Now that the Philadelphia Phillies have ended their 10-game losing streak, they’ll try to do on Sunday what no one else has done this season — win a series against the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies beat the Braves 8-5 in 10 innings on Saturday to square the three-game series in Atlanta. The Braves are 7-0-1 in series this season, including a three-game sweep of Philadelphia last week, and have the best record in the National League.

“We needed it for sure,” Philadelphia first baseman Bryce Harper said. “Got to keep working. Obviously, we were in a bad stretch, so to get a win is huge. Got to keep doing it.”

The pitching matchup for the rubber game features Atlanta’s Chris Sale (4-1, 2.79 ERA) against Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (1-2, 5.06).

Sale is looking for a repeat performance from April 18, when he beat the Phillies 3-1. Sale pitched a season-long seven innings and allowed only one run on five hits and one walk. He matched his season high with seven strikeouts. Sale has allowed one or fewer runs in four of his five starts.

“He threw the ball really well, using all his pitches,” Atlanta catcher Jonah Heim said. “That’s what future Hall of Famers do — they go out against division rivals and they give their best effort. It was a lot of fun to be behind the plate for.”

Sale has made eight career starts against the Phillies, going 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA. He faced Philadelphia three times in 2025 and went 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA.

Nola did not face the Braves when the teams met last week. In his most recent start on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, he was removed after pitching only 4 1/3 innings, his shortest stint of the season. He allowed five runs on six hits and four walks, striking out five in a 5-1 loss.

“After the first inning, it just seemed like (Nola) had trouble getting ahead, trouble commanding his fastball,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said afterward. “Wasn’t landing his breaking ball. I don’t know if the ball was a little slick or what. Four walks, kind of uncharacteristic for Aaron. It was a tough one for him.”

Nola has made 38 career starts against Atlanta, the most against any opponent, and posted a 17-11 record with a 3.65 ERA. He made one appearance against the Braves last season and earned a victory in a 19-4 Philadelphia win.

The Phillies had 11 hits in Saturday’s win, with only one starter failing to get a hit. Harper was 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including a two-run single in the 10th inning to produce the go-ahead runs.

“I’m just trying to get something to hit hard,” Harper said. “I feel good at the plate right now.”

Atlanta’s Michael Harris II was back in the starting lineup as the designated hitter. He went 2-for-4, upping his average to .333, and drove in two runs. But his absence in center field was felt. His replacement, Eli White, slipped on the wet grass in the eighth inning, leading to Kyle Schwarber’s triple. He scored on Harper’s sacrifice fly.

Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. continues to struggle. He was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .226. He walked in the seventh and stole second base but was picked off by Jose Alvarado to end the threat.

–Field Level Media

The visiting Cleveland Guardians could use improved fielding Sunday afternoon to help their chances in the rubber match of the three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays took the middle game of the three-game series on Saturday 5-3 with some help from some shaky Guardians defense.

Guardians second baseman Juan Brito let Daulton Varsho’s grounder squirt past him for an RBI single in Toronto’s three-run sixth.

“We should have been out of that inning with maybe one run scoring,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We had a tough inning defensively. It happens.”

Brito has had other defensive lapses but Vogt said he will keep playing him.

“He’ll be out there again Sunday,” Vogt said. “He’s continuing to work. … and, you know, this turf maybe hops a little different, but we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to catch the ball, and we’re going to continue to work defensively. We need to get better. That’s clear, and we’re going to do that.”

Left fielder George Valera also had an adventurous day. He overran Myles Straw’s fifth-inning fly that dropped for a double down the left-field line. Valera’s sliding attempt came up short in the sixth on Andres Gimenez’s two-run, two-out double on the left-field line.

Right-hander Slade Cecconi (0-3, 6.20 ERA) is the scheduled starter Sunday for the Guardians. He has not faced the Blue Jays.

Toronto is slated to start Patrick Corbin (0-0, 3.68). He is 1-1 with a 4.44 ERA in five career starts against Cleveland. Right-hander Dylan Cease was originally named to start Sunday but he was moved to Monday to face the Boston Red Sox to give him an extra day after a 110-pitch outing on April 20.

Steven Kwan was out of the Guardians lineup for the second consecutive game on Saturday. He was given a scheduled day off on Friday to provide a break from the artificial turf at Rogers Centre and was used as a ninth-inning defensive replacement.

Kwan was in the lineup for Saturday but was a late scratch because of a stiff neck.

“This is independent of yesterday,” Vogt said. “We put him in the game Friday and he was fine.”

Kwan said he woke up with a stiff neck.

With Toronto’s Jeff Hoffman removed from the closer’s role, Louis Varland pitched a shaky ninth Saturday to pick up the save. He allowed a run, three hits and a walk before ending the game with two strikeouts.

“Louis has the mentality to do that,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He has great numbers. It’s not going to be perfect and it’s not going to be perfect for anyone, so I hope people have a little bit of sympathy for Hoffman. This is not easy. “

Toronto put Nathan Lukes on the injured list with a strained left hamstring and promoted outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Triple-A Buffalo.

Lukes suffered the injury running out a first-inning double on Friday and left the game immediately.

“He’s kind of week-to-week,” Schneider said. “It feels like anyone who’s playing good is not allowed to play anymore.”

Pinango was batting .288/.370/.488 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 22 games at Buffalo.

“He hits the ball hard,” Schneider said. “The way the hitting guys talk about it is that he has some bad intentions at the plate. He’s not just trying to touch it.”

–Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox barely had a chance to enjoy a big day of success on the field before there was an overhaul of the coaching staff.

They’ll go into Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the host Baltimore Orioles with Chad Tracy as interim manager after the firing of Alex Cora was revealed hours after Saturday’s game.

Several of Cora’s staff members were also let go, so the positivity from a 17-1 whipping of the Orioles on Saturday probably has been dashed in the visiting clubhouse. Tracy has been managing Boston’s top affiliate, Triple-A Worcester, since 2022.

Lopsided results have defined the first two games of the series between the Red Sox and Orioles.

The Red Sox lost 10-3 in Friday night’s series opener. Cora noted the encouraging turnaround in comments following Saturday’s result.

“That happened (Friday) night and then we showed up (Saturday),” Cora said. “We did a lot of good things. We still have to be better in certain areas.”

The Red Sox were the second-to-last team in the American League to reach the 10-win mark this season, so perhaps that led to Cora’s dismissal. Boston is 10-17.

“We’ve got a chance to win the series (Sunday). That’s the most important thing,” Cora said prior to the firing being announced. “I keep saying get to .500. … You win series and you keep moving and we have a chance to do that.”

Aside from Cora, at least five other members of the coaching staff won’t be on hand for Sunday’s game.

Meanwhile, Baltimore had a two-game winning streak snapped.

“Any loss is tough,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “I wouldn’t say it’s any more tough. It’s a loss. And then, you move on, we play (Sunday). We have a chance to come out and win the series.”

Boston will send left-hander Connelly Early (1-1, 2.88 ERA) to the mound. He’s coming off his lone loss Tuesday against the New York Yankees, though he has been consistent in multiple ways. He has recorded 24 strikeouts in 25 innings this season while walking multiple batters in each of his five outings.

In Early’s three road assignments, he has given up one run in each game. He’ll be facing the Orioles for the first time.

Baltimore will call on right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-2, 3.96), who also has worked 25 innings this season. He has posted 28 strikeouts and he also has dealt with control snags, issuing three walks in four of his outings.

Bradish dodged trouble in Monday’s no-decision at Kansas City, where he allowed 10 hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Bradish faced Boston last August in his first game back following 2024 surgery, giving up two runs in six innings while taking the loss. Overall, he’s 1-5 with a 6.92 ERA versus the Red Sox.

The Orioles used left-hander Keegan Akin on Saturday for his 2026 debut after he was activated from the injured list. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning before failing to record an out in the ninth and charged with six runs.

Still, Akin’s availability in the big picture could be a positive for Baltimore.

“He’s a guy that we were counting on coming into the season and him going down there in spring training was tough,” Albernaz said. “But the rest of the guys in the bullpen stepped up, so now adding Akin, it definitely raises the floor of our ‘pen.”

Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill made his first game appearance since April 8 by going 1-for-4 and scoring a run in Saturday’s game. He had been on the concussion injury list.

He was thrilled to be back in action, though the result wasn’t favorable.

“It sucks to be on the losing side, but we know what this offense is capable of,” O’Neill said.

–Field Level Media