Sports
With division clinched, Phillies face Cubs, eye NL's best mark
Aug 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tanner Banks (58) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images One night after earning their first National League East title since 2011, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to carry over the celebration into their Tuesday contest against the visiting Chicago Cubs.
The Phillies (93-64) clinched the division crown on Monday with a 6-2 win over the Cubs (80-77). Philadelphia was coming off a 2-5 road trip against the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets that delayed sealing the division title, but that disappointment didn’t linger into Monday.
Aaron Nola pitched into the seventh inning and Philadelphia received early home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. Carlos Estevez recorded the final three outs to ignite a subdued celebration on the field that quickly turned into a raucous party in the locker room.
“We had some chances on the road to do it, but honestly it really feels nice to do it at home,” Nola said.
As a veteran team, the Phillies could opt to rest some of their older players down the stretch. However, they are also in a neck-and-neck battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers (93-63) for the best record in the National League, so they likely will be incentivized to compete for every win over the final five games.
“It’s just another step in what our ultimate goal is going to be this season, which is to win the World Series,” Realmuto said.
The Phillies have two games remaining at Citizens Bank Park, where they own the best home record in baseball (53-26).
“I saw a couple of guys looking around the stadium and taking it all in,” second baseman Bryson Stott said.
Philadelphia will give the ball to reliever Tanner Banks (2-2, 3.78 ERA) to open the Tuesday game, and likely that the team will go through a variety of pitchers. Former fifth starters Kolby Allard and Taijuan Walker are among those who could see action.
Banks has a 5.40 ERA in three career appearances vs. Chicago. In his lone outing against the Cubs this year, he gave up two runs on two hits while getting just one out for the Chicago White Sox on June 4.
Justin Steele (5-5, 3.03 ERA) will get the nod for the Cubs in his second start since missing about three weeks due to elbow tendinitis. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his return to the mound Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics, yielding two hits and three walks in a scoreless effort before getting pulled after 57 pitches.
Steele was generally positive about the performance.
“It felt really good out there,” he said. “Felt good to be back out there feeling the jitters and stuff again. Main thing, felt healthy, felt really good out there.”
Steele has made two lifetime starts against Philadelphia, allowing only one run in two starts (11 innings). However, he certainly will keep a close eye on Nick Castellanos, who is 6-for-14 with a homer against the 29-year-old lefty.
At a higher level, the Cubs know they need to be more consistent if they are going to compete with the NL Central champion Brewers year in, year out.
“I mean, listen, the standings don’t lie. You are what you are,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “And I think when you look at the standings, there’s a big gap in the standings. There’s a big gap to the rest of the division.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics return home with chance to finish off reeling Sixers
Apr 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reacts after making a three point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The Boston Celtics can close out the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
After splitting two games in Boston, the second-seeded Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by beating the seventh-seeded 76ers twice in Philadelphia.
“Played another about-as-bad-as-you-can-play game,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said following Boston’s 128-96 victory in Game 4. “That’s two out of four in this series. Played well in the other two and we got to get back to playing well quickly. Got to go get one.”
Philadelphia can point to defending the perimeter as one of the must-fix items on the 76ers’ list in order to stave off elimination. The Celtics made 24 3-pointers during Game 4, shooting 48.3% overall and 45.3% from 3-point range.
Payton Pritchard, Boston’s backup point guard, made 6 of 12 3-pointers and tossed in 32 points in the Game 4 victory. Pritchard was 2-of-13 from 3-point territory in the first two games of the series and then made 5 of 10 3-pointers in Boston’s Game 3 win.
“I don’t know if I saw anything different,” Pritchard said. “It’s just more playing with that aggression, playing with that spark. I felt it in Game 3. I was telling some of the coaches I thought it was a step in the right direction as far as my aggression and getting my rhythm back.”
Boston’s 24 3-point field goals set a franchise record for made 3-pointers in a playoff game. Jayson Tatum made five shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
“It was very bad,” Nurse said when asked about his team’s defensive effort in Game 4. “It just didn’t seem like any matchup could guard anybody one-on-one. We had them pushed out and bottled up and physical and really off kind of rhythm for a couple games, and there was none of that “
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid returned to the court after missing the first three games in the series following an emergency appendectomy on April 9. He finished with a team-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, but didn’t get a lot of offensive support.
Tyrese Maxey scored 22 points, but attempted only three shots in the first half. VJ Edgecombe was 2-of-9 from the field and had six points.
“That can’t happen,” Maxey said. “That’s on me. That absolutely can’t happen. That’s unacceptable by me. I was playing within the flow of the game and it kind of just happened that way.
” … We can’t win basketball games with that happening and I take full responsibility on that one.”
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics have to be prepared for Philadelphia’s best effort in Game 5.
“Regardless of who we’re playing against, we have to have an understanding that they are a really good team,” he said. “They can beat you on any given night. They’ve got great talent with the three stars that they have (Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George) and their role players when they are at their best … We’ve got to be disciplined on all the things that we can control – physical, mental, emotional, psychological, tactical, all of them.”
The winner of the Celtics/76ers series will meet either third-seeded New York or sixth-seeded Atlanta in the next round. That series is 2-2 headed back to New York for Game 5 Tuesday.
“We’ve got three chances to win one game,” Jaylen Brown said. “And the goal is just to get it done as soon as possible.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez a reliever 'for now' to work on delivery flaw
Mar 28, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) throws against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is moving to the bullpen “for now” to work out a mechanical flaw in his delivery, Atlanta manager Walt Weiss told reporters Sunday.
Lopez began the season as Atlanta’s No. 2 starter after making just one start in 2025 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He had a 2.18 ERA through four starts this season before he gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in one inning of last Tuesday’s 11-4 loss at Washington.
“We see him as a starter,” Weiss said. “He’s working through some things, delivery wise, that type of thing, and he’s getting right there. And when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues at the end of spring training.
“So we see him as a starter long term, but right now, trying to iron some things out. He’s going to help us out of the pen in the short term.”
Lopez has extensive experience both as a starter and reliever at the major league level. He’s posted a 48-55 career record and 3.93 ERA over 273 appearances (128 starts) over 11 seasons.
He earned his first All-Star nod and finished 11th in National League Cy Young Award voting during his first season with the Braves in 2024 when he finished with a 1.99 ERA, 148 strikeouts and 42 walks over 135 2/3 innings.
Atlanta kept 22-year-old right-hander JR Ritchie on its major league roster after he allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven over seven innings in his major league debut Thursday vs. Washington. He’s set to make his first home start Wednesday against Detroit.
The Braves are also expecting right-hander Spencer Strider to make his season debut as soon as this weekend at Colorado after he started the season on the injured list with a strained oblique.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alex Fitzpatrick officially accepts PGA Tour membership
Apr 26, 2026; Avondale, Louisiana, USA; Alex Fitzpatrick walks on the green on hole 18 during the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Alex Fitzpatrick officially accepted PGA Tour membership following his emotional victory alongside his brother, Matt, in last week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
His decision hardly is a surprise, given he said as much following the win, which their parents were on hand to witness.
“I am, indeed, yeah, yeah. I signed as quick as I could. I’m still shaking, and yeah, it was crazy,” the 27-year-old Englishman said during a media interaction at TPC Louisiana on Sunday.
The win was the first on the PGA Tour in his 11th career start for Fitzpatrick, who is now exempt through the 2028 season and is eligible to compete in this week’s Cadillac Championship, the fifth of eight Signature Events this season. The DP World Tour player also qualified for the remaining three — the Truist Championship, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship — as well as the 2026 PGA Championship and the 2027 The Players Championship.
Fitzpatrick turned professional in 2022 after his collegiate career at Wake Forest.
–Field Level Media
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 29, 2026
Celtics return home with chance to finish off reeling Sixers
