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  • Horoscopes: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026

    Horoscopes: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). The usual things need to be tended to before you can move on to the “fun stuff.” Doing the chores in a different order will make it go better, if only because the novelty quickens and sharpens you.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When you’re uncertain, resist the pressure to answer right away. You probably don’t yet know what people really want. Slow the conversation down so you can hear the clues, like a change in the voice, and themes that repeat. Follow the tension.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). To aim and miss is hard enough when done in private. Missing in front of people takes real guts. But if most people around you aren’t even trying, any mistake you make proves you’re braver. You’re actually living.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Your experience isn’t isolated. Many people are navigating the same kinds of obstacles. Changes in your own life really do mirror something happening all around you. Communities are forming.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You discover that compatibility has less to do with agreeing about everything and more to do with enjoying ordinary days. Routines become cozy. Greetings become warmer, goodbyes become shorter, and home starts looking like another person’s face.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You are like the universal key that can, with a certain amount of jiggling, fit into a lot of different situations today, so you can afford to be choosy. There’s that one that will click like it’s made for you.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It will feel good to shed some of the things you’ve stored for year. Your efforts to need less, appreciate more and be generous in any way you can be will not only make life better for you, but also influence all around you.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re caring less about what people think of you, and the less you care, the more they like you. Without the distraction of having to please, small, wonderful things happen today, including the fact that you simply have more energy.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). “Do as I say, not as I do” may be uniquely human, as the other animals don’t spend nearly as much time directing each other. You’ll follow your advice to others and teach them twice.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). What you need most today is willpower — not because times are hard, but because they are not. Staying on track can be much more of a challenge on ordinary days, but surround yourself with good examples and you’re golden.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It is said that ability is nothing without opportunity. The trick is in pursuing the opportunity, even before you know what it looks like. You can practically smell it now, like cookies baking in the distance.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). To demand perfection of yourself is hardly fair. Even if asking for perfection nets you better results than if you hadn’t, the stress is too high a cost to be worthwhile today. A gentle, tolerant spirit takes you further.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 12). It’s your Year of the Zephyrs, when pleasant surprises drift in on the westerly wind. Change is easy, love is breezy; prepare for storms and then enjoy when they dissipate before they can ever reach you. Someone’s always having a good time; this year, it’s you. More highlights: Children inspire. Businesses meld, benefiting all. You’ll change your financial strategy and do what you wanted to do with less. Cancer and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 42, 31, 26, 9 and 3.

  • Phillies scratch Jesús Luzardo from Saturday’s start vs. Atlanta Braves

    Phillies scratch Jesús Luzardo from Saturday’s start vs. Atlanta Braves

    ATLANTA — The Phillies’ hopes of catching the Braves in the divisional race already were on life support after Friday night’s 6-5 extra-innings loss to Atlanta.

    But they were dealt another serious blow when Jesús Luzardo was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday because of shoulder stiffness. The Phillies instead are going with a bullpen game using an opener to be announced Saturday.

    The issue cropped up after the lefty’s last outing, a two-hit, 109-pitch shutout against the Braves on Sept. 7. At this point, interim manager Don Mattingly said Luzardo will not require a stint on the injured list, just additional rest.

    “If it lingers, it obviously would be a big blow, and I would be more concerned,” Mattingly said. “To this point, I don’t feel that same way.”

    Luzardo was not in the clubhouse postgame Friday when reporters entered.

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    Mattingly said that the biggest issue is Luzardo is having trouble “getting loose.” He threw a touch-and-feel bullpen session on Friday, and while he thought he could pitch, the Phillies want to be cautious with him.

    “As we worked through it the last couple of days, we thought he’s going to be able to make the start. Still not quite there,” Mattingly said. “We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger. So it’s one of the things we want to try to take care of and just go from there.”

    The initial plan is to have Luzardo get a couple extra days’ rest and start at some point next week. Mattingly pointed to the Braves and how they rested Chris Sale following his complete game as a comparison. After Sale, 37, threw nine innings against the Dodgers on Aug. 27, he did not appear in another game until a week later on Sept. 4 when he faced the Phillies.

    Why the Phillies should prioritize avoiding the Braves in the wild-card round | David Murphy

    The club will be stretched thin for its bullpen game on Saturday after using five relievers in an 11-inning loss to Atlanta on Friday. Orion Kerkering was also moving around the clubhouse postgame in a walking boot because of a turf toe that he has been managing.

    Mattingly said that Kerkering still can throw, and he actually was available on Friday, but he decided to go with right-hander Chase Shugart for the 10th instead. Kerkering hasn’t appeared in a game since Sept. 4.

    “He’s actually been throwing. We feel like he can pitch,” Mattingly said of Kerkering. “It’s just like it’s just one of those things.”

    But beyond Saturday’s game, the health of Luzardo, who has been an anchor for the Phillies rotation with a 1.85 ERA in his last 10 starts, is paramount.

    “Big bummer for us. We obviously need him, but we want to be healthy and we need him for the stretch,” Bryce Harper said. “But we got to get in and got to play good right now for that to happen.”

  • Baserunning miscue looms large for Phillies in series-opening loss to Braves

    Baserunning miscue looms large for Phillies in series-opening loss to Braves

    ATLANTA — Bryce Harper was off and running from second.

    Alec Bohm had hit a grounder right to Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, but by the time Harper realized his mistake, it was too late. He was frozen between second and third, and Dubón had him dead to rights.

    Harper was tagged out for the second out in the top of the ninth, and the Phillies’ best chance at an insurance run went up in smoke. When the Braves tied the game in the ninth, and again in the 10th, before finally walking off the Phillies, 6-5, in the 11th, the blunder cast an even longer shadow.

    “Not ideal situation,” Harper said. “Yeah, need to be better.”

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    As Friday’s game marched into extra innings, the Phillies were unable to build a lead of more than one run. And the Braves kept punching back, before finally breaking through with an RBI double from Drake Baldwin to take the series opener in Atlanta.

    The bad news for the Phillies didn’t end there. Jesús Luzardo, who almost single-handedly beat the Braves in his first career shutout last week, was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start because of shoulder stiffness.

    Now, the Phillies will follow up Friday’s 11-inning game, which required five relief arms, with a bullpen game on Saturday.

    Luzardo started feeling the stiffness after his 109-pitch shutout of the Braves on Sept. 4. The Phillies initially hoped he would be able to make his start but now opting fort caution. Interim manager Don Mattingly said Luzardo does not currently require time on the injured list.

    “We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger,” Mattingly said. “So it’s one of the things we want to try to take care of and just go from there.”

    Friday’s loss stung all the more because the Phillies had managed to put up three runs on Braves ace Chris Sale. The second-inning rally, capped by a bases-clearing double by Derek Hill, had been their only sustained offense against him, but it was starting to look like it was all they needed.

    Aaron Nola worked his way around heavy traffic for 6⅓ innings, keeping the damage to a pair of solo home runs. José Alvarado relieved him and delivered two big strikeouts of Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. Rookie Alex McFarlane turned in a scoreless eighth in a big spot.

    With the Phillies clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Harper’s mistake was latest in a long line of baserunning blunders the Phillies have committed in this recent stretch. And this particular play between second and third seems to be the Phillies’ kryptonite.

    Alec Bohm made an identical mistake to Harper on Thursday against the Astros. Brandon Marsh did the same two weeks ago in Anaheim, Calif., and earlier this week also was doubled off at second base after misreading a liner to shortstop.

    “A little bit contagious,” Mattingly said. “I don’t understand it really. But, again, we’ll just keep talking about it and working through it.”

    Phillies-Braves ‘cat and mouse game’ has big implications this weekend

    With Jhoan Duran unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, Jonathan Bowlan had the ninth with a one-run lead. He allowed back-to-back singles on his slider, and it didn’t help that Hill bobbled Sean Murphy’s hit to center field, allowing Mike Yastrzemski to tie the game at 4.

    “Two ground balls. I mean, it’s tough, but that’s just the game,” Bowlan said. “The ground balls, they found holes, and it’s just part of it. And all you can do is take it a pitch at a time.”

    After emerging earlier this season as one of the Phillies’ go-to setup arms, Bowlan has struggled in September. He has allowed a run in each of his last four appearances.

    With 55 innings under his belt now, he’s already surpassed his career-high in the majors, though Bowlan said he feels like he’s holding up physically.

    “I thought ball was coming out good,” Mattingly said. “Couple base hits up the middle, both sides of the bag. Yeah, we just got to keep going. He’s going through it, like hitters do or pitchers do. It’s kind of the same for me. So just got to keep working through it, and get where we got to go.”

    Justin Crawford, who had been stuck on the bench for nine innings and a 47-minute rain delay before that, kept the Phillies’ hopes alive with an RBI single to lead off the 10th. But it was still not enough, as the Braves tied things back up on a sacrifice fly.

    Luis Arraez’s RBI single temporarily put the Phillies back in front, 6-5, in the top of the 11th. But Ha-Seong Kim tied the game against Brooks Raley with a single before Baldwin’s double won it.

    “He’s a guy that we trust that he’s not going to give in,” Mattingly said of Raley. “I think [Kim] hit a changeup, just kind of pulled it to him. Yeah, so all of our guys have been struggling a little bit out there. But we’ll get through it.”

    As the Phillies left Truist Park in the early hours of Saturday morning, their list of concerns was long, and only growing. At the top is Luzardo’s health and whether some extra rest will be enough to have the lefty back to form atop the rotation as the postseason approaches.

    But the Phillies’ baserunning and bullpen are not far behind.

    “Definitely thought we had a chance to win that game, all around,” Harper said.

  • Villanova can’t keep up against FBS foe Louisville in 59-13 loss

    Villanova can’t keep up against FBS foe Louisville in 59-13 loss

    Villanova’s annual David-vs.-Goliath game did not go its way on Friday night.

    The visiting Wildcats took on No. 24 Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium and kept it competitive for the first half. But the depth and physical size of the FBS foe wore them down in a 59-13 loss.

    The Wildcats (1-2) were outplayed in almost every category. Louisville (1-1) outgained Villanova, 636-253, in total yardage and scored on all but three of its drives. The Cardinals held Villanova to 75 rushing yards and 178 passing yards.

    Despite the loss, Villanova came away with positives for the rest of its FCS slate.

    Here is the good, bad, and ugly of Villanova’s 2026 FBS game:

    Limited the penalties, turnovers

    Sometimes a team needs to take what it can get against an FBS opponent.

    A big point of emphasis for Villanova was cleaning up its penalties. And against Louisville, it limited its penalties to just seven for 64 yards.

    In its season-opening loss to William & Mary, Villanova committed 15 penalties for 107 yards, compared with five for 45 yards in last week’s win over Bucknell.

    There was a time when college football’s best played against the NFL’s finest. Could it happen again?

    Villanova coach Mark Ferrante says that winning teams also win the turnover battle. The Wildcats on Friday gave up one turnover, a fourth-quarter fumble, after having zero vs. Bucknell and four against William & Mary.

    McQuaide settling in

    After a wild offseason, graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide is starting to communicate efficiently with his receivers, which is making Villanova’s offense more efficient.

    McQuaide left Villanova at the end of last season, expecting to be done with collegiate football. He returned home to Ohio and landed a role as St. Ignatius High School’s quarterbacks coach. Then, he was granted another year of collegiate eligibility.

    Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide’s eligibility has been a major storyline.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The abnormal offseason meant McQuaide was not with Villanova for spring practices and a majority of its summer offseason. McQuaide joined Villanova after its preseason started, missing a few practices.

    “We didn’t have Pat at all in the spring or the summer, and we got him about halfway through camp,” sophomore receiver Braden Reed told The Inquirer before the Louisville game. “So it’s still just figuring out the timing, figuring everything out. But I think each week we’re improving and getting better, the more reps he gets and the more reps we get with him.”

    McQuaide completed 18 of 31 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown — a 65-yard completion to Ja’briel Mace — and zero interceptions. It was McQuaide’s second consecutive interception-free game.

    Outpaced physically, mentally

    Louisville showed why there are levels to collegiate football.

    While Villanova kept it close for most of the first half, Louisville’s depth finally showed as the game went on. Villanova was forced to punt on five consecutive drives, the last three of which were three-and-outs.

    Louisville wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (7) looks back at the pursuit of Villanova defensive backs Jayvont Williams and Josh Oluremi on Friday.Timothy D. Easley

    After three unanswered Louisville touchdowns in the second and third quarters, the Wildcats tacked on a 29-yard field goal by Dominic LeBlanc halfway through the third quarter for their lone second-half score.

    Louisville played its backups for much of the fourth quarter and added a pair of touchdowns. The Wildcats also sat their starters for much of the final period.

    Up next

    Villanova will stay on the road for the third consecutive week. The Wildcats will return to FCS and Patriot League play against LIU (0-2) at noon on Saturday in Brookville, N.Y.

    Villanova won the last meeting, 24-10, on Sept. 28, 2024, at Villanova Stadium.

  • Man fatally shot at Nicetown shopping center

    Man fatally shot at Nicetown shopping center

    A 25-year-old man was fatally shot early Friday evening in the parking lot of a shopping center in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia, police said.

    Around 5:20 p.m., police were called to the shopping center on the 2800 block of Fox Street and transported the victim to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:48 p.m., police said.

    A Pennsylvania state constable who was working at the shopping center as a security guard told police he saw an altercation at a parked SUV and went to investigate, said Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace.

    The state constable found the man shot inside the SUV and attempted to provide aid before police arrived, Pace said.

    No arrests were reported.

  • DA’s office filing argues against overturning murder conviction in controversial case

    DA’s office filing argues against overturning murder conviction in controversial case

    A new motion filed Friday in the controversial case that has roiled Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office argued that a federal judge should not overturn a man’s murder conviction.

    The filing from the District Attorney’s Office — which would have to be accepted by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond — was the latest development in a legal fight that has focused primarily on the conduct of lawyers in the case.

    Jean Peters-Baker and Thomas Gaeta wrote in their motion that Dennis Johnson, who was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison without parole, should not be provided relief on his multiple appellate claims. The prosecutors also argued that Johnson had not yet exhausted his remedies in state court.

    Peters-Baker, a longtime prosecutor from Missouri who previously led the prosecutor’s office in the county that includes Kansas City, was hired by Krasner’s office to handle the case as an outside attorney. Gaeta is Krasner’s civil litigation supervisor.

    On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said in court documents that Krasner should be barred from continuing to oversee the post-conviction case in federal court — and that his office should be kicked off the case as well.

    Prosecutors for Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday argued that drama about the Johnson case has consumed the District Attorney’s Office, and that Krasner has “placed his personal interest in protecting the office above the Commonwealth’s interest.”

    Krasner’s office said that the DA had acted in legally appropriate ways, and that his office should be allowed to continue overseeing the case.

    Krasner’s own staffers have accused him of questionable conduct in the case, including by saying he told them to “protect the office” and that they could face “consequences” if they didn’t.

    In a Tuesday filing, Gaeta wrote that Krasner had taken pains to ensure the case was handled “with competence and integrity.”

    Diamond has sought to learn more about how various attorneys connected to the case have behaved while the matter has moved through federal court.

    The case began as a routine appeal, but in recent months has led to a series of explosive accusations about the inner workings of the District Attorney’s Office.

    Several prosecutors said they advised Krasner to refer the case to the Attorney General’s Office, and Krasner allegedly responded angrily or suggested tactics they thought were legally inappropriate.

    The tactics allegedly included keeping the case in-house, potentially seeking to assign blame to a line prosecutor while protecting her supervisor, and taking steps to “protect the office” in court.

    At one point, Diamond suggested he viewed the allegations as potentially criminal, saying if they were true, they could amount to perjury, conspiracy, or obstruction of justice.

    The judge did not specify who he believed might be at fault.

  • A healthy Jett Luchanko is hoping to use rookie camp as a springboard ahead of a pivotal season for his Flyers future

    A healthy Jett Luchanko is hoping to use rookie camp as a springboard ahead of a pivotal season for his Flyers future

    ALLENTOWN — Jett Luchanko carried the puck up the ice with Alex Bump and Cole Knuble on his flanks during Friday’s drills. He passed it to Bump on the right side and drove to the net as the winger sent the puck back to the crashing forward for a scoring chance.

    Later in the first practice of the Flyers’ rookie camp at PPL Arena, the right-handed center cut across the slot and sent it past the glove of 2026 second-round pick Martin Psohlavec for a goal.

    Known for his high hockey IQ and his speed — “His name is Jett, so he should be fast,” as Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach John Snowden said jokingly — the knock on the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick has been his lack of goal scoring. Part of that is down to his low shot total. He’s put only 21 shots on goal across a combined 25 American Hockey League and NHL regular-season and playoff games. Last year he managed just seven goals in 38 regular-season games in the Ontario Hockey League split between Guelph and Brantford.

    Flyers top 20 prospect rankings: Porter Martone is No. 1, but where do Jett Luchanko and Maksim Sokolovskii land?

    “I think the one thing that we all talk about is we want to squeeze that offense out of him,” Snowden said. “Obviously today seeing him shoot the puck and scoring goals from a distance in some different scenarios, that’s a huge plus.”

    Snowden, who is expected to have the newly 20-year-old in Allentown for the 2026-27 season, wants to see Luchanko take chances this weekend in the Rookie Series games against the New York Rangers. He wants to see his offensive game, which he believes he has, bubble to the surface.

    But the reality is that just having Luchanko on the ice is a big step. After putting on a show two years ago while skating with Matvei Michkov at the Phantoms’ arena, the centerman missed development camp and rookie camp last year because of a groin injury.

    He also missed development camp this summer after undergoing a procedure on his core approximately a month prior. According to Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, the issue had been lingering for a year and a half.

    Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko has broken camp with the big club the last two seasons. This year, he might be better suited developing with Lehigh Valley.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “Yeah, I feel good, ready to go for sure, and just excited to take part in his camp,” said Luchanko, who got back on the ice soon after development camp and looked like he was in midseason form on Friday.

    The hope was that having the summer to prepare would help Luchanko’s confidence. After back-to-back seasons of four-game NHL stints before returning to juniors, he is a full-time pro this year. Luchanko has yet to register a point in the NHL but has nine assists in 16 AHL contests and skated in the Flyers’ final playoff game last season. It was an eye-opening experience, as he learned firsthand the intensity the Stanley Cup playoffs bring.

    “We’re excited to see him turn pro. I think that’s great. … Stability will probably be a good thing for him,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière told The Inquirer at the beginning of June. “… The big thing with Jett is he has an elite skill in skating that is almost unmatched from anyone in the organization, other than maybe Owen Tippett. So that’s always going to have a lot of value for anybody to have a player like that.”

    Flyers prospects Brek Liske and Luke Vlooswyk have lofty goals as junior teammates: ‘I think we’ll be the best D pair in the league’

    This season, the hope is he will take the next step, and with a shortened preseason for the Flyers, the time for him to showcase his skills is now.

    At development camp, Luchanko spoke about using his speed and attacking with the puck. He noted that over the summer, every time he got on the ice, he put intent into working on those skills. He flashed that on Friday.

    “He’s a great player. He can fly; he’s a really good skater, so [he] opens up more space for me and he can make plays,” Bump said of Luchanko. “So just got to be ready and in the slot or be ready for when he can make a play and just put them in the back of the net.”

    Reading between the lines

    Although Snowden wouldn’t commit to line combinations or defensive pairings — not everyone can or will play both games this weekend (7 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday and streamed on the Flyers website) — there were some interesting looks.

    Outside of Luchanko, Bump, and Knuble together on a line, Denver Barkey — who said he put on a few pounds over the summer — and Porter Martone paired up with Phoenixville native Owen McLaughlin. Like Bump, Martone and Barkey are expected to make the Flyers’ roster. Martone said Brière and his agent, Paul Capizzano, spoke, and they decided that participating in rookie camp was the best thing to get him ready for the Flyers’ season opener.

    After missing out on the NHL roster initially last year, Alex Bump wants to hit the ground running in 2026-27.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Alex Čiernik and Noah Powell, who will be in Lehigh Valley, had 2025-second rounder Matthew Gard between them; Gard will head back to Seattle of the Western Hockey League before attending Michigan State next fall.

    Ilya Pautov, a sixth-round pick in 2024 making his North American debut, skated with fellow Phantoms Riley Thompson and Devin Kaplan. Defenseman Ty Murchison, who could push for an NHL spot, was paired with first-year pro Spencer Gill, and second-year pro Oliver Bonk was with fellow London Knight Maksim Sokolovskii, the Flyers’ first-rounder in June.

    The Flyers are banking on internal improvements being enough in 2026-27. Here are five players they need to step up
  • Phillies-Braves ‘cat and mouse game’ has big implications this weekend

    Phillies-Braves ‘cat and mouse game’ has big implications this weekend

    ATLANTA — Four days after they last saw each other, the Phillies and Braves have come face to face yet again.

    Because of a scheduling quirk, the regular season matchups between the National League East rivals this year have been condensed within two weeks in April and 10 days in September.

    Interim manager Don Mattingly, for one, doesn’t mind it.

    “I kind of like the back-to-backs, especially planning-wise. You just saw them for four games. You get a couple days off, and you go again,” he said. “So I kind of like it. It’s always better if you’re playing good. The first time we saw them, we weren’t playing good. They were playing really good. Same with the Cubs. Kind of caught them on fire. We were kind of struggling, right in the same little period of time.”

    The Phillies entered Friday’s series opener trailing Atlanta by four games for the division lead — exactly where they were at the start of the previous series, which they split. Taking at least two of three games this weekend at Truist Park is essential for the Phillies to remain in contention for the NL East.

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    Because of the scheduling, the Phillies just saw all three Braves pitchers planned to start this series: Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, and Grant Holmes. On the other hand, the Braves just faced Friday starter Aaron Nola and Saturday starter Jesús Luzardo, who shut them out in his last outing. They missed Andrew Painter, who will take the ball on Sunday.

    There are advantages and drawbacks for both pitchers and hitters seeing each other in quick succession.

    “It kind of works both ways,” Mattingly said. “It’s like the cat and mouse game goes on and on. Like, how you pitched them last time, how did you get them out? Did you get them out? Did they hit you? What do you feel like they’re looking for? As a hitter, did he get me out? Is he going to go back there? It’s just back and forth.”

    Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh fouled a ball off his foot in the series finale vs. the Astros and was out of the starting lineup Friday vs. the Braves.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Marsh and Marchán OK

    As expected, neither Brandon Marsh nor catcher Rafael Marchán were in the Phillies’ lineup Friday against Sale, but both of them are healthy after sustaining some bruises in Thursday’s day game.

    Marsh exited the series finale against the Astros with a bruised foot after fouling a ball off it in the bottom of the eighth inning. Marchán bunted a ball off his helmet in the sixth inning, though he remained in the game.

    With lefty Sale on the mound for Atlanta, the Phillies stacked right-handers in Friday’s lineup. Bryan De La Cruz started in left field and Derek Hill started in center, while Edmundo Sosa took over for Bryson Stott at third.

    J.T. Realmuto was back behind the plate after a planned day off Thursday.

    Why the Phillies should prioritize avoiding the Braves in the wild-card round | David Murphy

    Keller stops by

    Brad Keller still has a ways to go in his recovery and rehab from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on July 29 to repair a torn UCL. But he has a locker in the visitor’s clubhouse in Atlanta this week and was there Friday catching up with his teammates.

    Keller, who is based in Georgia, is taking the opportunity to be back around the team for the three games this series. Before his injury, he was a key part of the bullpen mix and signed a two-year, $22 million deal to be the Phillies’ setup man this offseason. Since Keller’s season ended, Jonathan Bowlan often has filled that role, but has struggled lately with a 6.23 ERA in four appearances in September.

    Before his injury, Brad Keller was a big part of the Phillies’ bullpen.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Outfielder Adolis García, who suffered a season-ending lat tear in June, was also back around the team during their last homestand.

    “It’s good to see guys that were a big part of what we were doing and had the injury, for him to come around. It’s kind of like [García],” Mattingly said. “It was the same way. To have those guys around, it feels good. Because sometimes I think when you’re on that, where you’re gone for a little bit of time, you feel like you’re not part of it anymore, and it’s just not a great feeling. So it’s good to have those guys come back around.”

    MLB playoff tracker

    Extra bases

    Luzardo (14-5, 2.87 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Braves right-hander Mahle (5-10, 4.05 ERA) on Saturday. In his last start, he limited Atlanta to two hits in his first career shutout.

  • Stopping ‘special’ Saquon Barkley is ‘not a one-man job,’ and what else the Commanders are saying about the Eagles

    Stopping ‘special’ Saquon Barkley is ‘not a one-man job,’ and what else the Commanders are saying about the Eagles

    The start of a new NFL season brings a certain kind of excitement. A new season against a division rival? Well, that brings the thrill of a whole other kind.

    After resting most of their starters in Week 18 and dropping their regular-season finale to the Commanders, the Eagles are ready to run it back against Washington on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox29).

    However, the feeling is mutual. Here’s what the Commanders are saying ahead of their Week 1 opponent.

    Eagles edge rusher Jonathan Greenard ruled out for Sunday; rookie tight end Eli Stowers listed as questionable

    First-time coordinators

    The Commanders have two new systems in place with new play-callers on both sides of the ball. Daronte Jones is in his first season in Washington as defensive coordinator and will go against a new offensive system for the Eagles in Sean Mannion’s NFL debut as a play-caller. On the other side, David Blough, the Commanders’ first-year offensive coordinator, has the challenge of facing a well-established Vic Fangio defense.

    Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough has seen a Vic Fangio defense firsthand, spending two seasons as an assistant quarterbacks coach in Washington. Nick Wass/AP

    Blough is in his third year with the Commanders after spending the past two seasons as an assistant quarterback coach. His few years with Washington have provided him a close look at Fangio’s defense and how it operates, a familiarity Blough is hoping will help come Sunday.

    “They’re so sound as a defense, how they attack you, where they try to stress you as an offense, and they got a lot of really good players who have been there for a long time,” Blough said about the Eagles defense Thursday. “We’ve seen matchups with some of our familiar players. We’ve seen things that Jayden [Daniels] does well. We’ve seen ways that they’ve tried to attack us. So, all of those data points for us kind of go into how we build the plan to get after him this week.”

    Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs past Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin in Landover, Md., on Saturday, December 20, 2025.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Stopping Saquon

    For Jones and the Commanders’ defense, a whole new problem is apparent. While there is less data to use to game plan for Mannion’s new offensive scheme, one thing is clear: in each of his four games, including playoffs, against the Commanders as the Eagles’ primary running back, Saquon Barkley has rushed for over 115 yards and has scored at least one touchdown.

    Whether Jones hasn’t yet figured out how to stop Barkley, or is just keeping his cards close to the chest, he offered a vague answer regarding his plan to slow down the running back.

    “Saquon is special,” Jones said. “It’s not a one-man job. It’s a team effort and even with that, I mean, his explosiveness, his playmaking ability, he’s very dynamic, and they’ve done a great job of using him in that way and finding different spaces to get him touches. And so, you take your hat off to the organization [for] how they utilize their personnel over there.”

    Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (center) will have his hands full trying to stay away from the likes of Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr., and the Birds’ rabid defensive front. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    ‘A hard-fought game’

    After a sophomore season riddled with injury, quarterback Jayden Daniels said he is ready to do “whatever it takes to win a football game” on Sunday.

    During his rookie season, Daniels faced the Eagles two times during the regular season, passing for 449 yards, rushing for 99 yards, and tossing six touchdowns compared to three interceptions. His most recent game against Philly did not go as well and ended with a 55-23 loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship at Lincoln Financial Field.

    Head coach Dan Quinn said the fire in Daniels to get back out there has been burning since the end of last season, and while working through a new system and changes, Daniels has been “more accurate than he’s ever been,” and getting bigger and stronger.

    “It’s an exciting time just in general; football is back,” Daniels said. “I know [the Eagles are] not worried about who they play, who’s on the schedule. They’re just worried about executing, being the best version of themselves. And us too. So, go out there and just try to execute at a high level. Like I said, they got really good players over there. We got good players over here too, and this is going to be a hard-fought game.”

  • At 17, he killed a 14-year-old outside Roxborough High — and then killed again. He faces decades in prison.

    At 17, he killed a 14-year-old outside Roxborough High — and then killed again. He faces decades in prison.

    A 21-year-old man was ordered to spend decades in prison for killing two teens in 2022 and 2023 — including firing dozens of bullets outside Roxborough High School in a shooting that left a 14-year-old dead and four other teens seriously wounded.

    Following an emotional sentencing hearing Friday, Common Pleas Court Judge J. Scott O’Keefe ordered Zaakir McClendon to serve 40 to 80 years in prison for his part in the shootings that killed Nicolas Elizalde and Nafis Betrand-Hill seven months apart.

    McClendon’s streak of violence began when he was 17. First, on Sept. 27, 2022, he and five others drove to Roxborough High School looking to shoot a teen who McClendon believed had hurt a young woman he was close to, said Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski.

    They parked their dark green Ford Explorer outside the school’s football field, and as dozens of kids walked toward the locker room, McClendon and four others fired more than 60 shots in all directions toward the players.

    More than 60 shots were fired outside Roxborough High School on Sept. 27, 2022.Charles Fox / Staff Photographer

    Five teens were shot. Nicolas Elizalde, a junior varsity player, was struck once in the chest by a stray bullet. His mother, Meredith, ran to his side in the aftermath, and held him as he died.

    “This was a planned, coordinated mass shooting at a high school football game,” Toczylowski said. “And [McClendon] was the reason why this happened.”

    In the months after the shooting, homicide detectives identified five of the six people involved, ranging in age from 15 to 21. But McClendon remained free and unknown to police for years.

    In that time, he killed again.

    On the night of April 13, 2023, McClendon and at least two others drove to 23rd Street and West Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia, where they shot Nafis Betrand-Hill, 16, multiple times near his home.

    McClendon was finally charged with both killings last year, after DNA evidence linked him to each crime scene: on a fired cartridge casing recovered at Roxborough and on a blue sweatshirt worn by one of the gunman who killed Betrand-Hill.

    He pleaded guilty to both murders in April.

    Ashante Betrand on Friday remembered her stepson, Nafis, as full of life and joy, “a child who deserved to grow up surrounded by love.“ A sophomore at Sayre High School, he was the oldest of four brothers and three sisters. They called him ”Fisso” or “Bo.”

    Nafis Betrand-Hill, 16, was shot and killed in North Philadelphia in April 2023.Courtesy of Ashante Betrand

    Her family, she said, will never stop grieving the “many ordinary but precious moments of adulthood” that he will never experience. They still don’t understand why he was targeted, she said.

    “His life was worth more than a name, a reputation, a street,” she said, adding: “We will never stop loving him, we will never stop missing him and his light.”

    Nicolas Elizalde’s aunt and grandmother spoke next. They wanted McClendon to know about the gentle person he killed — how Nick loved rescuing animals, watching Marvel movies, playing with Legos, and swimming in the pool. He was a freshman at Walter B. Saul High, and should have been finally heading off to college this fall.

    “Did you know that, Mr. McClendon? Do you care?” Nick’s grandmother Marge LaRue asked.

    “I don’t know you, and I don’t want to,” she said. “But you brought evil to my family, and it’s ugly and it’s lonely here. We are joyless. We are empty.”

    Then, Meredith Elizalde stood up, ordering McClendon to look at her. It was the least he could do, she said, after ruining her life.

    McClendon, his small frame hunched in a wooden chair, looked toward her briefly, before turning away again as she spoke.

    When two other teens involved with the crime pleaded guilty last year, Elizalde was firm, but compassionate. She had met and spoken with each of them before their sentencings, and asked a judge to allow each of them to spend a piece of their lives free in Nick’s honor.

    Mother of Roxborough High shooting victim asks judge at sentencing to let her son’s killer ‘spend a piece of his life free’

    But McClendon, she said Friday, mocked her family and her son’s life by running free for years after the shooting — and killing again. She said she would not ask for any leniency.

    “Did you watch my pleas on TV?” she asked. “I hope to leave this courtroom and never think of you again.”

    Meredith Elizalde at Franklin Fountain, where she and her son Nicolas used to go prior to his death, in Philadelphia, July 24, 2024.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Finally, McClendon spoke. His actions, he said, were cowardly.

    “I was still young, your children were still young,” he said, beginning to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m mad it happened the way it did. I’m mad I even made that decision.”

    “I cannot look you in the eyes because I gotta live with what I did,” he said. “I am a menace to the community. … but I will try to be better.”

    His mother’s sobs filled the courtroom as he spoke. Moments earlier, she told the judge she’d raised her son in a loving home. He was a funny, curious child who grew up attending Catholic schools and playing sports. It didn’t make sense.

    At the judge’s sentence, she collapsed into herself.

    After the court hearing, Meredith Elizalde asked the public to remember her son and what he loved — nature, museums, learning — and to invest less in punishment for violence and more in the people, places, and institutions that can prevent it.

    “On Sept. 27, the fourth anniversary of Nick’s murder, the Academy of Natural Sciences — one of Nick’s favorite places and where he celebrated his ninth birthday — is closing its doors to the public.”

    “Think about what these places represent, where children encounter science and nature … and discover the world is bigger than them and there is a place for them in it,” she said. “We cannot punish our way into a healthy society. Prevention is investment, art, nature, community.”

    Accountability for her son’s death belongs to all Philadelphians, she said, and that means protecting the children who are still here.

    Elizalde and her family will return to the courthouse in February, when the three remaining defendants charged with her son’s death are expected to face trial.

    Meredith Elizalde with a painting of her and her son Nicolas, by Laurie Cooper. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
    Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the prosecutor’s name.