From Sept. 29, 2024 through last Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles lost two just regular season games. They’ve now equaled that in the last five days.

Philadelphia went on the road to take on NFC East foe New York on ‘Thursday Night Football’ and it was the Giants – led by their star rookies – who won the first game of Week 6 34-17 at MetLife Stadium.

Philadelphia scored a field goal on their opening drive but New York fired back with consecutive touchdown drives thanks to their rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

The first-round pick out of Ole Miss took in himself from 19 yards out to open the scoring for New York. He found Wan’Dale Robinson on the right sideline on their next drive and the wide receiver took it 35 yards to the house for another score.

Philadelphia responded with touchdowns on a 75- and 74-yard drive to take a 17-13 lead midway through the second quarter behind a ‘Tush Push’ touchdown by Jalen Hurts. That ended up being the last time the Eagles crossed the goal line for a score.

Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns on the next drive to put New York up 20-17 at halftime. A couple of Skattebo touchdowns and two key turnovers late in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Giants, their second in three weeks.

Dart finished 17-of-25 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown as well as 13 carries for 58 yards and a score on the ground. Skattebo had 110 total yards (98 rushing, 12 receiving) and three touchdowns.

Philadelphia’s offense struggled against the Giants. The Eagles went just 1 of 9 on third down and Hurts’ interception late in the fourth quarter ended any hopes of a comeback. Former Giant Saquon Barkley managed just 58 yards on 12 carries as the Eagles failed to reach 100 yards rushing as a team for the fourth week in a row.

New York heads on the road next week against the Denver Broncos (3-2), who just handed Philadelphia their first loss of the season four days ago. The Eagles stay on the road again in Week 7 with a game against the Minnesota Vikings (3-2).

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, highlights and more from the Week 6 matchup between the Giants and Eagles on Thursday night below.

Giants vs. Eagles takeaways

Jaxson Dart lives up to first-round hype

New York traded up for Dart in the 2025 NFL Draft and were panned by many for doing so. He’s now led the team to two wins in the last three weeks. Tonight, the Ole Miss product stood strong in the face of pressure and delivered regularly to keep the Giants’ offense moving. He completed 17 of 25 passes and, if not for a few drops, could’ve had an even better night.

Turnovers crush hopes for Eagles comeback

In the last 20 quarters of football Philadelphia played entering Thursday night, the Eagles had turned the ball over once: a Jalen Hurts fumble in Week 3. They were well in range to make this a 3-point contest early on in the fourth quarter but Hurts’ interception in the red zone swung things back in New York’s favor. An A.J. Dillon fumble on their ensuing drive sealed the loss as the Giants ran out the clock.

NFC East hierarchy becomes anarchy

Just 10 days ago, the Eagles looked well in control of the division with four wins – as many as the rest of the division combined. Now Washington has a chance to pull even in the wins column at home against the Chicago Bears in primetime on Monday night. In a couple of weeks, New York and Philadelphia will face off again in what could be a must-win for the Eagles before their bye.

Giants vs. Eagles highlights

Jaxson Dart stats vs. Eagles

The Giants rookie passer had an efficient, effective showing vs. the Eagles:

• 17/25 passing
• 195 yards
• 2 touchdowns (one rushing, one passing)
• 13 carries, 58 yards

Eagles turn the ball over again on A.J. Dillon fumble

Philadelphia ends a drive with a turnover once again as running back A.J. Dillon took a pass from Jalen Hurts for a first down but fumbled before his knee came down. The Giants’ defense recovered the ball and the offense takes over at their own 25-yard line with 6:25 left in the game.

Eagles vs Giants score: Cam Skattebo finds the end zone again

New York made the most of two key mistakes by the Eagles: a Jalen Hurts interception and defensive pass interference in the end zone on cornerback Kelee Ringo. That penalty on third-and-8 brought the Giants to the 1-yard line and Skattebo punched it in for his third touchdown of the night.

Jude McAtamney made the extra point and New York has now doubled up the defending champions with 9:41 to go in the game.

Jalen Hurts throws costly interception deep in the red zone

Hurts dropped back to pass from the Giants’ 15-yard line and fired off a pass under pressure to the left side towards Jahan Dotson. New York cornerback Cordale Flott intercepted the pass and sprinted down the sideline before getting knocked out of bounds at the Eagles’ 23-yard line.

The Giants offense takes over with 11:25 to go in the game.

When was the last time the Giants beat the Eagles?

While the Eagles have held recent dominance over the Giants, it hasn’t been too long since the last time the Giants beat their division rival. The Giants beat the Eagles in Week 18 of 2024, by a 27-10 tally.

Another punt for the Giants’ offense

Quarterback Jaxson Dart returned to the game to applause throughout MetLife Stadium but he couldn’t spark the Giants’ offense. New York went two yards in three plays before punting back to Philadelphia. The Eagles’ offense will take over at its own 34-yard line with 12:51 to go in the game.

End of 3rd quarter: Giants 27, Eagles 17

The Eagles’ defense forced a punt after Jaxson Dart left the game for New York but the offense hasn’t done much with that opportunity. Philadelphia will open the fourth quarter facing third-and-12 from their own 10-yard line.

Jaxson Dart injury update: Giants QB slow to get up after sack, exits game

The Giants’ rookie quarterback couldn’t evade pressure on first-and-10 from the Eagles’ 43-yard line and took a hard hit from multiple defenders. Dart eventually got up under his own power and jogged to the medical tent. Veteran Russell Wilson is now in the game for the Giants at quarterback.

Brian Burns sacks Jalen Hurts again to force another punt

Philadelphia gained 14 yards on a first-down pass from Hurts to Dallas Goedert to start their drive but went backward from there. Burns chased down Hurts for his second sack of the game on third-and-7 for a loss of nine yards. The Eagles punted again to give the Giants the ball back again with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

Eagles vs Giants score: Skattebo rumbles in for another TD

The Giants’ rookie running back brought the New York offense near the goal line with a 12-yard run on 2nd and 10 from the Eagles’ 13-yard line. He powered through on a second effort one play later to give the Giants a two-score advantage over the Eagles.

Jude McAtamney’s extra point is good and the Giants extend their lead with 7:56 to go in the third quarter.

Quinyon Mitchell injury update: Eagles CB ruled out of game

The Eagles’ first-round draft pick from a year ago has now been ruled out of tonight’s game with a hamstring injury. Veteran Adoree’ Jackson will likely play in Mitchell’s place for the rest of the game at outside cornerback.

Jalen Hurts overthrows DeVonta Smith, Eagles punt

These two offenses punted once each in the first half. They’ve now done that in the first two drives of the second half. Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts overthrew wideout DeVonta Smith on third-and-6 from their own 11-yard line and the Eagles kicked it back to the Giants. New York takes over at their own 44-yard line.

Giants punt after Theo Johnson can’t hang on

New York went three-and-out to open the second half and settled for their second punt of the game. Quarterback Jaxson Dart fired a pass deep to Johnson in the face of unblocked pressure but the tight end couldn’t control the ball to the ground and it was ruled incomplete.

The Eagles’ offense takes over at their own 7-yard line following an unnecessary roughness penalty on the punt with 13:43 to go in the third quarter.

Halftime: Giants 20, Eagles 17

Philadelphia barely got to midfield in the final 79 seconds of the half and ran out of time to get in range for kicker Jake Elliott to get in range for a game-tying field goal. The Eagles go into halftime down three points to the Giants, who will receive the second-half kickoff.

This is the first time the Giants have led at halftime over the Eagles since Week 18 of the 2023 season.

Eagles vs Giants score: Cam Skattebo gives Giants lead ahead of halftime

New York responded to the Eagles’ long scoring drive with one of their own. The Giants marched 67 yards in 15 plays to take the lead. This time, it was another Giants rookie to find the end zone as Skattebo powered over the left guard from four yards out for the go-ahead touchdown.

Jude McAtamney knocked through the extra point to take a three-point lead with 1:19 left in the first half.

Quinyon Mitchell injury update: Eagles CB questionable to return

Philadelphia’s top cornerback is on the sideline as the game nears halftime with what the team is calling a hamstring injury. He is questionable to return to tonight’s game and the Eagles have veteran Adoree’ Jackson in the game in his place.

Eagles vs Giants score: Philadelphia uses ‘Tush Push’ to take the lead

Philadelphia called their infamous ‘Tush Push’ play four times in a row inside the Giants’ 5-yard line to get the go-ahead score. Quarterback Jalen Hurts broke past the goal line from one yard out to cap off a 13-play, 74-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the game clock.

Jake Elliott’s extra point is good and Philadelphia takes a four-point lead with 6:56 to go in the first half.

Eagles vs Giants score: Hurts flips ball to Dallas Goedert for TD

Philadelphia’s offense marched 72 yards in seven plays for their first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts took the snap from under center with an empty backfield and tossed the ball to Goedert for a 3-yard touchdown.

Jake Elliott’s extra point is good and the Eagles cut the deficit to three points with 1:49 to go in the first quarter.

Eagles vs. Giants score: Wan’Dale Robinson breaks free for TD

It took just four plays for the New York offense to march 66 yards for a score. Quarterback Jaxson Dart scrambled away from pressure on second-and-9 and found Wan’Dale Robinson on the right sideline. Robinson broke free from an Andrew Mukuba tackle and sprinted down the right sideline for another Giants touchdown.

Jude McAtamney’s extra point is no good but the Giants hold a 10-point lead with 5:37 to go in the first quarter.

Brian Burns sacks Jalen Hurts to end Eagles’ drive

New York’s defense stonewalled Saquon Barkley on second-and-5 from the Eagles’ 34-yard line for a loss of three yards. On the next play, Giants edge rusher Brian Burns looped inside for a drive-stopping sack and a loss of eight yards.

The Giants’ offense gets the ball back on their own 34-yard line with 7:39 left in the first quarter.

Eagles vs. Giants score: Jaxson Dart calls his own number for go-ahead TD

Facing third-and-7 from the Eagles’ 19-yard line, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart avoided a tackler and sprinted for a touchdown, his second rushing score of the rookie season. A 34-yard shot from Dart to Lil’Jordan Humphrey set up the Giants near the red zone.

New York leads Philadelphia with 9:59 to go in the first quarter.

Eagles vs. Giants score: Philadelphia’s offense sputters, settles for FG

Saquon Barkley ran for 31 yards on his first two carries but the Eagles’ offense managed just five yards with him off the field for a breather. Dallas Goedert couldn’t get past the marker on third-and-10 from the Giants’ 29 and the Eagles brought out the special teams unit.

Jake Elliott knocked through a 42-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 11:59 to go in the first quarter.

Saquon Barkley takes first snap vs. Giants for 19 yards

Well, that didn’t take long: Saquon Barkley took his first snap for 19 yards right up the gut to give the Eagles a first down. He went right back up the middle for another first down.

Eagles starting the game on offense

Philadelphia will have great field position because the opening kickoff did not fall in the landing zone (inside the 20-yard line). Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkely and company will begin their first drive from their own 40-yard line.

What time does the Giants game start tonight?

• Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia Eagles travel to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to take on the New York Giants at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday night.

What TV channel is New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles on today?

• New York market: WNYW (Fox 5)
• Philadelphia market: WTFX (Fox 29)

The game will be broadcast on TV locally for those in the New York and Philadelphia TV markets.

MetLife turf ‘played a part’ in Jalen Carter not playing, report says

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, while reporting on Prime Video’s pre-game broadcast, said Carter, in what was ‘somewhat of a surprise’ development, was sitting out with a heel injury. Rapoport added that ‘the turf at MetLife Stadium played a part in (Carter’s) decision.’ – Nate Davis

Giants record in primetime games

Dating back to 2019, the Giants have put forth a subpar showing under the brightest lights. The Giants are 2-20 in night games since 2019, including a 1-12 record at MetLife. – Chris Bumbaca

Jalen Carter inactive

Eagles defensive star Jalen Carter will not play vs. the Giants with a heel injury. He was listed as questionable earlier in the week with the ailment, leading to his deactivation for Thursday’s matchup.

What happened to Malik Nabers?

During the Giants’ Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus while leaping to try to catch a pass.

Giants vs. Eagles live stream

• Live stream: Amazon Prime Video

Watch ‘Thursday Night Football’ with Amazon Prime Video

Giants inactives vs. Eagles

The Giants will be without wide receiver Darius Slayton, further hampering their wide receiver corps. Here’s the rest of the list:

• WR Darius Slayton
• ILB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
• ILB Swayze Bozeman
• T James Hudson III
• OL Evan Neal
• DL Elijah Garcia
• QB Jameis Winston (3rd QB)

Eagles inactives vs. Giants

The Eagles will be without a couple of stars in the trenches: Defensive lineman Jalen Carter will be out, while guard Landon Dickerson will be out, as well.

• CB Mac McWilliams
• G Landon Dickerson
• TE Grant Calcaterra
• WR Xavier Gipson
• DT Jalen Carter
• QB Sam Howell (3rd QB)

Giants vs. Eagles prediction

It will be a beautiful October night in East Rutherford and spooky season is getting underway. The defending champs have not lost back-to-back games since December 2023, and it’s not likely that streak ends tonight against a reeling Giants team with a rookie quarterback. This has all the feels of a perfect spot for the Eagles to get right. The struggling stars Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown will lead the charge to a double-digit win.

Prediction: Eagles 26, Giants 16

LOS ANGELES — The Philadelphia Phillies tried to tell everyone they wouldn’t panic.

No one believed it.

They kept saying that maybe a change of scenery to Dodger Stadium would relax them.

No one believed it.

They insisted that their powerful trio of All-Star hitters would break out.

No one believed it.

When the Philadelphia Phillies lined up Wednesday night on the Dodger Stadium field for handshakes, blasting the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 in front of a stunned sellout crowd of 53,689, they suddenly have a whole lot of believers.

The Phillies still are in trouble, of course, trailing the Dodgers 2-1 in this best-of-five National League Division Series, with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9 at Dodger Stadium.

Yet, they are alive.

And they also have that dynamic the Dodgers badly wanted to prevent.

Momentum.

“Momentum’s always something that you don’t know if it’s real or not,’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said before the game. “You definitely feel it, though, as a player in certain situations, you feel the momentum change.

‘Obviously we want to finish this tonight, and we don’t want to let anything slip away from us. That’s one of those things, when you talk about momentum, if you don’t finish it tonight, you feel like it’s slipping away. That’s definitely not something you want to have happen.’

Well, it happened.

“We want to put these guys away,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game, “and don’t let them up for air.’

Well, after what transpired Wednesday, the Phillies suddenly have confidence too.

The Phillies, whose season was on life support after losing the first two games in front of their home crowd at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, believe they can pull this off.

After all, they became the first team in two weeks to beat the defending World Series champions, snapping the Dodgers’ nine-game winning streak.

While Ranger Suarez was brilliant in his five-inning outing coming in relief for Aaron Nola in the third inning, it was the Phillies’ powerful trio who reminded everyone just what they’re capable of doing to the opposition.

Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, who were in a 2-for-21 skid entering the game, put on a power-hitting clinic for everyone to see.

There was Schwarber hitting two home runs, including a 455-foot blast in the fourth inning, with three RBIs.

Turner, who produced three hits and two RBI, broke the game open in the Phillies’ five-run eighth.

There was Harper who had a two-hit game and reached base three times.

Just like that, the Phillies looked like well … the Phillies.

They made sure that Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered the game with a 0.66 ERA in his last six starts, couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning.

It began with Schwarber, who had been hitless in his last 22 at-bats when he stepped up to the plate to lead off the fourth. The slump ended with one majestic swing of the bat.

Schwarber sent Yamamoto’s fastball nearly out of the stadium, landing 455 feet into the right-field pavillion. It was hit so far, and so hard (117-mph), that Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez didn’t move.

Just like that, the Phillies’ bats awoke.

Harper, who had also been handcuffed this series, followed by slapping a single to left field. Byson Stott singled and when Harper headed to third, center fielder Andy Pages tried to get him. The ball instead sailed past third baseman Max Muncy and bounced into the Dodgers’ dugout, scoring Harper with Stott advancing to third. Brandon Marsh made it 3-1 with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Yamamoto came out for the fifth, but was immediately greeted by with singles by Bryson Stott and Trea Turner knocking him out of the game. It was his shortest outing since June 1.

The Phillies, after a double steal, then had a golden opportunity to blow open the game against left-handed reliever Anthony Banda. Yet, Schwarber struck out. Harper hit a shallow pop-up to right field. And after Bohm was intentionally walked, loading the bases, Brandon Marsh struck out on three pitches. Well, technically two ptiches – with Marsh being charged with an automatic strike on a pich clock violation.

The Phillies threatened again in the seventh inning off three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw coming into the game relief, with a leadoff single by Turner and a walk by Schwarber. But Harper flied out to right, and then Schwarber was picked off first base when he wandered too far, and the opportunity ended on Brandon Marsh’s line drive to right.

Finally, they broke through in the eighth on J.T. Realmuto’s homer, Turner’s two-run single, and a two-run homer by Schwarber.

Who knows what can happen now, with Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts vividly remembering the feeling of struggling in the postseason before ending his slump last year.

“I’ve been there…,’ Betts said. “When you get in that rut and it seems like it’s quicksand. No matter what you do you just can’t get out of it. It’s tough. Hell, I didn’t get out of it. So I have no advice or anything. I mean, shoot, I would have if I knew what to do.

“Good luck to those guys and we’ll see if they have the answer.”

For one night, they certainly did.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Here’s how Wednesday’s game unfolded:

Kyle Schwarber home run blows it open

Coming back out for a second inning, Clayton Kershaw gave up a leadoff home run to J.T. Realmuto. He then walked Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos reached on an error before Bryson Stott bunted them to second and third. With one out, Trea Turner hit a two-RBI single to make it 6-1 Phillies. Then, Kyle Schwarber delivered his second home run of the game, a two-run shot that extended Philadelphia’s lead to 8-1.

Clayton Kershaw comes out of the bullpen

Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, Dave Roberts brought Clayton Kershaw out of the bullpen for his first appearance of the 2025 postseason. Kershaw was met with the Phillies’ best hitters and gave up a leadoff single to Trea Turner before walking Kyle Schwarber. The veteran left-hander got Bryce Harper to fly out and then Schwarber was picked off in a baserunning blunder for the second out.

After intentionally walking Alec Bohm, Kershaw retired Brandon Marsh on a hard-hit line drive to right, getting out of the inning without allowing a run.

Kershaw, retiring at the end of the season, won three Cy Youngs and an MVP award, surely heading for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Phillies still lead 6-1 in the sixth

Anthony Banda (fifth) and Jack Dreyer (sixth) put up zeroes relieving Yoshinobu Yamamoto, managing to keep the Phillies from adding insurance runs despite Philadelphia loading the bases in the fifth.

Phillies ambush Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fourth

Kyle Schwarber’s mammoth home run led off the top of the fourth and tied the game. The next batter, Bryce Harper, singled and then scored as a result of Andy Pages’ throwing error on Alec Bohm’s single. The ball went out of play and moved Bohm to third and Brandon Marsh brought him home with a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning. J.T. Realmuto hit a ground-rule double but Yamamoto got Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos to end the frame with the Phillies up 3-1.

Kyle Schwarber home run ties it up

Leading off the fourth inning, Kyle Schwarber hit a 455-foot homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to tie the game.

The Phillies slugger had been stuck in an 0-for-23 slump having led the Natioinaln League with 56 home runs in the regular season.

Tommy Edman home run welcomes Ranger Suarez

Phillies manager Rob Thomson stuck with his plan to limit Aaron Nola’s exposure and pulled the right-hander after two innings to put in southpaw Ranger Suarez.

On Suarez’s first pitch of the night, switch-hitter Tommy Edman hit a solo home run to left field, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the third.

Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto held the Phillies hitless through three innings.

Aaron Nola escapes first-inning jam

Dodgers-Phillies Game 3 underway in Los Angeles

Yoshinobu Yamamoto worked around Bryce Harper’s two-out walk to toss a scoreless first at Dodger Stadium.

In his second year after signing a $325 million contract before throwing an MLB pitch, the Japanese right-hander was the Dodgers’ ace this season with an All-Star nod and a 2.49 ERA.

Phillies lineup today

1. Trea Turner (R) SS
2. Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
3. Bryce Harper (L) 1B
4. Alec Bohm (R) 3B
5. Brandon Marsh (L) CF
6. J.T. Realmuto (R) C
7. Max Kepler (L) LF
8. Nick Castellanos (R) RF
9. Bryson Stott (L) 2B

Dodgers lineup today

1. Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
2. Mookie Betts (R) SS
3. Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
4. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
5. Will Smith (R) C
6. Enrique Hernández (R) LF
7. Max Muncy (L) 3B
8. Andy Pages (R) CF
9. Tommy Edman (S) 2B

Will Smith returns to Dodgers lineup

The Dodgers’ All-Star catcher is in the starting lineup for the first time this postseason in Game 3, coming off the bench in each of the first two games in the series. Smith had missed nearly a month with a hand fracture.

‘The at-bats have been fantastic especially considering the arms that he’s had to face coming into both those games and the lay-off,’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Game 3.

‘If I didn’t feel he could finish a game I wouldn’t have started him. I feel good. He’s in a good spot. I think the at-bat quality has been great.’

The proverbial “lights-out bullpen” is the desire of every Major League Baseball playoff team. Yet it doesn’t take much for the indicator lights on the dashboard to start blinking.

The Seattle Mariners found this out in Game 4 of their American League Division Series when they bumped up against the two f-words of postseason relief.

Familiarity. And fatigue.

They were up three runs and just 15 outs from dispatching the Detroit Tigers and claiming the first spot in the AL Championship Series when the diminishing returns of relief pitching reared its head.

Detroit struck for seven runs over two innings against Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo, who’d been near-perfect in the first three games of the series, to salvage its season and send both teams winging it back to Seattle for a decisive Game 5.

Where presumed Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will await the Mariners.

That’s how quickly these things can turn: From comfortable lead and bullpen security blankets to lightning striking, the Tigers evening the series with a 9-3 victory that squares this ALDS 2-2.

And to think the Mariners nearly rocked these Tigers to sleep.

Comerica Park was a funeral parlor into the bottom of the fifth, with Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller outkicking his 2025 statistics to allow just two hits through four innings. Then things got loud – and unsuspecting fans were about to see nine unanswered runs on the board.

Dillon Dingler’s double scored Spencer Torkelson, who’d singled. It was 3-1. Dan Wilson, in his first full season as manager, prudently hooked Miller for the lefty Speier – only to get outflanked by his counterpart.

Sure, Speier had seen eight Tigers hitters in this series – and retired all eight of them, striking out four. But increased exposure brings adversity for even the more immortal pitchers.

‘There are no secrets,’ says Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, ‘when you get this deep into a series.’

And Speier suddenly looked like a mere mortal.

Hinch threw up righty-swinging Jahmai Jones to pinch-hit in Parker Meadows’ place, and he hooked an RBI double down the left field line. A 3-2 game.

No. 9 hitter Javy Baez reawakened the echoes of 2016 with a solid single to plate Jones. A 3-3 game.

Speier worked around a Baez stolen base, got a groundout, issued an intentional walk to Gleyber Torres and escaped the jam with the score tied.

That should have been it.

But Wilson opted to bring back Speier, despite having to sit down and run back out there, despite the familiarity that Greene might enjoy, having seen Speier twice already this series.

“Just trying to get it to the next guy. Just trying to get on base for the guys behind me,” the ever-humble Greene, 2 for 14 with no extra-base hits in the series before that at-bat, said after the game.

He did much more – clouting a Speier slider 454 feet into the right field seats. Suddenly, the Tigers had a lead for the first time since the 11^th inning of Game 1.

Hey, no worries. Wilson simply turned to Eduard Bazardo, who’d pitched in Games 1, 2 and 3, who’d recorded seven outs and gave up just one hit.

Wilson was asked after the game if he was concerned that the Tigers had seen Speier twice and Bazardo three times before Game 4.

‘These guys have thrown the ball so well, and I don’t think that’s a risk,’ says Wilson. ‘These guys have done the job and thrown the ball extremely well, and today they just – they were able to get to us.’

The Tigers rocked Bazardo for four hits, including a Baez home run, fattening the lead and ensuring they’d only need closer Will Vest for one, not two innings.

Game 5?

Well, they’ll all have a day off as they hop from the D to the Pacific Northwest. The arms should ostensibly be rested. Skubal will be breathing fire, still stinging from his Game 2 loss.

The Mariners? They can only hope one more game of familiarity doesn’t set off the fireworks in Detroit’s lineup.

AI-assisted summary
• The College Sports Commission has created a new ‘snitch line’ for reporting rules violations.
• This reporting system is open to everyone, including coaches, players, and the general public.
• Reports can be submitted anonymously via text, email, or a web portal.

Seriously, look at these geniuses. You’re not getting anything by these trendsetters.

The College Sports Commission has rolled out a new tool for rules enforcement, and nothing says weren’t you once the NCAA quite like a snitch line. 

I promise you, I’m not making this up.

Not only did the CSC come up with this incredibly flawed idea, they’ve opened the snitch line to everyone. Everyone, you say?

Everyone. 

Coaches and players, athletic directors and boosters, and, wait for it … the rest of God’s green earth.

What could go wrong? 

Clearly, the good folks at the CSC don’t understand their constituency. So before we go further, let me throw out some examples. 

Trust me when I say, it takes all kinds. 

Like Harvey Updyke, bless his tortured soul, who killed the trees at Toomer’s Corner.

Or former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt, whose wife, Casey, carried cash in a Chick-Fil-A bag and dolled it out to recruits. Before the House case, of course. 

Or the yet to be named “source” — and by source, I mean someone with a string of Bucknuts tied to their rearview mirror — who exposed Michigan’s advanced scouting scheme.

Or the Alabama (notice the trend?) attorney, representing two former Tide assistant coaches, who sued former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer (notice the trend?) for conspiring with the NCAA to damage the Alabama program — and tried to have him served at SEC media days. 

Or many of the millions of the beautifully unhinged that make this sport breathe on a daily, fanatical basis. 

They’ll flood the snitch line with every hint of every possible instance of their bitter rival cheating to get a leg up on their school. Because, after all, it was on BigRedHuskersFans.com, so it must be true.

My god. MY GOD.

I gotta tell you, maybe Brian Seeley — the new CSC/college football czar hired after the House case settlement completely changed the sport forever — should’ve stayed with Major League Baseball. He has no idea what he’s getting into.

Maybe someone, anyone, at the CSC can introduce Seeley to the entire 16-team SEC. For starters, anyway.

If he thought the Houston Astros’ fun little scheme of stealing signs was a heavy lift from his perch as MLB executive vice president of legal and operations, he better strap in. 

It’s about to get real.

No one cheats like college football. Those coaching and those playing, those born and forced to choose between USC and UCLA, or Alabama and Auburn, or Indiana and Purdue, or Kansas and Kansas State, or any other sick, twisted and wonderfully wild rivalry that brings out the uniquely unknown from all involved.

Everybody cheats, including – and I know this is going to shock Seeley, so hang onto your 162-game schedule, Bri – the universities themselves. 

For the love of pigskin, North Carolina used fake classes for a decade to keep athletes academically eligible (that was once a thing, kids). And when caught, the most amazing thing in the history of legal defense unfolded. 

North Carolina, the bastion of academia and the Harvard of the south, declared the classes weren’t fake because – wait’ll you get a load of this – every student had access to the fake classes. 

And the NCAA bought it. 

So yeah, roll out that snitch line. Good times are on the horizon, baby.

The CSC says they’ll protect your identity. And they promise to get back to you with “continued engagement.” 

You can snitch or send your conspiracy via text, email or submit on the web, and you don’t have to identify yourself. Again, I’m not making that up. 

“The CSC encourages anyone with knowledge of or concerns about potential violations of third-party NIL or revenue sharing rules to use the new system to report them immediately,” some public relations wonk penned in the release. 

These guys have no idea what they’re getting into. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Arturo Gatti Jr. has died at the age of 17 in Mexico, where he lived with his mother on Wednesday, according to the World Boxing Association.

The son of the late Canadian boxer and Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti has recently been confirmed deceased by several close family members, including Gatti Sr.’s former bodyguard. However, the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, and details have yet to be released.

Gatti Jr. lost his father at a young age after what was initially considered a mysterious death in a hotel in Brazil in 2009. Later, Brazilian authorities ruled the death a suicide. From an early age, Gatti Jr. aspired to follow in his father’s footsteps, first aiming to compete in the Olympics as an amateur before shifting his focus to a professional boxing career.

‘The WBC sends its heartfelt condolences to the Gatti family, friends, and the entire boxing community mourning this so heartbreaking loss,’ the World Boxing Council wrote.

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