PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh each homered and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Wednesday night to earn a doubleheader split.
Kepler hit his 10th homer of the season — a two-run shot off San Diego starter Dylan Cease (3-8) in the fourth inning — to put the Phillies ahead 2-1.
Click to Gallery
San Diego Padres' Yuki Matsui pitches during the seventh inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas, right, steals second past San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth during the seventh inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Brandon Marsh follows through after hitting a home run against San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease during the fifth inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Max Kepler, right, and Alec Bohm celebrate after Kepler's two-run home run during the fourth inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Marsh hit a solo home run of Cease an inning later, his third this season, to make it 3-1.
Alec Bohm had an RBI triple and Nick Castellanos had an RBI single for the Phillies, who have won four of their last six games.
Cristopher Sánchez (7-2) allowed one run and five hits across seven innings while striking out five. It was his sixth consecutive start allowing two runs or fewer, and 10th time this season where he pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs.
The Padres won the opener 6-4, but by winning the nightcap, the Phillies won the series. The two NL playoff hopefuls will meet again in San Diego in the final series before the All-Star break next weekend.
San Diego scored on an RBI single by Jackson Merrill in the fourth inning. The Padres have dropped four of their last six.
With two runners on and one out in the fifth inning, Sánchez struck out Jake Cronenworth and Martin Maldonado to preserve a one-run lead.
Kepler's homer was his first extra-base hit since June 16, a span of 50 plate appearances.
San Diego RHP Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.84 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Padres when they return home on Friday to host a three-game series against Texas. The Rangers have yet to announce a starter.
Phillies' LHP Jesús Luzardo (7-4, 4.06) will pitch Friday when the Phillies host Cincinnati. LHP Andrew Abbott (7-1, 1.79) is slated to start for the Reds.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
San Diego Padres' Yuki Matsui pitches during the seventh inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas, right, steals second past San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth during the seventh inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Brandon Marsh follows through after hitting a home run against San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease during the fifth inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Max Kepler, right, and Alec Bohm celebrate after Kepler's two-run home run during the fourth inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Joe Root and Zac Crawley combined in a 75-run third-wicket partnership Saturday to help England maintain hopes of achieving a world-record chase to win at the Adelaide Oval and keep the Ashes series alive.
The chase didn’t start well with England losing wickets on either side of the lunch break to slip to 31-2.
But Root (37) and Crawly (36) patiently built their innings as England scored 101 runs for the loss of one wicket in middle session on Day 4.
At tea England was 106-2 and needed 329 more runs for an unlikely victory. Australia needed eight wickets to clinch the five-match series with two tests to spare.
With the Ashes on the line, the England batters settled into a patient test-match rhythm rather than the attack-at-all-costs Bazball tactics that hurt them in the first two tests.
Ben Stokes and the England bowling attack did everything possible in the morning session to keep the series alive, taking six Australian wickets for 78 runs and setting up a target of 435.
It didn't start well for England. Australia skipper Pat Cummins (2-19) took a wicket with his second ball to remove Ben Duckett (4) in the tricky 11-minute period before lunch and dismissing Ollie Pope (17), spectacularly caught by Marnus Labuschagne diving to his left from second slip, to make it 31-2.
Australia's veteran pace bowlers were troubling the England top order, with Cummins regularly beating the outside edge of the bat and Mitchell Starc getting the occasional ball to jag back.
Crawley, who was on 1 off 28 deliveries when he was joined by Root, lifted the tempo as the third-wicket pair got into a groove.
After 15 dot balls, Crawley crashed a boundary through the covers on the next delivery he faced against Starc in a distinct change in mentality.
Both batters attacked offspinner Nathan Lyon (0-35 off six overs) with the intention of hitting him out of the attack rather than let him settle into a good line.
After losing the first two tests in Perth and Brisbane, England needs a victory to have any hope of reclaiming the Ashes. Australia needs only a draw to retain the Ashes.
Still, for England, it's a far better equation than it appeared at stumps on Day 3, when Australia reached 271-4 in its second innings, a lead of 356, with Travis Head unbeaten on 142 and Alex Carey on 52.
Head’s dismissal for 170 on Saturday triggered a lower-order collapse, with the last six wickets falling for 38 in 11 overs. The Australians were all out for 349 in their second innings, a lead of 434.
Head's 162-run stand with Carey ended when he pulled a short ball from Josh Tongue (4-70) high and deep into the outfield where Crawley took a catch looking into the sun at mid-wicket.
Stokes made a big momentum-swinging breakthrough when he had Carey out for 72, tucking a short ball around the corner and caught at leg slip in a smart piece of field positioning.
Brydon Carse (3-80) dismissed Cummins (6) and Lyon on consecutive balls but Scott Boland left a wide ball to deny England its first Ashes hat-trick since 1999.
The Australian No. 11 was out soon after when Jofra Archer (1-20) took a tough return catch.
The highest successful fourth-innnings run chase was West Indies’ 418 in a three-wicket win over Australia at Antigua in 2003.
England has successfully chased 370-plus targets twice to win against India in the last three years.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australia's Pat Cummins, centre, celebrates with teammate Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, right, after dismissing England's Ollie Pope during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England batsmen Zak Crawley, right, and Joe Root gesture during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Joe Root bats during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Stokes, right, walks with teammate Jofra Archer after dismissing Australia during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's Pat Cummins is congratulated by teammates after dismissing England's Ben Duckettduring play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Stokes, right, celebrates after dismissing Australia's Alex Carey, left, during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Duckett walks from the field after he was dismissed during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Jofra Archer bowls during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
England's Ben Stokes, centre, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Alex Carey during play on day four of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
