Smile because the Phillies winning streak happened | Sports Daily Newsletter

There’s “Go big, or go home.”

Then there’s losing big at home, which is one way to end a winning streak in a style that may leave fans questioning whether it was all an illusion of the team’s real quality.

Time will tell who the real Phillies are, but for now, they’re no longer a losing team.

At 30-30, the team is at .500 and interim manager Rob Thomson is at a fork in the road. The initial excitement and angst of a coaching change could well be all over. What is left is still a lot of talent on a squad looking for balance and consistency. Will the Phillies bounce back from the end of their impressive streak to continue on a winning path? Or will the players struggle to recapture the magic of their start under Thomson?

Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Can Thomson lead the team back to a winning record, or will the Phillies sink again to be a sub-.500 team? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Rob Thomson finally knows what a loss feels like as a major league manager, but it can’t put a damper on the impact he has made since taking over for Joe Girardi. One of the areas that has improved in his brief tenure is the play of the younger players, particularly Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Mickey Moniak and Matt Vierling. Thomson has said he will prioritize getting the younger players more at-bats and so far they have rewarded him for it. And in the process they have earned a fun new nickname.

If Corey Knebel’s shoulder tightness becomes an issue, the Phillies have some closer candidates.

Next: The Phillies open a home series against the Marlins at 7:05 p.m. Monday (NBCSP). Aaron Nola (4-4, 3.50) will be opposed by Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara (6-2, 1.61).

As columnist David Murphy notes, there’s a metric that indicates Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is on a path to greatness.

Among NFL tight ends with at least 75 targets in a single season who’ve averaged more than 9.5 per target, Goedert is one of them and the list of others is impressive with names such as Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle.

The knock on the 76ers has been a consistent one. Fans and media types alike suggest Joel Embiid and James Harden need to be paired with a third star. Of course, that statement discounts Tobias Harris and relegates him to a role player.

Before Harris, similar complaints were made about Jimmy Butler and Al Horford, who have since made it to the NBA Finals since as members of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, respectively.

The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey makes this point, preaching that the Sixers and their fans need to appreciate Harris instead of placing him in trade rumors and rushing to push him out the door.

F.C. Dallas forward Jesus Ferreira accomplished a minor miracle by scoring 4 times in the United States men’s national team 5-0 win versus Grenada.

Of course, some will gripe that due to the FIFA rankings gap of 153 places between Grenada and the USA, Ferreira should have scored ten goals (and at times, he looked capable of it, but shot a little high, wide, or had his attempt saved).

Jonathan Tannenwald assesses what was learned from the latest game, as well as the two previous USMNT matches.

They came, they golfed, they conquered: The United States team won its third Curtis Cup in a row, right in nearby Merion Golf Club in Ardmore.

Déjà Vu: Mike Sielski believes there’s something very familiar about certain fictional characters in the Hustle movie and he looks back at Philadelphia sports history for the receipts.

Barnburner in Brooklyn: Philly’s own Kahleah Copper, as well as Candace Parker, Sabrina Ionescu, and others were part of a classic WNBA game between the champions, Chicago Sky, and the New York Liberty.

In 1995, the Flyers, led by their phenom, Eric Lindros, lost to the New Jersey Devils and their young phenomenal goalie, Martin Brodeur, in Game 6 of the Conference Finals. The Devils, who won 4-2, would go on to claim their first Stanley Cup, while the Flyers, at least in the Lindros years, came up empty.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Sielski, Keith Pompey, Joe Juliano, David Murphy, and Alex Coffey.