Philadelphia, May 5, 2026, 18:23 EDT
The Philadelphia Phillies activated closer Jhoan Duran, the late-inning reliever used to finish tight wins, before Tuesday’s series opener against the Athletics, giving interim manager Don Mattingly a fresh bullpen piece as Philadelphia tries to keep its May reset moving. The club also traded pitcher Trevor Richards to the Chicago White Sox for cash, CBS Philadelphia reported.
That is why this game carries more weight than a routine interleague opener. The Phillies are still 15-20, five games under .500, but they have won seven of eight and are 6-1 since Rob Thomson was fired and Mattingly took over; the Athletics arrive at 18-16 and in first place in the AL West.
First pitch at Citizens Bank Park is set for 6:40 p.m. EDT, with Luis Severino starting for the Athletics against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. MLB listed Severino at 2-2 with a 4.46 ERA and 40 strikeouts, while Sánchez entered 2-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 50 strikeouts; ERA is earned-run average, the rate of earned runs allowed per nine innings.
The betting market still leans firmly toward Philadelphia. Action Network listed the Phillies at -188 on the moneyline — a straight bet on the winner — with the Athletics at +158 and the total at nine runs; it also had Philadelphia -1.5 on the run line, baseball’s version of a point spread.
Sean Zerillo, senior betting analyst at Action Network, wrote that Sánchez had a “significant edge” over Severino and that he projected the Phillies as -225 moneyline favorites. His published pick was Phillies moneyline at -205 or better, a view tied as much to Philadelphia’s bullpen edge as to Sánchez’s form. Action Network
Mattingly’s first week changed the Phillies’ tone, if not yet their place in the standings. After Sánchez allowed two early runs but worked 6 2/3 innings in a win over San Francisco last week, Mattingly said, “He just kept fighting and kept making pitches.” Bryce Harper, after homering in Monday’s 1-0 win at Miami, said Philadelphia had to “stack the days” and keep moving forward. Reuters
The Athletics have their own case. They lost two of three to Cleveland over the weekend but closed the series with a 7-1 win, and Reuters reported that Colby Thomas, Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom homered Sunday. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the victory mattered after two rough losses, while Thomas said the club knew where it stood in the standings and wanted to keep playing that way.
Severino gives the Athletics a counterweight to the Philadelphia momentum. Reuters reported he allowed two runs across 13 2/3 innings in his previous two outings against Texas and Kansas City, earning his first two wins of the season; Severino said a mechanical adjustment left him feeling “more in command.” Reuters
But the Phillies’ favorite status is not clean. theScore listed Philadelphia 27th in runs per game and 28th in OPS, a combined on-base and slugging measure used as a quick read on hitting production, while the Athletics ranked higher in average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. Warm, clear weather and a 15 mph southerly wind at Citizens Bank Park could also help the ball carry.
The lineups showed both clubs leaning into their core bats: the Phillies with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Harper, Adolis García and Brandon Marsh at the top, and the Athletics with Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker, Nick Kurtz, Thomas and Gelof. Austin Wynns started at catcher for the Athletics, with Shea Langeliers away after going on paternity leave, according to Athletics Nation.
The standings add the sharper context. MLB’s official table had the Athletics two games ahead of both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers in the AL West, while the Phillies were fourth in the NL East, 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves. Philadelphia’s April damage is not gone; Tuesday is another chance to keep it from hardening.
