TURIN, Italy (AP) — Substitute Matteo Politano scored late to give Napoli a 1-0 win over fellow title chaser AC Milan and close the gap on Serie A leader Inter Milan on Monday.
With Napoli starting the night in third place, one point behind AC Milan and 10 behind Inter, both clubs knew a win was needed to keep alive their title aspirations.
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Napoli's Giovanen, left, and AC Milan's Koni De Winter battle for the ball during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Milan in Naples, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Udinese's Thomas Kristensen goes for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Como, in Udine, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio saves a penalty kick during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa in Turin, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Weston McKennie celebrates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Fc and Genoa in Turin, Italy, Monday April 6, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Atalanta, in Lecce, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Pierluigi Pinto/LaPresse via AP)
However, neither showed much urgency or guile in a game that featured few clear scoring chances.
Politano, who replaced Leonardo Spinazzola just five minutes earlier, eventually broke the deadlock with 11 minutes remaining when he fired home a low shot after the Milan defense failed to clear a cross from the left.
Milan poured forward in the final minutes but could not get an equalizer and dropped to third.
Napoli was seven points behind Inter with seven matches remaining. AC Milan was two points further back.
U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie scored for Juventus to beat Genoa 2-0 and was named man of the match.
McKennie netted 17 minutes after kickoff to add to a fourth minute opener from Brazilian defender Bremer.
McKennie missed two chances to add to his tally and the woodwork also came to Genoa’s rescue when Jonathan David hit the post.
Genoa defender Aaron Martin missed a golden opportunity to bring the visitor back into the game with 15 minutes remaining when Mattia Perin got down brilliantly to save his penalty kick and his rebound.
The result enabled Juventus to close the gap on fourth-placed Como to one point. Como was held by Udinese to 0-0.
Cesc Fabregas’ men were on top for most of the game but could not find a way past Maduka Okoye in the Udinese goal.
The result brought Como’s five-game winning streak to an end in Serie A but the point kept alive its hope of winning a Champions League place.
Udinese was comfortably in mid-table, in 11th.
Atalanta remained on track for a top four finish with a comprehensive 3-0 win at Lecce.
Giorgio Scalvini opened the scoring when he hammered home after some lovely footwork inside the box and former Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic doubled Atalanta’s lead early in the second half with some clinical finishing.
Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone kept his side in the game with several fine saves but he could do nothing about the third goal, a vicious strike from Giacomo Raspadori.
The result was the fifth defeat in its last six games for Lecce and left it third from bottom in the table, equal on points with the team above it, Cremonese.
Atalanta was seventh, one point behind Roma.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Napoli's Giovanen, left, and AC Milan's Koni De Winter battle for the ball during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Milan in Naples, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Udinese's Thomas Kristensen goes for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Como, in Udine, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio saves a penalty kick during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Genoa in Turin, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Weston McKennie celebrates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Fc and Genoa in Turin, Italy, Monday April 6, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Lecce and Atalanta, in Lecce, Italy, Monday, April 6, 2026. (Pierluigi Pinto/LaPresse via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Catchers were far more successful than batters through Major League Baseball's first full week of challenges to robot umpires, led by the Detroit Tigers and Dillon Dingler.
The overall success rate in the Automated Ball-Strike System was 55.2% (299 of 542), with fielding teams winning 59.7% of challenges (175 of 293), including 60.4% by catchers (169 of 280).
“I like it a little more. I was pretty staunch against it, which I still may be to some degree,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
There were just 13 challenges by pitchers, who won six. Batters were successful on 49.8% (124 of 249).
“I think it’s fun. It’s its own game inside the game, almost," Tampa Bay catcher Hunter Feduccia said.
Success rate was up from 49.5% last year at Triple-A, where defense won 53.7% and batters 49.5%
Detroit won the highest percentage of calls at 75% (15 of 20) while Arizona was at 71%, and Baltimore and Cincinnati both 67%.
Minnesota called for the most challenges with 32, winning 20 for a 63% success rate. Texas had the fewest, winning 4 of 10.
Cleveland was the least successful at 32%, with Washington at 38% and St. Louis and Texas at 40%
Detroit catchers were 8-0, with seven wins by Dingler.
ABS' impact could be seen when Atlanta played at Arizona last Thursday. The Braves were ahead 2-1 when the Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson threw a 3-2 curveball on the upper, outside corner to Ozzie Albies that was called a strike by Malachi Moore. Albies challenged and headed toward first even before ABS showed the pitch missed the strike zone by 1.1 inches. The walk started an eight-run rally in a 17-2 romp.
“In some of these games, it’s had a more of a swinging effect on outcomes of at-bats and how things change than maybe even you thought,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said.
Logan O’Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels had the most victories, successful on 10 of 12. The Marlins’ Agustín Ramírez won 7 of 9 and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith 8 of 11.
Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won 4 of 9 and the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers 3 of 9.
Among batters, Mark Vientos of the New York Mets and Iván Herrera both went 3-0. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels was 3-1 along with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber and Tampa Bay's Jake Fraley.
Colorado's Hunter Goodman and Washington's Luis García Jr. were both 0 for 3.
Boone said Yankees staff and players daily review challenges made and opportunities missed.
Players still are getting used to ABS. Washington's Jorbit Vivas tapped his helmet signaling for an appeal on March 31 when the Nationals already had exhausted their two challenges.
Among umpires, Mike Estabrook had 11 of 12 calls overturned (91.7%), Andy Fletcher had 15 of 17 (88.2%), Ron Kulpa and Paul Clemons each 7 of 9 (77.8%) and Chris Segal 10 of 13 (76.9%), according to taptochallenge.com.
Will Little had just 1 of 10 calls reversed while Erich Bacchus was perfect with no overturned calls in five challenges. Others with low overturn rates with at least five challenges included Emil Jiménez (1 of 5), Jordan Baker (2 of 8), Ryan Additon and Nick Mahrley (both 2 of 7) and David Rackley (3 of 10).
Offense again lagged through the first 139 games of the 2,430-game season.
The .234 big league batting average is down from .239 through 12 days last year (including the two games in Japan), when it finished at .245. The average usually increases as the weather warms. The full-season low of .237 was set in 1968.
Runs per game averaged 8.8, up from 8.7, and stolen bases dropped to 1.4 per game from 1.6
Average fastball velocity is 94.6 mph, up from 94.1 mph through the first full week last year. The final figure increased in each of the last five seasons to a record 94.5 mph in 2025. It was 91.9 mph when MLB first started tracking in 2008.
“I wish I was facing the same pitching as I did my rookie year back when guys were throwing 88-mile-an-hour sinkers over the plate," said 33-year-old Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges. “That pitch doesn’t exist anymore.”
The average time of a nine-inning game is 2 hours, 43 minutes, up from 2:37 at this point last year, when it finished at 2:38.
Pitch clock violations averaged 0.17 per game, down from 0.22 through 139 games last year.
MLB's average crowd of 31,725 through 138 dates was up 1.5% over 31,255 for the same period last year.
AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston and Steve Megargee, and AP freelance writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (27) watches a replay of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) during the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Houston, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Minnesota Twins' Josh Bell, right, signals for an ABS challenge on a called third strike, which was upheld, during the first inning of baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler throws to first base for an out on a St. Louis Cardinals' Victor Scott II bunt in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
