Who’s the Phillies’ MVP? | Sports Daily Newsletter
They’re in the thick of the race, so who gets the credit?
When Bryce Harper’s thumb met Blake Snell’s fastball on June 25, the superstar’s chances of repeating as National League MVP met a painful end. But the Phillies’ chances of reaching the playoffs did not suffer the same fate. They went 33-20 while Harper mended after thumb surgery, staying right in the thick of the wild-card race.
Several players picked up the slack in Harper’s absence as the Phillies survived without their MVP, leading us to wonder: Who’s their MVP this season? And sorry, Rob Thomson is not the winner because he isn’t, you know, a player.
Scott Lauber examines five candidates for most valuable Phillie.
Next: Bailey Falter (4-3, 4.02 ERA) will start against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara (12-7, 2.43) as the Phillies begin a three-game series in Miami on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. (NBCSP).
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
❓ We all know Thomson has been the most valuable Phillie. But which player has been the Phillies’ most valuable this season? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
Sixth-year defensive end Derek Barnett is probably lost for the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee on Sunday, the Eagles said. The Eagles’ first-round draft pick in 2017, Barnett compiled 21½ career sacks but played a backup role in the opening victory in Detroit.
Second-year defensive end Tarron Jackson was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game, but coach Nick Sirianni indicated that Jackson could move into Barnett’s role.
What did we learn from the 38-35 win against the Lions? For one thing, Jeff McLane writes, Jordan Davis needs to play more.
Upon further review, that really was not a sterling effort by the Eagles defense. According to Pro Football Focus, they missed 15 tackles Sunday at Ford Field.
There are times when watching the Eagles’ offense feels like watching a Wednesday night MAC football game, David Murphy writes. But Sirianni managed to win again.
Next: The Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football on Sept. 19 at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN).
Freshman E.J. Warner made his debut as Temple’s quarterback on Saturday, relieving starter D’Wan Mathis in a 30-14 win against Lafayette. After passing for 173 yards and two touchdowns, Warner has moved to the top of the depth chart at QB.
At Penn State, sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford is the starter, but talented freshman Drew Allar has quite a following already.
If the Flyers are to be more competitive this season, they are going to need more production and availability out of Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes.
On Monday afternoon, the team’s top two centers spoke to the media for the first time since the end of last season. Here’s what each had to say about their injury-plagued 2021-22 seasons, their early impressions of John Tortorella, and much more.
The Flyers will open rookie camp on Thursday.
Worth a look
Dazzling day: Former St. Joseph’s Prep star Marvin Harrison Jr. caught seven passes for 184 yards and three TDs in a rout of Arkansas State.
Rookie makes impact: Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, a former Penn State star, made his NFL debut by scoring two touchdowns for the Washington Commanders in their victory against Jacksonville.
Trivia Tuesday
Who is the Eagles’ all-time leader in receiving yards?
A) Pete Retzlaff
B) Harold Carmichael
C) Mike Quick
D) DeSean Jackson
What you’re saying about the Eagles defense
We asked you: What grade do you give the Eagles defense for the opener and why? Among your responses:
FIVE TOUCHDOWNS!!! Need I say more!? — James H.
C- The several 3-and-outs in the first half were good. But 35 points to the Lions! — Daniel W.
D- Little pressure on the quarterback, open receivers, and running backs running wild. It seemed like the only thing that stopped Detroit was dropped or overthrown passes. — It506
C- — Brad D.
B- — Joe K.
How ‘bout “not so good.” I know it takes time for defenses to learn to play together, but they were lucky [Dan] Campbell did that stupid onside kick when he did, giving them the short field and giving the defense a breather. — Bill M.
Generously a D- — Michael W.
C- Gannon uses a soft zone way to much. Front 4 provided no pressure at all. Gannon is definitely not creative at all. No excuses for him. D is loaded with proven players. — Charles T.
D- ... There were three drives by Detroit where the defense looked competent, but the rest of the game they looked confused. Is this going to be another year that the DC needs half a season to figure out how to beat his opponents? This defense played more like the ‘60s/’70s Eagles than even last year’s team. Although the linebackers looked better, the rest of the secondary looked like they were on vacation. ... — John N.
Needs a lot of work. — George J.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Giana Han, Sam Cohn, Isabella DiAmore, and Devin Jackson.