Time to panic? | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s been an off week for the Phillies. But the nightmare at Citi Field is over, ending in the Mets completing a sweep.

After losing to the New York Mets on Monday and Tuesday, the Phillies saw their lead in the National League East trimmed to five games, and now it’s four following Wednesday night’s series finale loss.

The Phillies haven’t looked great. First, Cristopher Sánchez had an uncharacteristic outing in the Phillies’ 13-3 loss in Game 1 to the Mets, but Jordan Romano and Joe Ross didn’t help the situation either, which led Rob Thomson to make some bullpen moves on Tuesday.

Romano was placed on the injured list and Ross was released. Then in Game 2, Jesús Luzardo left the game with the bases loaded — and received an ejection for calling out the umpire. It marked the second consecutive game in which the Phillies had a lead in the middle innings, until it went poof in an ugly fifth inning.

All of this came five days after the news dropped that Zack Wheeler will undergo season-ending surgery. Without Wheeler, the Phillies will need to lean heavily on their stars. But Thomson is weighing other factors, too.

He’s also looking to “mix and match” his outfielders to have the best lineup, which can be difficult, but so far, the results have been promising, with Harrison Bader’s hot bat.

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

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

❓What will it take for the Phillies to bounce back from this slump? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Eagles want to distance themselves as much as possible from the Super Bowl they won in February. As Jordan Mailata put it at the start of training camp, “We’re not defending [expletive].” However, Howie Roseman has to look at it from a different viewpoint. It’s his job as the general manager to put the team in a position to win. And in truth, the Eagles seem more equipped to defend their title than they did seven years ago. Roseman appears to have learned from the post-Super Bowl LII regression.

After clearing waivers, rookie Kyle McCord is back with the Eagles. The Mount Laurel native and sixth-round pick was initially cut on Tuesday, along with 28 others, but none were claimed by an opposing team. It looks like the Eagles’ practice squad will have plenty of familiar faces.

The Eagles continued to tweak their roster on Wednesday. They cut Trevor Keegan and Tristin McCollum while claiming offensive lineman Willie Lampkin.

There was a chance that the Anaheim Ducks would pursue a contract extension for Trevor Zegras, but the flashy forward knew he was heading for a divorce. In June, he was acquired by the Flyers. For Zegras, playing in Philadelphia feels like a refresh. It’s also an opportunity to be closer to family.

On Wednesday, the Flyers released their 2025-26 national TV schedule, and the team learned it will take part in 14 national games.

In the spirit of being a week away from the Eagles’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, columnist Mike Sielski gives a hypothetical blow-by-blow look at every Eagles game this season, and it’s going to be a wild ride.

We asked: Are you worried about the Phillies and their outlook in the postseason? Among your responses:

There is nothing about this squad heading into the playoffs you can trust. Their track record in the post season is abysmal. The hitters seem to crave the spotlight and play hero ball. Chase, chase, chase! Lastly, they have trouble against playoff-caliber pitchers. — Jack D.

The division is ours for the asking. One little problem. The Mets have been in our heads for years and we play them 7 more times. Ah make that 5 more times as we just fell apart the first two. Honestly, I don’t look for the Phillies to even make the playoffs. — Ronald R.

The Phils are done. They lost their Ace, poor bullpen management by Thomson and the inability to win enough games on the road have sunk the ship. Even Duran is struggling as last night shows. I have lost all hope. — Kathy T.

Yes I am concerned. My main concern is Manager Thomson’s penchant for focusing too much, in my opinion, on utilizing a lefty/righty lineup. He has essentially turned a team with a solid group of everyday professional baseball players into a team of platoon players. Platooning may not be bad in the game of baseball if the players involved are of equal talent but this is definitely not the case with the Phillies. Not only is the hitting weaker with a few of the players involved, e.g. Kepler, but also the defense suffers, e.g. Kepler and Wilson. In both recent games with the Mets, balls that were hit in the gaps with men on base would most likely have been caught if the best defensive players were in the game at the time. It’s time to stop playing around on a daily basis with the lineup and start playing your best nine everyday! Especially keep Stott out there everyday. He was never considered a platoon player and his defense is gold glove material. Saving runs is just as important as scoring runs. — Bob A.

After the last two games, how could you not be worried? In the ninth inning of a tie game, Schwarber and Harper strike out, and the Mets get four singles off Duran to win. Wheeler’s gone. Who’s the rotation? Topper shuffles the bullpen like a blackjack dealer. The most reliable hitters are Turner, a shortstop with limited range, and Sosa, who rarely plays. Schwarber has gone from MVP candidate to 0-for-18. Yikes! — Joel G.

Remember the “What me worry” guy Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine fame? Well, for right now re the Phillies I am very worried. They are one of baseball’s best home teams, but when they hit the road they become a mediocre team and especially in NY. Right now the Mets own them and that is not good since they will for sure have to meet them again in the playoffs. Our new savior reliever Duran who looked like the answer to all our problems has blown 2 consecutive games and is looking anything but the new Mariano Rivera. Phils need to man up and turn it around tonight and then go from there. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Gustav Elvin, Olivia Reiner, Jackie Spiegel, Ariel Simpson, Ryan Mack, Mike Sielski, and Devin Jackson.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading. Jim will be back on the controls for Friday’s newsletter. — Bella