Back to school | Sports Daily Newsletter

Day 1 of Eagles training camp had the feeling of the first day of school. Weather? Great. Friends? Check. Vibes? Immaculate.

The easiest day is over. Now the hard stuff begins.

Even with the elephant in the NovaCare Complex, Nick Sirianni is preaching a day-by-day approach as the Eagles begin a daunting climb only one team has successfully completed in the past 20 seasons — winning the Super Bowl a year after losing one.

A lot can happen, good and bad, over the next several months. All the Eagles can do, Mike Sielski writes, is continue to show up every day.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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While there was some sloppiness as the Eagles get back in gear, Jalen Carter made an impression putting pressure on the quarterback. On a day when Haason Reddick didn’t practice, the team’s top draft pick provided a reminder that if he works out, the rich would have gotten richer with the pass rush. Here’s Jeff McLane’s early look at how the depth chart is shaping up.

Then there’s Jalen Hurts, who looked good and also kept it up with winning the press conference. On what he wants this team’s identity to be, he said, “Whatever wins.” Hurts continues to deliver, even if he might not have wanted to give away too much by appearing on Netflix’s Quarterback.

Slumping Trea Turner wasn’t in the lineup Wednesday for just the second time this season. The question now: Will he bat second Friday when the Phillies open a series in Pittsburgh? For most of the season, Turner has batted in the No. 2 spot in the Phillies’ order. But since a mini two-week spurt in which he went 17-for-59 with three homers and an .808 OPS, he’s 11-for-53 with no homers and a .584 OPS in his last 13 games. There’s precedent for Rob Thomson to drop Turner in the order. He put him down in the No. 5 spot on June 2 and batted him cleanup for seven games before raising him up again. It seemed to work then. Would it work again?

Edmundo Sosa and Jake Cave stepped up to lift the Phillies to a win and series victory over the Orioles.

Next: After an off-day on Thursday, the Phillies open a three-game series in Pittsburgh at 7:05 p.m. Friday (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (7-5, 3.88) is scheduled to start against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller (9-6, 4.01).

While the action Down Under was more of a nail-biter, the scene at Subaru Park was all Union. Dániel Gazdag had a hat trick to help his squad to a 5-1 rout of Liga MX side Querétaro and into the Leagues Cup knockout stage.

Meanwhile, Lindsey Horan’s 62nd-minute goal saved a 1-1 tie against the Netherlands in a marquee group stage matchup at the women’s World Cup. Our Jonathan Tannenwald has all the details from New Zealand.

Next: The Union return to MLS regular-season action with a home game against FC Dallas (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+). Meanwhile, the USWNT faces Portugal in its group stage finale on Aug. 1 (3 a.m., Fox 29).

Joel Embiid still has to make a decision that could alter the landscape of international basketball. USA Basketball became hopeful that Embiid, a native of Cameroon, would opt to play for the team in the 2024 Paris Olympics after he became a United States citizen on Sept. 29, 2022. But Embiid, who also gained French citizenship in July 2022, could play for France, the host country.

USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill was asked Wednesday about the possibility of Embiid playing for the U.S.

Lion’s roar: Penn State coach James Franklin wasn’t quite ready to name a starting QB at Big Ten media day.

We asked you: Will Turner get it together for the Phillies this season? Among your responses:

I’m a Phillies fan since I lived in the city during the 1960s. How about taking last night’s starting lineup, turn it upside down and present it to the home plate umpire tonight? It would get the guys who have speed, make contact and are playing well at the top and the ones who are playing poorly at the bottom until they do better. — Dave H.

I’ve always liked and respected Trea, even when he was a National. He is definitely in a funk but he’s not the first Phillie nor will he be the last to be in a funk. This game is so much more than just physical. There is a mental side. My suggestion is for him to talk with Nick Castellanos and find out what he did to turn around from last year. Nick is a player who really seems to understand the mental component. Then he needs to be patient as do the fans. Booing a player doesn’t help the situation at all. — Kathy T.

Players have slumps and many times bad offense does not impact defense. When both are negatively affected one has to look at the foundation; why is he not seeing the ball? Check his vision. While this may sound sarcastic, funny even, I truly mean it. Have a reporter explore this avenue. — Steve S.

Trea Turner is only 30 and healthy. I am confident he will turn it around. I think he came to play with Bryce who was his teammate and friend with the Nationals. He is a career .295 hitter with 134 home runs and 468 RBIs and has stolen 251 bases. He is an All-Star and was the star of the World Baseball Classic. Obviously he is pressing trying to live up to the hype. I think if Bryce and all the players support him he will be a factor before this season is over. It would help for the fans to give him support too. — Everett S.

Don’t see good things happening for him this year. He is obviously buried inside his head — long, wild swings, impatience, poor plate discipline and body language, etc. And it’s affecting his defense as well. Hoping he will come around next year like Casty has this year. — Dick K.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Sielski, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Scott Lauber, Gustav Elvin, Jonathan Tannenwald, Sapna Bansil, and Kerith Gabriel.