Sports
Brandon Marsh, Phillies eager to continue torrid play in clash vs. A's
May 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) high fives left fielder Brandon Marsh (16) after hitting a two RBI home run during the eighth inning against the Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images When the Philadelphia Phillies were 9-19, it seemed as if nothing was going their way.
The rejuvenated Phillies are happy to have some luck on their side as they head into Thursday night’s home game against the Athletics.
Since Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as Philadelphia’s manager, the team is 8-1. The Phillies swept the San Francisco Giants last week and took three of four from the Miami Marlins before capturing their first two games against the Athletics this week.
The Phillies trailed Wednesday’s game 3-2 in the eighth before an error by A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil opened the door for a four-run inning. Edmundo Sosa had the go-ahead, two-run single in the frame, and Philadelphia went on to win 6-3.
“If you’re looking at some of the things that were happening early, it felt like every time we made a mistake, (the other team) capitalized,” Mattingly said. “Now we’re getting a break here and there, and we’re capitalizing. So when you’re catching some breaks and getting some big hits, you just want to ride this as long as you can.”
Brandon Marsh had three hits, including a triple, to lead the Phillies’ offensive attack. He enters Thursday’s contest with a hit in 12 of his last 13 games, including back-to-back three-hit efforts to open this series vs. the A’s.
“We talk about him every night, almost, right now, so we want to keep riding that,” Mattingly said of Marsh. “He’s swinging the bat good. He’s a big part of what we’re doing right now.”
The A’s, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five games and have given up an average of 9.3 runs in those four defeats. Jeffrey Springs put them in position to win Wednesday’s contest, as the left-hander allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings before the bullpen ran into trouble.
“Physically, I felt like the stuff was still pretty good,” said Springs, who threw 75 pitches after leaving his previous start with hip soreness. “Obviously I understand (manager Mark Kotsay’s) decision. That’s his call.”
Jack Perkins and Hogan Harris combined to allow four runs in the eighth inning, although McNeil’s error played a major role in the bullpen meltdown.
“Bullpen’s been doing well, but tonight we just couldn’t finish the game,” Kotsay said.
On Thursday, the Phillies will start rookie right-hander Andrew Painter (1-3, 5.28 ERA), who has yet to work six innings in any of his first six major league appearances. He allowed three runs in five innings Saturday in a 4-0 loss to the Marlins, although he gave up seven hits and three walks in an up-and-down performance.
“They’ve been close,” Painter said, referring to outings in which he’s been one pitch away from getting out of a key jam. “Today, I just shot myself in the foot.”
In his first career start against the A’s, Painter will oppose right-hander J.T. Ginn (0-1, 4.30 ERA), who will start against the Phillies for the first time.
Ginn allowed a season-worst five runs in 4 1/3 innings Friday against the Cleveland Guardians. He gave up five hits and a season-high five walks in an 8-5 setback.
“He tried to work out of trouble all night,” Kotsay said. “It just wasn’t his night tonight.”
A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz enters Thursday’s matchup with a 30-game on-base streak. He went 2-for-4 on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Former Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke retires
Jan 1, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) stands on the sidelines against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Journeyman NFL quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who started 24 games for Washington from 2021-22, announced his retirement after a seven-year career.
“Many ups and downs throughout the years, but the ups outweigh the downs tenfold,” Heinicke wrote Thursday on Instagram. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would’ve been able to live this life … Excited for this next chapter of my life.”
Heinicke, 33, made his last NFL appearance in 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers, who released him just ahead of the 2025 season.
He went 7-8 as the starter for the Washington Football Team in 2021 and 5-3-1 with the rebranded Commanders in 2022. He also appeared in games for the Houston Texans (2017), Carolina Panthers (2018), Atlanta Falcons (2023) and Chargers.
Heinicke starred in college at the FCS level at Old Dominion, where he won the Walter Payton Award and was named the FCS Player of the Year in 2012.
Undrafted in 2015, he compiled a 13-15-1 record as an NFL starter while completing 62.5% of his passes for 6,663 yards with 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions in 42 games (29 starts).
Following an injury to starter Alex Smith, Heinicke served as an emergency starter for Washington’s wild-card playoff game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 9, 2021. He completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards with one TD and one interception and also rushed for a score in a 31-23 loss played in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
–Field Level Media
Sports
With walk-off magic fueling win streak, Cubs chase sweep of Reds
Apr 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) reacts after the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images Walk-off victories are becoming almost routine for the Chicago Cubs, whose flair for the dramatic has been a common theme during their eight-game winning streak.
After opening their four-game series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds with three straight walk-off victories, Chicago aims for a sweep on Thursday.
Cincinnati moved ahead with four runs in the top of the ninth on Wednesday before the Cubs forced extra innings on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning.
Chicago emerged with the 7-6 victory after Michael Busch drew a bases-loaded walk from Brock Burke in the 10th inning.
The Cubs have won 14 straight games at Wrigley Field, matching the team’s longest home winning streak since winning 14 in a row in 2008.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more from this group of guys,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I appreciate being at the field every day and I’m so grateful to play for this crowd, as is everybody else in here. This is about as fun as it gets.”
The game marked another close loss for Cincinnati, which has dropped a season-high six consecutive games and eight of its past 10.
“It’s been a tough road trip,” said Burke, whose team was swept in three games at Pittsburgh last weekend. “We haven’t been playing as well as we want. The bullpen hasn’t been doing exactly what we want to finish games. It’s a six-day stretch in a 162-game season. You try to brush it off and move on to the next.”
Reds manager Terry Francona is looking for answers in the bullpen after Emilio Pagan sustained a left hamstring injury in the Tuesday loss. The closer went on the injured list and is expected to miss four to eight weeks.
“(We have) to learn from everything that just happened and move on,” Francona said. “It’s not fun. I know a month from now we’ll look back and go, ‘That was a (bad) week and we’re OK,’ but when you’re going through it, it’s hard.”
Right-hander Rhett Lowder (3-2, 5.09 ERA) will take the mound for Cincinnati in the series finale.
Lowder, 24, is looking to bounce back after allowing eight runs over 1 1/3 innings in a 17-7 loss to the Pirates on Saturday.
Lowder is set to make his second career start versus Chicago. He tossed five scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Sept. 28, 2024.
Chicago will counter with left-hander Shota Imanaga (3-2, 2.40 ERA), who tossed seven shutout innings with five strikeouts in a 2-0 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Imanaga, 32, owns a 43-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 41 1/3 innings this season. Spencer Steer is 3-for-6 with a homer against Imanaga, who is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three career starts vs. Cincinnati.
The Cubs’ rotation will be without left-hander Matthew Boyd for an extended period after the veteran sustained a left meniscus injury in a mishap while playing with his children on Wednesday. Manager Craig Counsell declined to say who would replace Boyd in the rotation.
“I’m not even there yet,” Counsell said. “We’ll just kind of figure out after Thursday what we will do. There will be plans, but very loose plans.”
Counsell added that a timetable for Boyd’s return would be set after his surgery takes place.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets shoot for sweep of weather-interrupted series at Colorado
May 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets center fielder Carson Benge (3) hits a two two run single in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Thursday was scheduled to be an off day for the New York Mets and Colorado Rockies, but the weather had a different plan.
Rain postponed the teams’ Tuesday game, and a snowstorm that dropped 5.8 inches pushed back the first pitch several hours on Wednesday. The Mets and Rockies will conclude the series with a makeup game Thursday afternoon.
New York will send right-hander Christian Scott (0-0. 4.26 ERA) to the mound to face Colorado lefty Jose Quintana (1-2, 4.07).
The Mets, who prevailed 10-5 on Wednesday night, have won the first two games of the series and are 4-1 to start their nine-game road trip.
Scott will start against the Rockies for the second time in his career. The other outing came on July 13, 2024, when he allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings during a no-decision. He hasn’t completed five innings in either of his past two starts overall.
New York can complete its first series sweep of the season on Thursday afternoon. The Mets won seven of their first 11 games, then lost 12 in a row and 17 of 20 before hitting the road to start May.
They took a series against the Los Angeles Angels last weekend before coming into Denver, where they have prevailed through wintry weather.
Mark Vientos, the Mets’ breakout star of the 2024 postseason when he batted .327 with five home runs in 13 games, has been one of the catalysts for New York’s recent success. He slumped during the 12-game losing streak but has bounced back to start producing again.
Vientos is hitting .250 with two home runs and six RBIs through four games in May.
“We’ve seen it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We haven’t seen that in a while, but when he gets hot, man, he can carry a team.”
The Rockies also have a player who is trending upward. Mickey Moniak, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016, signed a free-agent deal with Colorado before Opening Day last year. He hit a career-best 24 home runs in 2025 and is on pace to break that mark this season.
Moniak has 11 homers and 21 RBIs in 30 games — both of which lead the Rockies — and has four multi-homer games already this year. He had a single Wednesday night to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, which ties the longest of his career.
“I see a complete baseball player,” teammate TJ Rumfield said. “I see a cerebral baseball player. I see a guy who knows what he’s doing when he gets in the box. And he looks calm all the time.
“That’s something to take in as younger players, how calm he is in the box and how he deals with pitches, because that’s one of the best hitters in the league. I try to pick up on a little bit of what he’s doing.”
Quintana is coming off his longest start of the season, when he threw six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Atlanta Braves on Friday. He is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in six career outings, all starts, against the Mets.
–Field Level Media
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