The Houston Astros placed left-hander Bennett Sousa on the 15-day injured list Saturday and recalled right-hander Jayden Murray from Triple-A Sugar Land.

Sousa is dealing with left elbow inflammation and his IL move is retroactive to Wednesday.

Sousa, 31, has an 8.10 ERA in five relief appearances this season. He is 8-1 with a 4.54 ERA in parts of four major league seasons for three teams, including the Astros since 2023.

Murray, 29, had a 6.00 ERA in four relief appearances earlier this season and has a 3.06 ERA in 13 career games (one start) since making his major league debut last season.

The Astros also claimed outfielder Rhylan Thomas off waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to Sugar Land. Right-hander Hunter Brown (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Brandon Lockridge on the 10-day injured list, while outfielder Blake Perkins was recalled from Triple-A Nashville, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Saturday.

Lockridge, 29, was injured when he slid into the wall in foul territory during the fourth inning of Friday’s game against the New York Yankees. X-rays were negative but he was diagnosed with a laceration down to the bone.

Lockridge was batting .294 with four doubles and 12 RBIs in 28 games this season. In three seasons with the San Diego Padres and Brewers he is a career .251 hitter with one home run and 24 RBIs in 107 games.

Perkins, 29, was 5-for-46 (.109) in 19 games with the Brewers before he was optioned to Nashville on Monday. In four seasons with Milwaukee, Perkins is a career .224 hitter with 13 home runs and 87 RBIs in 261 games.

–Field Level Media

Even without their lineup at full strength, the New York Knicks are showing they are on a different level than the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will try to sweep their best-of-seven second-round playoff series when they visit the Sixers in Game 4 on Sunday.

New York, the No. 3 seed, is looking to reach back-to-back Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1999-2000. The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in last year’s conference finals and are determined to make amends for that setback despite currently playing without one of their top performers.

Versatile New York forward OG Anunoby (hamstring) missed Game 3 and will be a game-time decision for Game 4. Without him, Brunson scored a team-high 33 points and dished out nine assists in Friday’s 108-94 win, while Mikal Bridges pitched in 23 points.

“It was definitely a team effort,” Brunson said. “Obviously, we want everyone back healthy. But it was important for everyone to step up and have the right mindset — to do whatever you gotta do to win.”

Philadelphia, the No. 7 seed, pulled a first-round upset against the Boston Celtics but appears to be running out of gas in this series. The Sixers’ stars are all playing heavy minutes and the team has wilted in the fourth quarter in back-to-back games.

In Game 3, Philadelphia managed only 18 points in the fourth quarter, while shooting 35.0% from the floor in the closing 12 minutes. Two days earlier, the 76ers totaled 12 fourth-quarter points on 21.1% shooting in the period of a 108-102 setback at New York.

Now, the Sixers will try to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

“You add a game to it,” Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey said of the looming task. “We had to win three in a row (in the first round against Boston) and now we’re going to have to win four in a row. It’s still a great challenge. You’ve got to go do it. Either you don’t play with any pride and you get swept on your home floor in the second round of the playoffs, or you play with some pride and you win one game at a time.”

Philadelphia hopes that Joel Embiid (ankle/hip) will be ready to take the court for Game 4. The Sixers’ center missed Game 2 and returned for Game 3, where he registered 18 points in 35 minutes. However, he only managed six rebounds as Philadelphia was clobbered 49-33 on the boards.

“We know what he’s going through,” said Sixers wing Paul George, who poured in 15 first-quarter points but didn’t score again. “We know how tough it is on his body and the work he’s putting in to get prepared to try to come out and play. We appreciate it. I think the fans appreciate it, Philadelphia appreciates it. It means a lot to see 21 suited up and giving it a go.”

Whether or not Embiid or Anunoby can play, the Knicks will lean into their trademark intensity. That aggressiveness has led them within one win of the conference finals.

“That’s just what our identity is,” said New York forward Josh Hart, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3. “We continue to give something game after game and that’s energy. That’s what we strive to have, that energy, that physicality, that attention to detail and focus.

“We try to have that every game. We need to do that game after game after game.”

–Field Level Media