Quick Hitters
19-year-old Soto, Harper homer, send Nats over Padres
WASHINGTON — Juan Soto, the youngest player in the majors at 19, wasn’t sure his towering drive would clear the fence in left-center field. He was the only one.
Soto hit a three-run homer in his first career start as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Diego Padres 10-2 on Monday.
Mark Reynolds had two solo home runs for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Harper had a homer and an RBI double.
Soto’s drive highlighted a fiverun second inning for Washington. The promising outfielder, who played for three minor league teams this season, hit the first pitch from Robbie Erlin (1-3) over the Nationals bullpen. It traveled an estimated 442 feet.
Called up to Washington on Sunday, Soto became the first 19-yearold to make his major league debut since Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias in 2016. He entered that game in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter and struck out. His parents arrived Sunday from the Dominican Republic but missed the game.
Gio Gonzalez (5-2) allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings. One of those hits was the first career home run for San Diego’s Franmil Reyes, playing in his seventh career game.
Erlin surrendered six runs and seven hits over four innings in his third start of the season. San Diego had won three in a row.
“(Erlin) missed some spots in the middle of the plate,” Green said. “The pitch to Soto was an up-andaway fastball. He got squared up. After that, it kind of went south.”
Reyes connected for a two-run homer in the fourth inning, but the Padres’ lineup generated little else against Gonzalez, who allowed one run over six innings in a no-decision at San Diego on May 9.
Warriors’ Andre Iguodala doubtful for Game 4 with sore knee
OAKLAND, Calif. — Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is listed as doubtful for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night against Houston because of a sore left knee.
There was a chance Iguodala’s status could be upgraded later Monday, the team said.
The 2015 NBA Finals MVP has been starting regularly this postseason, including the first three games of the West finals with the defending champion Warriors leading the Rockets 2-1 in the bestof-seven series. The Warriors won Sunday’s game 126-85, with the 41-point victory margin the largest in franchise history in a postseason game.
Without Iguodala, the Warriors would lose one of their top defenders and playmakers. He banged his knee during the fourth quarter Sunday.
Since 2014-15, Golden State is 14-4 in postseason games started by Iguodala. Kerr could go with much-improved big man Kevon Looney — he blocked two shots in the first quarter alone Sunday — to keep a couple of key wing players available off the bench in Nick Young and Shaun Livingston.