Sports
Phillies, rolling since managerial change, open set vs. A's
May 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) celebrates with right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Cristopher Sanchez helped ignite the Don Mattingly era last week.
The left-hander will try to propel Mattingly and the Philadelphia Phillies to another victory Tuesday when the Athletics come to town for the opener of a three-game series.
Philadelphia’s front office fired manager Rob Thomson a week ago and replaced him with Mattingly. The move has paid immediate dividends, as the Phillies are 6-1 under their new skipper.
In Mattingly’s first series as interim manager, the Phillies swept the San Francisco Giants in a three-game set. Sanchez logged a solid outing in Game 2 of that series, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings during a 3-2 triumph.
“I think he just kept fighting and kept making pitches,” Mattingly said. “That’s a pretty good outing when a guy gives up two in the first and can come back like that and keep us in the game.”
Sanchez did not appear in the team’s four-game series against the Miami Marlins that concluded Monday, but other players stepped up, including Aaron Nola. The veteran right-hander worked six scoreless innings Monday in a 1-0 victory, while Bryce Harper took care of the offense with his seventh homer of the year.
“April’s behind us,” Harper said. “We’ve got to step forward and understand that we’re stacking days and playing better and just keep it going, no matter where we’re at, what’s happening in the game or anything. Just stack the days and be where we want to be at the end.”
The Athletics are coming off a 7-1 home win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, although that was their only win of the three-game series. The A’s allowed 22 runs while losing the first two games of the weekend set.
“Today was a big game for us,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said following the Sunday victory. “Dropping these last two games, you could feel a difference in the club emotionally, I think. There was a feeling of, ‘Man, we should have won those games.'”
Colby Thomas, Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom homered on Sunday for the A’s, who have scored at least five runs in each of their past five games.
“I think we approach the game the same every day,” Thomas said. “We just want to go out there and win. I’m sure everybody knows where we’re at in the standings (first place in the American League West), and we’re just going to try to continue to play like we have been playing.”
The A’s will give the nod on Tuesday to Luis Severino (2-2, 4.46 ERA), who is coming off a pair of solid outings. The Dominican right-hander allowed two runs in 13 2/3 innings over the outings against the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals while earning his first two wins of the year.
“Since (making a mechanical adjustment), I just feel more in command and feel like I can throw the ball wherever I want,” Severino said.
In three lifetime starts against the Phillies, Severino is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA.
Sanchez has faced the A’s twice, allowing three runs in 8 2/3 innings over those two outings without recording a decision.
The Phillies are expected to activate closer Jhoan Duran before Tuesday’s game. The hard-throwing right-hander missed the past three weeks due to a left oblique strain.
The Phillies and A’s played a three-game set in West Sacramento, Calif., last season. The visitors won two of the three matchups.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami homes again as White Sox top Angels
May 4, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) watches the flight of the ball on a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Munetaka Murakami had three hits, scored three runs and smacked his 14th homer to back Davis Martin as the Chicago White Sox shut out the Los Angeles Angels 6-0 Tuesday night at Anaheim, Calif.
Miguel Vargas also homered to help the White Sox beat the Angels for the fourth time in eight days. Chicago has won six of its last seven to move one game below .500.
Andrew Benintendi had four hits and one RBI, Jarred Kelenic had three hits, and Vargas and Sam Antonacci each had two hits as the White Sox racked up 16 overall.
Martin (5-1) gave up five hits, struck out a career-high 10 and didn’t walk anybody over seven shutout innings in winning his third straight decision. He has allowed one or fewer runs in five of his past six starts.
Sean Newcomb struck out four in two perfect innings to complete the shutout.
Los Angeles’ Jose Soriano (5-2) served up two homers while being touched up by Chicago for the second straight outing. He had a microscopic 0.24 ERA over his first six starts before giving up eight runs and 14 hits over nine innings in the two starts, raising his ERA to 1.74.
Soriano gave up five runs and eight hits over four innings on Monday. He struck out five and walked three.
Nolan Schanuel and Travis d’Arnaud had two hits apiece for the Angels, who have lost 13 of their past 15 games.
Soriano walked Antonacci and Murakami to open the game before striking out the next two batters. Chase Meidroth then delivered a run-scoring single to center and Benintendi followed with a ground single to center to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, Antonacci singled to left with one out and Murakami followed with a 429-foot blast to center to join to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in a tie for the major-league home run lead.
Three pitches later, Vargas jumped on Soriano’s fastball and homered to right-center to make it 5-0.
The White Sox added on in the eighth when Murakami, Vargas and Colson Montgomery hit consecutive two-out singles off Mitch Farris.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mariners hit 2 home runs, overcome Braves' 4 homers
May 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver (18), left, and starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) meet at the mound during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford homered in a five-run sixth inning as the Seattle Mariners rallied to defeat the visiting Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Monday in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
The Mariners snapped a three-game skid and halted Atlanta’s three-game winning streak on a night all nine runs scored via the long ball. The major-league-leading Braves lost for just the fourth time in the past 19 games.
Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (2-3) got the victory despite allowing four solo home runs. The right-hander gave up four runs on six hits over six innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Seattle relievers Jose A. Ferrer and Eduard Bazardo combined for two scoreless innings, and closer Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his seventh save of the season.
Braves reliever Tyler Kinley (3-2) was charged with two runs in his lone inning.
Matt Olson hit his 300th career homer for the Braves, and teammates Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley also went deep.
Baldwin led off the game with a homer to center field.
It remained 1-0 until the sixth, when Albies and Olson began the inning with homers to center. An out later, Riley went deep to left-center for a 4-0 advantage.
Braves rookie right-hander JR Ritchie, who grew up on nearby Bainbridge Island, cruised through the first five innings before walking the first two batters he faced in the sixth. Raley hit a three-run shot to right-center, pulling the Mariners within 4-3 and ending Ritchie’s night.
Kinley issued a one-out walk to Mitch Garver, and with two outs, Crawford homered to right to put Seattle ahead.
Ritchie, making his third major league start, allowed three runs on four hits in five-plus innings. He walked six and struck out two.
Braves catcher Sean Murphy, making his season debut after recovering from hip surgery performed last September, challenged two ball-strike calls in the first inning and lost both, exhausting his team’s limit. He went 0-for-3 at the plate.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh sat out his third consecutive game due to discomfort in his right side.
–Field Level Media
Sports
In return of Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves stun Spurs in Game 1
May 4, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) in the first half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Julius Randle scored 21 points and Anthony Edwards came off the bench to hit for 18 points as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 104-102 on Monday in Game 1 of the teams’ Western Conference semifinal series.
The Timberwolves will take a 1-0 lead into Game 2, which will be contested on Wednesday in the Alamo City. Games 3 and 4 will be in Minneapolis on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Minnesota was bolstered by the return of Edwards, who suffered a bone bruise in his left knee on April 25 that was supposed to keep him out “multiple weeks.”
San Antonio led by three points after three quarters. Edwards scored 11 of the Timberwolves’ first 19 points of the fourth period before Minnesota reeled off a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Mike Conley with 4:42 left to build a 95-86 advantage.
Victor Wembanyama’s dunk with 44 seconds left trimmed the margin to four and Dylan Harper’s steal and layup with 31 seconds remaining brought San Antonio within a bucket. After a miss by Randle, the Spurs opted not to call a time out and got the ball to Julian Champagnie, who’s 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the front of the rim and away.
Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. added 16 points each for Minnesota. Naz Reid and Conley had 12 points apiece with Randle and Rudy Gobert grabbing 10 rebounds each.
Harper led the Spurs with 18 points while Stephon Castle and Champagnie scored 17 each. Devin Vassell had 14 points and Wembanyama recorded an 11-point, 15-rebound, 12 blocked shots triple-double despite going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. Keldon Johnson also had 11 points for San Antonio.
Randle ran the floor for a dunk over Wembanyama at the buzzer to allow the Timberwolves to earn a 24-22 advantage after 12 minutes of play.
The teams traded runs over the first half of the second quarter as San Antonio built a 35-29 lead after a pair of free throws by Luke Kornet at the 6:38 mark. The Timberwolves swung back with a 7-0 surge capped by a layup by Reid that netted them a 36-35 advantage, and the rest of the half went back and forth before ending tied at 45-all.
Harper led all scorers with 11 points before halftime while Castle added 10 for the Spurs. Edwards, Reid and Randle had seven points each to pace Minnesota in the first half.
–Field Level Media
Munetaka Murakami homes again as White Sox top Angels
Mariners hit 2 home runs, overcome Braves' 4 homers
