Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were each suspended seven games after throwing punches during the fifth inning of a 7-2 Atlanta win on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Soler is appealing the suspension, while López has reached an agreement with MLB in which he accepts a five-game ban according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The deal will essentially push back his next start from Monday to Tuesday, still forcing the Angels to figure out a rotation replacement.

Tension had been brewing throughout the game in question, with Soler hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and getting hit by a 96-mph fastball in the third.

That tension boiled over when López threw a high fastball during Soler’s third plate appearance. The pitch was errant enough that it gave the Angels a free stolen base, and Soler made a point of staring down López on the play.

The former teammates were soon going after each other, with Soler eventually being wrestled to the ground by some members of the Braves, including manager Walt Weiss. Meanwhile, Angels star Mike Trout pushed López out of the action as the benches and bullpens fully cleared out.

Both combatants were ejected from the game.

Here’s another angle, showing how the staredown turned into fisticuffs:

And one more angle, showing López land a blow with the ball to Soler’s helmet.

There was a degree of familiarity on both sides of this fracas, as López used to play for the Angels and Soler used to play for the Braves.

There was also familiarity in the sense that Soler’s home run was his fifth off López, his most against any pitcher in his MLB career.

Soler told reporters after the game that he didn’t like something López said after the pitch, via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger:

“I asked him if everything was OK, and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through interpreter Jobel Jiménez. “That’s why I went out there.”

For his part, López said he never intended to hit Soler:

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through interpreter Franco García. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”

The Braves went on to win, but the result was overshadowed by the brawl.

The University of North Carolina found its replacement for Hubert Davis, and it’s a surprising name. Former Denver Nuggets head coach and NBA championship winner Michael Malone was hired to run the program following Davis’ firing, the University of North Carolina confirmed Tuesday.

Malone is reportedly on a 6-year, $50M contract with the UNC, according to WRAL’s Brian Murphy. Malone’s is set to average more than $8.3 million per year on his six-year deal, which makes him the second-highest paid coach in college basketball behind Kansas’ Bill Self.

Malone, 54, has experience as a college assistant, but has never been a head coach at a university.

His hiring mirrors that of UNC football head coach Bill Belichick, who the university hired despite the legendary NFL coach never holding a head-coaching job at the college level.

The majority of Malone’s head-coaching experience came in the NBA, where after many years as an assistant, he finally was elevated into the main role with the Sacramento Kings.

Malone spent one-and-a-half seasons with the team, going 39-67 before he was fired.

He landed on his feet quickly, joining the Nuggets. After two straight years of sub-.500 basketball, Malone turned things around in Denver and helped make the Nuggets perennial contenders in the West.

After a 46-36 performance during the 2017-18 NBA season that left the team just out of the playoffs, Malone led Denver to six straight playoff appearances. The team lost in the first round just once in those six trips, often making deep runs in the postseason.

Malone’s time with the Nuggets reached its apex during the 2022-23 NBA season, when he led the franchise to its first title. Powered by Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games to win it all.

But that didn’t result in much job security for Malone. The Nuggets made the playoffs again the following season, though lost in the semifinals to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the team heading for another postseason appearance during the 2024-25 NBA season, however, the Nuggets shocked the NBA world by firing Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with just three games left in the regular season.

Assistant David Adelman took over and led the Nuggets back to the semifinals, where they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Adelman has the Nuggets in strong playoff position again this season.

Despite his excellent run with the Nuggets, Malone failed to get an NBA head-coaching job in the offseason. He instead opted to take the broadcasting route, appearing on ESPN during the 2024-25 NBA playoffs and then signing on to join the network for “NBA Countdown” after he wasn’t hired by a team during the offseason.

At UNC, Malone will technically have a new, but also familiar, experience. Following his playing career at Loyola, Malone first was a high-school basketball assistant before eventually moving to the college level to work as an assistant at Oakland, Providence and Manhattan before finally moving to the NBA to be an assistant with the New York Knicks. UNC will be his first opportunity to be a head coach of a college program.

And expectations will be high. Following a promising first season from Davis, UNC has experienced disappointment and premature exits over the past four seasons. The most recent one, a first-round loss to No. 11 seed VCU, resulted in Davis’ firing.

By all accounts, UNC ran a comprehensive search to bring in a new coach to elevate the program back to its championship standards. Tommy Lloyd opted to remain at Arizona after receiving a lucrative offer from UNC, according to Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken. Coaches like Alabama’s Nate Oats and Florida’s Todd Golden were also linked to the job but ultimately remained in place.

The school also reportedly reached out to Iowa’s Ben McCollum, per CBSSports.com, but McCollum declined to interview for the position.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was also believed to be a target, but reportedly wasn’t going to entertain discussions about the job until the end of Chicago’s season on April 12.

UNC made the decision to hire Malone on Monday with the opening of college basketball’s transfer portal looming. The portal opens Tuesday, and not having a coach in place would have put North Carolina at a disadvantage in building next season’s roster.

Things reportedly moved quickly between UNC and Malone over the past 18 hours, leading to his surprising hire Monday.

While the speed may have been due to Malone’s eagerness to take on a new head-coaching role after sitting out this NBA season, it probably helped that his daughter currently plays for UNC’s volleyball team.

With UNC, Malone will be tasked with turning around a program that was previously a perennial contender to win a national championship. Under long-time coach Roy Williams, the program managed that goal three times during his 18-year run at UNC.

Following Williams’ retirement, Davis — a long-time assistant under Williams — was hired to take over for his mentor. After taking the team all the way to the NCAA tournament final in his first season, Davis looked like a strong choice. But repeated failures, particularly in the 2022-23 season when UNC opened the year ranked No. 1 in the country and then failed to make the field of 64, have resulted in lowered expectations and a lowered ceiling for UNC.

Given the program’s previous heights, UNC needed to bring in a coach capable of getting the team back to championship-contender status. Malone managed to do that in the NBA. Now, he’ll see if his style can carry over to the college game.

The Houston Astros placed top starting pitcher Hunter Brown on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain. The team announced the move on Sunday.

On Tuesday, they specified the diagnosis as a Grade 2 right shoulder strain and announced that Brown will be shut down from throwing for a few weeks.

Brown, 27, allowed only one run in his first two starts this season. He notched 17 strikeouts across 10 2/3 innings with five hits and six walks.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters that Brown felt something wrong during his between-starts throwing routine on Friday. He underwent imaging exams and was then sent back to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors.

The Astros finish a three-game series with the Athletics in Sacramento before continuing their road trip with three games in Colorado and four in Seattle.

“He’s never been injured, and this is new for all of us,” Espada said, via MLB.com. “He didn’t sound concerned, which is good, but it’s new. We’re going to let the doctors evaluate him, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

Brown last pitched on March 31, allowing one run and one hit with eight strikeouts in six innings versus the Boston Red Sox. He was scheduled to face the Colorado Rockies on Monday, but journeyman reliever Cody Bolton got the start in his place and allowed two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

On Opening Day, Brown threw 102 pitches in 4 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels, arguably a heavy workload for the first start of a season. Espada pulled him after 78 pitches in his second outing vs. Boston.

Brown finished third in voting for the American League Cy Young Award last season and had a 2.43 ERA and 206 strikeouts in a career-high 185 1/3 innings.

To replace Brown on the big-league roster, Christian Roa was called up from Triple-A. He had just been sent to the minors last week. In two appearances with Houston, the right-hander allowed one run, one hit and two walks with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. Roa threw one scoreless inning with Sugar Land.

BOSTON (AP) — Brad Stevens didn’t know the Boston Celtics would find themselves among the NBA’s top teams in the last week of the regular season.

The Celtics president of basketball operations also never discounted the possibility before the season, despite every reason those outside of the team’s facility parroted about why it would be a bridge year following Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon injury and the offseason departures of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

Yet, the Celtics entered Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets two wins away from clinching the No. 2 seed in the East and as a legitimate NBA title contender.

That doesn’t mean Stevens is ready to make any predictions. Far from it. He’s content following the same one day at a time mantra that has driven him his entire basketball life, from the coaching sidelines and now in the front office.

“I feel the exact same as I did at the beginning, I really feel that way normally,” Stevens said. “When we get into the playoffs, it’ll be the same thing. It’s one game at a time. I don’t think in terms of the big picture as far as this individual team. I just think, I know that we can play.”

He’s also watched the remaining players that constitute his once-underestimated roster find individual new gears that have contributed to their collective success.

With Tatum out to start the season, Jaylen Brown seized on the opportunity to be the No. 1 option and leader, taking his game to new levels on the offensive and defensive end. It’s added up to him achieving career-high averages in points (28.7), rebounds (7.0) and assists (5.2).

It’s also gained him entry into a crowded MVP conversation. More than that, since Tatum’s return on March 6, Brown’s play has taken some of the pressure off Tatum as he’s worked his way back into form. The same is true for defensive stalwart Derrick White.

The result has been a successful return for Tatum, whose comfort and confidence have grown exponentially over the past month. He had scored 20 or more points in five straight games entering Tuesday.

“I’ve seen us rise and meet challenges and I know this team is looking forward to the next one,” Stevens said. “As you get into this time of the year and get into the playoffs, everything’s hard and the other teams are really good. See where it all stacks up, but I’m going to continue to not put a ceiling on us.”

As is his style, Stevens has stayed mostly in the background this season, with Tuesday marking his first comments with reporters since Tatum’s return. He said they never truly entertained the thought of Tatum returning this season until around the trade deadline.

“He was in a pretty good spot physically and from the standpoint of his strength,” Stevens said. “And then it’s just a matter of reconditioning and getting your confidence back in a lot of ways and playing and getting back on the court.”

What’s also been clear to Stevens is that he has a coach in Joe Mazzulla, who along with his staff, are putting this team in the best position to achieve. While Brown has been the biggest catalyst to how this team has overachieved, the improvement of players such as Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Jordan Walsh and rotation addition Baylor Scheierman has also helped.

Queta in particular went from a fourth-string center at one point earlier in his career to the starter this for the Celtics, one of the most improved players in the league and among its top performing big men.

It garnered Mazzulla high consideration for coach of the year honors, praise that he repeatedly eschewed while deferring his players and assistants.

Stevens, who surprisingly elevated him to the job after Ime Udoka was suspended, said Mazzulla is worthy of all the compliments he’s gotten.

“They all, players, coaches, and everybody else that are up for all these awards, whether they want them or not, they certainly all deserve it,” Stevens said.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Even with a blowout result, the 2026 NCAA women’s national championship drew impressive TV ratings on ABC. UCLA’s win over South Carolina became the third most-watched women’s title game ever, ESPN announced.

An average of 9.9 million viewers tuned in on Easter Sunday as UCLA dominated South Carolina to win its first-ever national title. That includes a peak audience of 10.7 million and marks a 15% increase, year-over-year. The game sits only behind the 2023 and 2024 national title games as the third most-watched on ESPN.

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The NCAA women’s national championship game capped a strong run through the Final Four. South Carolina’s victory over UConn, which notably drew headlines for the events in the postgame handshake line, averaged 5.4 million viewers on April 3. The nightcap between UCLA and Texas averaged 5.0 million viewers, as well.

On the whole, it was the second most-watched women’s Final Four on ESPN networks with 6.7 million viewers for the three games, the company said. It didn’t quite reach the Caitlin Clark-fueled heights of 2024 when the games averaged 13.8 million viewers, including 18.9 million for the national championship between Iowa and South Carolina, but it was still quite a way to wrap up the 2025-26 season.

The 2026 Final Four capped a strong run for women’s basketball this year. The NCAA Tournament capitalized on a regular-season viewership surge. TV ratings increased 19% from 2024-25, and ESPN networks had six of the Top 10 most-watched women’s basketball games of the year.

Of course, it’s important to note this was the first season since Nielsen introduced its Big Data + Panel metric, which has played a role in increased sports viewership. But ESPN’s increases likely are beyond the range for which Big Data would be the sole reason.

UCLA wins first national title

Gabriela Jaquez led UCLA with 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Bruins won their first-ever national championship. Lauren Betts also had had 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks as she became the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player.

UCLA went into halftime with a 36-23 lead over South Carolina, but took total control in the third quarter. The Bruins outscored the Gamecocks 25-9 after halftime and eventually went on to get the 79-51 victory.

“We knew we had the tools,” Jaquez said after the game. “It was just about staying focused and working hard every day to be the best versions of ourselves.”

Game two in Anaheim, can the Atlanta Braves shift the momentum to show the same team we’ve gotten glimpses of in the earlier series?’

I’ve always been told, if nothing changes… nothing changes. And changes have been made to the lineup to opt for an opportunity to snap this losing streak the team has found itself in. The Los Angeles Angels smell blood and another win to extend their streak to four games.

One thing is for sure… We’ll have something to talk about late tonight. Let’s hope it’s mostly positive.

First pitch is set for 9:38 p.m. EDT.

Game Notes

Preview

Lineups

João Cancelo’s stock is rising. He started a bit slowly but he has adjusted to La Liga again after spending time in Saudi Arabia. The FC Barcelona full-back has filled in admirably as the Catalans have struggled with injuries to various defenders. Now, reports say Barcelona are happy to keep him past this season.

Now, the Portugese international has given a hint about his future. “In football, anything can happen. I’m going to keep working. I know what I want for next season, but I’m not going to say it. Right now, I’m going to fight for Barça; my future is irrelevant,” he declared. Cancelo stated that there was “always a chance” he would stay past this season but that at the moment he was a player on loan from Al-Hilal.

The defender hit back at critics who dismissed him during the early part of the season, acknowledging that “it was said that I was finished, that there were doubts.” Now, the situation is quite different. Cancelo has filled in well during injury absences to Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde. Even with both back, he is sure to play a role and could even start in the pivotal clash against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

During his first spell at Barcelona, Cancelo showed a notable amount of enthusiasm for the club despite his short stay. When Barcelona went searching for a center-back and couldn’t find a good deal, they instead opted for signing the Portugese full-back to give them more options to shuffle things at the back. Despite early pressure over a slow start, Cancelo’s loan signing has been a success.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (62-16) travel to Crypto.com Arena to face the Los Angeles Lakers (50-28) in a Tuesday night NBA matchup.

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Sitting comfortably atop the Western Conference with a nearly insurmountable lead over the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder are riding a 20-2 run over their last 22 games, with a five-game winning streak. Their last game was a laugher, a 146-111 thrashing of the Utah Jazz at home, where the Thunder took a 7-6 lead with 9:13 remaining in the first quarter, and never trailed again. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Chet Holmgren’s 21 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. 

After going on their own magical run (16-2), the Lakers have dropped two straight and will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the remainder of the regular season at a minimum. The Lakers’ last game was a 134-128 loss on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, despite racking up 36 assists on 47 field goals. Ultimately, the Lakers couldn’t contain star rookie Cooper Flagg, who scored 45 points with eight rebounds and nine assists.

This is a great NBA matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

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