Philadelphia, May 7, 2026, 19:03 EDT
- Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker each launched a two-run homer off Andrew Painter in the first inning, giving the Athletics a quick 4-0 advantage.
- Philadelphia entered as a -130 favorite, while theScore had the over/under for total runs set at 9.5.
- The Phillies held a 17-20 record coming in, though they’d just rattled off eight wins in nine games since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager. Oakland, sitting at 18-18, led the AL West.
Philadelphia’s hopes for a sweep didn’t last long Thursday. The Athletics jumped out with four runs in the opening frame at Citizens Bank Park—Shea Langeliers sent one out after Nick Kurtz reached, then Brent Rooker blasted a two-run homer after Tyler Soderstrom drew a walk.
The quick swing punched through what oddsmakers had set up before first pitch. Philadelphia sat roughly -130 on the moneyline, favored outright, while the Athletics carried the underdog tag on the road—even as a few models and analysts flagged them as a value play.
The Phillies came in eyeing a sweep after routing the Athletics 9-1 on Tuesday and following up with a 6-3 win Wednesday. According to a CBS Sports preview, Philadelphia was 8-1 since Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson—quite the reversal after opening the season 9-19.
Standings mattered here. The Athletics came in even at .500, yet topped the AL West by a game over the Seattle Mariners. The Phillies? Sitting third in the NL East, trailing the Atlanta Braves by 8-1/2 games.
Ed Scimia, analyst at Covers, sided with Philadelphia ahead of the first pitch. “Phillies’ offense gets to Ginn,” he wrote, locking in Philadelphia -130 on the moneyline. He noted the team’s four-game run, with a 23-6 scoring margin during that span. Covers
Chris Toman at RotoWire sided with the Athletics, backing them to get the road win. “I like the Athletics to win on the road,” he wrote, pointing to Painter’s reliance on fastballs, Oakland’s track record versus that pitch, and the hitter-friendly setup at Citizens Bank Park. RotoWire
Painter came in sporting a 1-3 record and a 5.28 ERA—earned runs per nine innings. Over on the mound for the Athletics, J.T. Ginn started at 0-1 with a 4.30 ERA. Oakland was trying to snap a tough 1-4 skid.
Langeliers cracked his 11th home run of the year, while Rooker notched number four. The A’s jumped out with three hits before the Phillies managed their first—an unusual twist for Philadelphia, which has lately banked on rallying late.
Mattingly chalked up the Phillies’ hot streak to a mix of execution and momentum. Following their rally on Wednesday, he told CBS Sports the team hoped to “ride this as long as you can.” CBS Sports
Still, the first inning didn’t put this one to bed. Coming off a 6-3 comeback over Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Athletics’ bullpen entered with its own baggage—recent stumbles and shaky late relief.
Before first pitch, FanDuel Research’s numberFire model put the Phillies at a 55.7% chance to win. Odds came in with Philadelphia at -130, Oakland at +110. Covers posted a total of 9.5, but FanDuel had it flat at 9.
Under 67-degree skies and a light breeze at Citizens Bank Park, the broadcast ran on NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports California. Early on, the Athletics shifted what looked like a Phillies sweep showcase into more of a trial for Painter—could he hang in there until Philadelphia’s bats woke up?
