Double trouble | Sports Daily Newsletter

It may be hard to remember now, but try and think back to the top of the first Tuesday night, before all those homers, crooked numbers on the scoreboard, and defensive gems.

Trea Turner misplayed a grounder, and, when the dust settled, rookie phenom Corbin Carroll stood on first, ready to strike. But Aaron Nola kept his composure and stranded the speedster. Turner stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the frame and sent the second pitch he saw over the left-center wall.

The rout of the Diamondbacks wasn’t on, not yet anyway.

Kyle Schwarber went deep twice, in the third and in the sixth, pushing the Phillies’ home run total to 15 in the last four games. Nola went on to allow three hits and strike out seven over six scoreless innings.

Speaking of that sixth inning, the Phillies turned a tight game into a laugher, putting up four runs, including Schwarber’s shot. They added four more in the seventh, feasting on the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.

And, at the end of the day, the Phillies are two wins away from another berth in the World Series.

⚾ Where the Phillies stand: The Phillies head to the desert with a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Game 3 is at 5:07 p.m. Thursday and will be televised on TBS.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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You know him, you love him, it’s hard to imagine the Phillies without him. Yet, Aaron Nola’s days in a Phillies uniform may be numbered.

Sure, we’ve known this all season, ever since contract extension talks evaporated, but it feels more real now that every game means a bit more than the last.

And after his ups and downs in the regular season, Nola has been nothing short of dominant this postseason. He’s 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA, and tossed six shutout innings Tuesday night.

He wants to stay in Philadelphia. Now the Phillies just need to make it happen, Marcus Hayes writes.

Next: The series shifts to Arizona, with Game 3 at 5:07 p.m. Thursday (TBS).

The name certainly carries weight. As the Eagles signed receiver Julio Jones, it became clear that the former All-Pro player was someone whom A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have spoken highly of. And now we’ll have to see how, at age 34, Jones will be utilized and what he has left. In terms of being a third receiver, the veteran could very well be an upgrade for the Eagles because, as Mike Sielski writes, they don’t need Julio Jones to be Julio Jones.

The Eagles waived cornerback Mario Goodrich even as their secondary remains banged up. But defensive coordinator Sean Desai is rotating in players who are trusted and playing well. When Nakobe Dean returned from injury on Sunday, he was part of a linebacker rotation that included Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham. According to Desai, he has confidence in all of them and wants to use rotations to keep players fresh.

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Eagles’ first home game in franchise history. It was played at Baker Bowl, and we have a photographic journey through nine decades of Eagles home stadiums.

Next: The Eagles bring back their kelly green uniforms on Sunday against the Dolphins (8:20 p.m., NBC10). To kick off a series on the kelly green era, we have Sielski’s look at Wes Hopkins’ hard-hitting style that defined those Eagles defenses. But at what cost?

Load management may be a newer concept to Sean Couturier, but it certainly paid off Tuesday night in the Flyers’ home opener.

In his first home game since 2021, Couturier notched a highlight-reel goal in a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Jeff Neiburg has the full story from the Wells Fargo Center.

Here’s how Jason Kelce and the Eagles inspired a new Flyers tradition.

Next: The Flyers (2-1-0) remain at home for a Thursday night tilt against the Ottawa Senators (7:30, ESPN+).

Nick Nurse has made a name on his creativity, and much of that reputation is rooted in the defensive end. As coach of the Toronto Raptors, he shocked the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals with a box-and-one defense and routinely rolled out long, rangy defenders who wreaked havoc and forced turnovers. Here’s how he plans to add that element in Philly.

Next: The Sixers play their final preseason game at 7 p.m. Monday when they return to the Wells Fargo Center to face the Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV).

The Wild West: St. Joe’s AD Jill Bodensteiner testified Tuesday in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on NIL.

The grind begins: St. Joe’s returns much of its core, while La Salle’s rebuild continues.

Busy in Philly: Tuesday’s electric atmosphere extended to the Linc, where Mexico and Germany faced off in a friendly.

We asked you: Who is the last Phillie to win the Cy Young Award?

Answer: C: Roy Halladay. “Doc” went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA in 2010 to become the fifth pitcher to win the award in both leagues. Stephen T. was first with the correct answer.

The Eagles’ defensive tackle rotation is stacked — anchored by blue-chip talent. So how did Milton Williams, a former third-round pick, get in the mix? Williams has always believed in himself. His father has, too, maybe even more than Williams himself. But in order to fulfill his NFL dream, Williams had to put in the work, and lots of that work was done on a hill back in Williams’ hometown. Join Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane as he gets to know Williams and his roots, and talks to players and coaches about why Williams could be an important piece to the team’s success. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Jim Swan, Gina Mizell, Mike Sielski, Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mia Messina, and Matt Ryan.

Wow, what a game, right? It’s hard to believe that the Phils are two wins away from another World Series. I’ll be back tomorrow with all our ⚾ off-day coverage! — Maria