halftime, blowing a kiss at the crowd that was heavy with red-clad Badgers fans.
Hepburn's three-point play gave Wisconsin a game-high 61-51 lead, but that hardly lasted. Illinois went on a 21-5 run over 6 minutes and made sure this would be a tight game the rest of the way.
Shannon was just a bit too much for Wisconsin down the stretch, just as he was for Nebraska a day earlier. Klesmit sank a 3-pointer for the tie with 1:57 left, but Shannon answered from deep on the other end to make it 88-85 with 88 seconds left.
Then he stole an careless dribble from Storr on the other end, drove the other way to draw a foul and sink both free throws for a five-point lead.
Hepburn was one of the heroes of Wisconsin's overtime victory over top-seeded Purdue in the semifinals on Saturday, hitting the tying layup at the buzzer in regulation and drawing a key charging foul to set up Max Klesmit's winner.
The junior guard passed the 1,000-point mark for his career in this game and contributed in all kinds of ways, particularly in defending Shannon but also driving hard to the hoop the way his counterpart does so well. Hepburn didn't play in the quarterfinal win over Northwestern because of a knee injury.
Illinois, the winningest team in the Big Ten over the last five seasons, has its most victories since a 26-win team in 2005-06.
Illinois won the only regular-season matchup between these teams two weeks ago, a 91-83 victory fueled by Domask's 31 points in the Waupun native's first game in Wisconsin since high school. The graduate transfer from Southern Illinois, who was a first team All-Big Ten pick with Shannon, went 8 for 11 from the floor in this game.
Both the Badgers and the Illini made their eighth appearance in the conference title game, which was staged for the 26th time, a total bested only by Ohio State’s nine. Michigan State has the most Big Ten Tournament championships with seven.
