Arenado and Donovan help the Cardinals beat the Astros 8-3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado homered and Brendan Donovan went 4 for 4, helping Sonny Gray and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 8-3 on Monday night.

Arenado also doubled twice and scored two runs in the opener of a three-game series. Donovan extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Gray (3-0) pitched seven scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, struck out four and walked one.

The Cardinals have won Gray's last eight home starts dating to last season.

Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (1-2) was tagged for seven runs — six earned — in four-plus innings. Five of the 10 hits he allowed were doubles.

Arenado hit a solo drive off Luis Contreras in the eighth. It was his second homer of the season.

The Cardinals broke it open with three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.

Pedro Pagés hit a two-run double to make it 3-0 in the fourth. Nolan Gorman's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 7-0 in the fifth.

Donovan scored twice and drove in a run. He is batting an NL-high .391.

Houston's Jeremy Peña hit a three-run homer off Roddery Muñoz with two outs in the ninth.

Arenado drove in the first run in the fifth. He fouled off four straight offerings in a 10-pitch at-bat before ripping an RBI double to left.

Gray set the tone when he retired Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes and Yordan Alvarez in order in the first inning. The Astros’ only hit off Gray through five was catcher Yainer Diaz’s infield single in the second.

Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (1-1, 2.00 ERA) starts on Tuesday night. Right-hander Erick Fedde (1-1, 4.50 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Cardinals.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Houston Astros' Chas McCormick (20) is caught stealing second as St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman, left, places the tag during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker (18) is congratulated by teammates Brendan Donovan (33) and Victor Scott II (11) after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado hits an RBI double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras, left, as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz leaps for the throw during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado watches his solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado, right, celebrates as he arrives home after hitting a solo home run as Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz stands by during the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena watches his three-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, April 14, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is leaving the administration just weeks after it was revealed he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans, according to two people familiar with the matter Thursday, marking the first major staff shake-up of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.

Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.

Waltz, who served in the House representing Florida for three terms before his elevation to the White House, is the most prominent senior administration official to depart since Trump returned to the White House. In his second term, the Republican president had been looking to avoid the tumult of his first four years in office, during which he cycled through four national security advisers, four White House chiefs of staff and two secretaries of state.

The Signal chain also showed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop. Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.

Trump and the White House — which insisted that no classified information was shared on the text chain — have stood by Waltz publicly throughout the episode. But the embattled national security adviser was also under siege from personalities such as Loomer, who had been complaining to administration officials that she had been excluded from the vetting process for National Security Council aides. In her view, Waltz relied too much on “neocons” — referring to hawkish neoconservatives within the Republican Party — as well as others who Loomer argued were “not-MAGA-enough” types.

Waltz was on television as late as Thursday morning, promoting the administration’s agreement with Kyiv that would allow the U.S. to access Ukraine’s critical minerals and other natural resources. As reports began to circulate that Waltz could be leaving the administration, Loomer appeared to take credit in a post on the social media site X, writing: “SCALP.”

“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer wrote in another post.

Loomer had taken a similar victory lap when several other NSC officials were dismissed last month one day after she met with Trump. Those firings included Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director for technology and national security, as well as other lower-ranking aides.

Waltz’s resignation comes as questions are swirling around Hegseth and his role in the Signal chat.

While Waltz set it up, Hegseth posted times for aircraft launches and bomb drops into the unsecured app and shared the same information with dozens of people in a second chat, including his wife and brother.

The Associated Press reported that Hegseth also bypassed Pentagon security protocols to set up an unsecured line for a personal computer in his office –- beside terminals where he was receiving classified information. That raises the possibility that sensitive information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.

The Pentagon inspector general is investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal, and he has faced criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans. It has added to the turmoil at the Pentagon at a time when Hegseth has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers. Nonetheless, Trump has maintained public confidence in Hegseth.

—-

Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz listens as President Donald Trump meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks during a television interview at the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)