A swinging miracle | Sports Daily Newsletter

Kyle Kendrick, a former Phillies pitcher, would spend hours throwing batting practice to his son, Kyle Jr., in the batting cage he built in his Clearwater, Fla., backyard.

The batting cage became their place. It was where his son fell in love with baseball.

But last fall, Kendrick wasn’t sure if his son would ever be able to get back in the cage after the 12-year-old was struck by a car traveling 50 mph while he was walking across the street near his home.

Then a miracle happened: “He really is very tough,” his mother Stephenie said. “And it’s mentally tough.”

The Kendricks were inspired by their son’s recovery, and Kyle Jr. did eventually get back in the cage. Seven months after his accident, he hit his first homer. A day later, he did it again.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓How do you think the Phillies should address their fifth-starter spot? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Uar Bernard doesn’t have any previous football experience. The Nigeria native is a product of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program and impressed scouts with his athleticism. With that being said, it’s difficult to predict his chances of making the roster, since he’s such a raw prospect. He’ll at least need to make enough progress to show that he can occupy one of the 53 roster spots.

As we prepare for training camp — which is one week away — there are still several questions surrounding the Birds. Here’s what the national media is saying about them.

One way to handle not having an appealing choice to fill the fifth-starter spot? Skip it. With a day off Thursday in between home series against the Dodgers and Yankees, the Phillies are considering going with four starters through the rotation.

However, that could present some problems as the rotation depth is perilously thin.

And the Phillies called up outfielder Bryan De La Cruz on Tuesday, with catcher Garrett Stubbs being placed on the 10-day injured list.

The Phillies-Dodgers game on Tuesday night had a postseason feel, but a baserunning blunder proved costly for the Phils’ 2-1 loss to Los Angeles.

Trevor Zegras is the highest-paid Flyer in annual average value after signing a four-year, $36.5 million extension with an AAV of $9.125 million on July 15.

He’s now projected to be the top-line center for the Flyers this season. His offseason work involves getting bigger and stronger, but first, there’s one more date circled on the calendar for Zegras in July.

Tague Davis, a first baseman at Louisville, is coming off a stellar sophomore season, where he was named ACC Baseball Player of the Year and led the nation with 34 home runs. This summer, Davis starred for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League before earning a spot on the USA Baseball collegiate national team.

Now, the Malvern Prep graduate, who is the son of former MLB catcher and Phillies color commentator Ben Davis, is preparing for a pivotal year at Louisville.

This World Cup made a huge impact on a country where soccer wasn’t always welcome, but is now. However, with the World Cup over, what kind of soccer will Americans now want to watch?

Will they treat the sport like track and field at the Olympics, tuning in every four years? Or will they be interested more often, wanting to see the world’s biggest sports tapestry unfold every week?

The Phillies are 42-15 in games started by Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler or Jesús Luzardo, but 14-31 in games started by anybody other than those three. The Phillies don’t necessarily need a fourth Cy Young-caliber arm. They need someone who could potentially start Game 1 of the NLDS, writes columnist David Murphy.

We asked: What’s your wish for the Eagles and Sirianni this season? Among your responses:

14-3 looks good. Defense looks great on paper. Defense also wins Super Bowls. Offense just has to be good. Not great. Just good enough to put some numbers up. GO BIRDS! — Ronald R.

Hope with the new offense and without the thorn in the side Brown the Eagles can return to at least to being close to the SB winning level. Would sure like to see the O-line come back strong and help spring Saquon loose again. Sirianni is a question mark even with his excellent record. He is not yet nor may ever be a Lombardi or Noll or Shula etc, but hard to seriously come down on the guy. I think this will be a make or break year for the coach and our Eagles. — Everett S.

Please have the Eagles win the Super Bowl vindicating Hurtz and Mannion stays for another year (for a change). — Craig S.

Super Bowl victory or bust! — Bill B.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, David Murphy, Scott Lauber, Ryan Novozinsky, Lochlahn March, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Ariel Simpson, and Conor Smith.

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Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Wednesday, and Kerith will be in your inbox with tomorrow’s newsletter. — Bella