A sweet September for Phillies? | Sports Daily Newsletter
The playoffs beckon, but this month has been a curse for them.
The calendar has turned to September and the Phillies still have a real shot at making the playoffs. We all know what that means. 😟 The team has not reached the postseason in 10 years and has consistently fallen apart in the stretch run of every season since 2018.
Since then, the Phillies’ record after Sept. 1 is 47-69. Ahh, but Rob Thomson and Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott and Brad Hand and Brandon Marsh were not a part of those collapses. It’s a new September and a new opportunity.
So how good, really, are the Phillies’ chances of playing meaningful October baseball for a change? Beat writers Scott Lauber and Alex Coffey address the biggest questions facing the Phils in their quest for the playoffs.
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
❓ Who holds the key for the Phillies in their playoff pursuit? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
There are about 30 games remaining in the regular season for three teams fighting for the last two wild-card spots under MLB’s new playoff format. As the calendar turns to September, the Phillies are one of those lucky teams in the dance. Can they hold on and return to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years? Let’s break down the road ahead for the Phillies and the other two teams trying to make the cut.
On the day major league teams expanded their rosters to 28 players, the Phillies selected the contract of newly acquired pitcher Vinny Nittoli and called up catcher Donny Sands from triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Next: The Phillies’ road trip out west moves to San Francisco at 10:15 p.m. Friday (Apple TV+). Kyle Gibson (9-5, 4.08 ERA) gets the start against Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (4-6, 3.81).
Miles Sanders is back at practice for the Eagles, and quarterback Jalen Hurts is glad he is.
“When he’s hitting that hole and doing what he does best, it’s a good sight to see,” Hurts said Thursday. “It’s definitely great to have him back healthy. We want to get him rolling.”
The 25-year-old running back returned to action after missing 2½ weeks with a right hamstring injury. Sanders is entering the final year of his rookie contract and figures to be the team’s main back once he is healthy.
Sanders has some new competition in the backfield after the Eagles claimed running back Trey Sermon off waivers. Sermon was used sparingly last year in his lone season with the San Francisco 49ers.
Backup offensive tackle Andre Dillard suffered a nondisplaced fracture in his forearm during Eagles practice Thursday and is expected to miss the beginning of the season, according to league sources.
A familiar face is returning to the Eagles after only one day away. The team released linebacker Davion Taylor on Wednesday but added him to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni announced seven players as team captains for the season, with Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce leading the way.
Next: The Eagles open their season on Sept. 11 with a 1 p.m. road game against the Detroit Lions (Fox29).
Union fans may feel like they’re living a weird dream as the season rolls on with the league’s best defensive team transforming, almost Hulk-like, into the league’s most dominant offensive team. One secret to the Union’s success is that a key defender on their vaunted back line, left back Kai Wagner, also is the best player on the team in terms of creating chances.
Not sure how that works? Don’t worry, Jonathan Tannenwald breaks it all down, explaining exactly why knowledgeable supporters let out a sigh of relief after the trade deadline passed without a European squad swooping in to claim Wagner.
Next: The Union visit the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. Saturday (PHL17).
A lot has changed in the 12 months since Crystal Dunn last was with the U.S. Women’s National team.
She returns now with a new title: Mom. Dunn is the mother of three-month-old Marcel, and, though her role with the USWNT is unclear, teammates and coaches are happy to have her back in camp. She spoke about her journey and motherhood with our Jonathan Tannenwald.
Worth a look
Kickoff at Villanova: The Wildcats open the season at 6 p.m. tonight with a home game against Lehigh. Here’s a look at Villanova heading into the season.
His turn at last: Connor Watkins waited patiently while Daniel Smith played an extra season as Villanova’s quarterback because of the pandemic. Now Watkins gets a chance to start.
Penn’s new coach: Krissy Turner had plenty of success at Monmouth. Now she’s trying to take Penn’s women’s soccer team to the next level.
From Germantown: Evan Spivey has honed his skills and now has committed to a new stage of the game he loves to play.
Roaring Nittany Lions: Purdue didn’t make it easy for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions still managed to pull off the victory.
What you’re saying about Jalen Reagor
We asked you: Now that he’s left Philadelphia and the great expectations here, will Reagor succeed? Among your responses:
While I hope Reagor can get his act together with his new start, I find it doubtful. Reagor by all accounts appears not only to have lost his confidence which can come back of course, but he lacks perspective which is something that is very hard to learn if you don’t have it by a very young age. Not understanding that fans are fickle, don’t know crap and are as different from one fan to another while only the loudest mouths are screaming for his head (and he blocks social media), losing family members and even close friends is no excuse to show up not ready for season as this is just LIFE and we all have had our share of pain including deaths, wars and everything in between. Having his skills and just having a chance to play in the NFL should be enough to give him the strength to carry on as most folks bearing the pain of life have little more than just that pain.
I honestly do wish him well, but as a huge, long-time Eagle fan, I’m glad he has been jettisoned. — George M.
No, he won’t succeed cuz he isn’t a good NFL player. He is an average player. Point blank, Eagles should have drafted Jefferson out of LSU. He was the better college player and he is the better NFL player. — Chris B.
Actually, I hope the kid catches on somewhere ELSE. Don’t know who is going to do returns, but they will not be worse than Reagor. And bring back Greg Ward. He deserves it. — Bill M.
Hell no! Just imagine the stuff that will be thrown around in the locker room about Jefferson, the star, being drafted right AFTER Reagor. I can here the snickering now. — Bradford L.
Will he succeed? No. But maybe he’ll learn the position from Justin Jefferson (insert eye roll). — Richard V.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Jonathan Tannenwald, Joey Piatt, Mike Jensen, Sam Cohn, Melanie Heller, and Devin Jackson.