Game 7 (gulp) | Sports Daily Newsletter

Remember a week ago when the Phillies laughed the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Citizens Bank Park with a 10-0 win to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series?

Seems like they’ve lost their command since then. The setting will be the same on Tuesday night for Game 7 and no one’s laughing anymore about the Arizona lineup.

With their backs to the wall Monday in Game 6, the Diamondbacks teed off on Aaron Nola with back-to-back homers in a three-run second inning, then muted the Phillies’ big bats in a stayin’ alive 5-1 victory.

So it will come down to this for the Phillies in the first Game 7 in the team’s 141-year history. They’ll face rookie Brandon Pfaadt, the same guy who handcuffed them for 5⅔ innings in Game 3. Ranger Suárez will take the mound for the Phillies, and he has allowed only one run in 14 innings this postseason.

Can the Diamondbacks take the Phillies’ stars out of the game for a second straight night? That might be the key in Game 7.

⚾ Where the Phillies stand: The National League Championship Series is tied at three games apiece, with the decisive Game 7 scheduled for 8:07 p.m. Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park (TBS).

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ What is your favorite Game 7 moment in sports? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

When the Phillies get a hit they usually look at their dugout and, with no shame, make the universal “big marbles” gesture. OK. It’s Game 7. Let’s see how big they really are. Superman better find his cape. His sidekick better launch some Schwar-bombs. In the first Game 7 in the 141-year history of a largely moribund franchise, the two most dangerous postseason hitters in Phillies history will bat first and third again Tuesday night, as they’ve done most of the season and all of the NLCS. Marcus Hayes wonders, will they produce?

There are lots of reasons why the Phillies’ season has dwindled from a 2-0 lead in the NLCS to a single do-or-die game. The one constant, writes David Murphy, has been the gaping void in the lineup after the three-hole.

It’s do or die in Game 7, and both Phillies ace Zack Wheeler and D’backs ace Zac Gallen say they’re willing to pitch if needed.

Next: Ranger Suárez will start Game 7 against the Diamondbacks’ Brandon Pfaadt at 8:07 p.m. Tuesday (TBS).

The Eagles have bolstered their banged-up secondary ahead of next week’s trade deadline, landing former All-Pro safety Kevin Byard in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. The deal will cost the Eagles fifth- and sixth-round draft picks in 2024 as well as veteran safety Terrell Edmunds.

The Eagles needed help on the back end of their defense, and they found it, pretty much for free, David Murphy writes. Our Eagles beat writers weigh in on the trade for Byard.

Defensive coordinator Sean Desai pulled off a feat in limiting the Dolphins while working with a patchwork secondary.

Jalen Hurts’ knee injury is unlikely to sideline him on Sunday against the Commanders, a source told Olivia Reiner.

A.J. Brown joined some select company with another 100-yard receiving game against the Dolphins. The Brown-Hurts tandem has become one of the league’s best.

Next: The Eagles visit the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 1 p.m. (Fox).

Joel Embiid loves Philly. He loves Philly enough to play out the rest of his career with the 76ers. But will that come to pass? It could be in jeopardy if the James Harden saga isn’t handled properly and Embiid isn’t handed a proper running mate. The rest of the league is watching, including the New York Knicks and Leon Rose, who are willing to offer three key players and picks, according to Keith Pompey’s sources.

Next: The Sixers open the 2023-24 season at the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

It appears that center Morgan Frost will be scratched for the fourth straight game Tuesday when the Flyers visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Frost was fourth on the Flyers in scoring last season, but coach John Tortorella is likely to keep the center out of action.

“I’ll be honest with you, I know I need to get him in,” Tortorella said. “I want to get him in. I just have not seen an opening for him right now.”

Next: The Flyers visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at 11 p.m. (ESPN).

Who leads the Eagles in career passing yardage and touchdowns? First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Ron Jaworski

B) Tommy Thompson

C) Donovan McNabb

D) Randall Cunningham

We asked you: Which is the wilder crowd: the one at the Linc for a night Eagles game or the one at the Bank for a Phillies playoff game? Among your responses:

There are many more drunks at Eagles games. This is what happens when you open the gates 7 hours before kickoff. — Bob M.

Even though the crowds are bigger at the Linc, they just don’t create the din in the Bank ... plus fans are standing and screaming the whole time. Maybe that will happen during the NFC championship but not yet. — Bill M.

Well, I am just watching on TV from 2,338 miles away, but I vote for the Phillies NL playoff games at CB over the Eagles at the Linc, but it is a tough call. Fortunately both teams are winners and that is what causes the large crowds and big noise. Both very exciting teams for sure. — Everett S.

I have never been to a game at the Linc but I have been to the Bank. Amazingly loud and every game I went to had a playoff atmosphere. That being said, I would think the Linc is louder solely based on stadium capacity. We Philly fans are loud and proud! — Kathy T.

It’s a toss-up, but if the Phils win the NL championship tonight, the fans at the Bank will have their opportunity to answer this question definitively. I suspect they will out-wild the Linc fans in this instance, but it’s only temporary. Both teams are on a roll and both teams’ fans have a lot to be excited about. — Edgar S.

For the first time in over a decade, the Eagles wore their kelly green uniforms, last seen in the hectic 2010 season. That year, the anticipated Kevin Kolb era was derailed due to his concussion and injuries to other key players — that’s until Michael Vick emerged as a surprising savior, sparking a quarterback debate. In Episode 3 of unCovering the Birds, Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane explores this chaotic Kelly Green era and the unexpected season that followed. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Matt Breen, Keith Pompey, Jeff Neiburg, Josh Tolentino, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, and Anders Pryor.

That’s all for today. Time to gear up for Game 7, and you can catch all the coverage, win or lose, right here at Sports Daily on Wednesday morning. — Jim