CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie Chase DeLauter had three hits, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and drove in three runs as the Cleveland Guardians won their home opener 4-1 against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Gabriel Arias also went deep in the seventh inning as the Guardians won their home opener for the third straight season.
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Cleveland Guardians' Joey Cantillo pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman walks to the dugout after striking out in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians' Gabriel Arias hits a home run in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias, right, is tagged out at home by Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, left, in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Connor Brogdon (2-0) got the win and Cade Smith picked up his second save. It was 70 degrees at first pitch, which was Cleveland's warmest March or April opener since 1992.
Miguel Amaya had an RBI hit in the third inning for the Cubs. Starting pitcher Cade Horton exited early in the second inning due to right forearm discomfort.
The right-hander looked toward the Cubs’ dugout after throwing a 93.8 mph fastball to Bo Naylor low in the strike zone for a called strike. Horton threw 17 pitches, including eight strikes. He retired the Guardians in order in the first and walked Kyle Manzardo to lead off the second.
DeLauter tied it at 1-1 in the fifth inning with a base hit to left to score Daniel Schneemann. After Arias' homer put Cleveland on top in the seventh, DeLauter drove Hunter Harvey's 96.6 mph fastball 402 feet into the right-field stands to extend the Guardians' lead to three runs.
It was DeLauter's fifth home run of the season, tying him with the Athletics' Shea Langeliers for the American League lead. DeLauter had four homers in his first three games, becoming the first big league player since Trevor Story did it in 2016 with Colorado.
Arias — who tried to score from second on DeLauter's hit in the fifth but was thrown out at home by left fielder Ian Happ — connected on a hanging slider from Harvey (0-1) for his second home run of the season.
Cubs' lefty Shota Imanaga (0-1, 7.20 ERA) faces Cleveland RHP Slade Cecconi (0-1, 12.46 ERA) ion Saturday.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Cleveland Guardians' Joey Cantillo pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman walks to the dugout after striking out in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians' Gabriel Arias hits a home run in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias, right, is tagged out at home by Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, left, in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic will miss the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers' regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday.
Doncic is the NBA's top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers' surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles' blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday. An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.
The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.
Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.
Doncic is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA's Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.
Doncic scored a whopping 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers thoroughly depend on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58% of the their total points in March.
Doncic is all but certain to win his second NBA scoring title — but he has played in only 64 games this season, which means he will finish one game shy of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the NBA's biggest postseason awards.
He was a lock to be an All-NBA selection, and he had even been making a late run at consideration for the MVP award with his outstanding play down the stretch.
Along with his two absences caused by hamstring injuries and a handful of additional absences for minor medical maintenance early in the season, Doncic missed two games last December while flying to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. He also missed one game last week under suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls.
Since he sits just shy of the 65-game threshold, Doncic theoretically could challenge the rule by citing the extraordinary circumstances of his daughter's birth in Europe through the grievance process created for these collectively bargained rules. It's wholly unclear whether that appeal would have any chance of success.
If Doncic wins the scoring title but doesn't make the All-NBA teams, he would be only the third scoring champ in league history to fail to do so. Elvin Hayes wasn't selected when he won the crown as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo wasn't chosen for the teams in 1976.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was injured in the first half against the Thunder, but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. Doncic lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.
The loss was only the Lakers' third in 19 games since Feb. 26, but Doncic's absence casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rest of their year. Los Angeles only leads fourth-place Denver (49-28) by one game, while sixth-place Minnesota (46-30) is 3 1/2 games back with a game in hand.
The Lakers’ regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers forward/guard Luka Dončić (77) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April. 2, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) gestures after a three-point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) is fouled by Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) as Magic forward Tristan da Silva, right, helps defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
