Snake eyes | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Phillies have looked absolutely relentless in their postseason march, so it was startling Thursday night to see them come up with only three hits in Phoenix.

Don’t worry just yet, Phils fans. They still hold the lead in the National League Championship Series, with a chance to take a commanding advantage Friday in Game 4. The Diamondbacks walked this one off in the ninth, 2-1, on Ketel Marte’s bases-loaded single off Craig Kimbrel.

It’s worth wondering whether Rob Thomson should have pulled starter Ranger Suárez from a shutout in the sixth inning. Or whether rookie Orion Kerkering should have entered in a high-stakes situation. (More on that below.) Or whether Kimbrel was the best choice in the ninth inning.

Big picture, though: The Phillies were handcuffed by rookie Brandon Pfaadt and four relievers. Do you really think this loaded lineup will continue to scuffle? We’ll find out soon enough.

⚾ Where the Phillies stand: They still lead the best-of-seven NL Championship Series, two games to one, with Game 4 on tap Friday at 8:07 p.m. (TBS).

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Rob Thomson’s had a good run, but nobody’s perfect. Thomson avoided his veterans, brought in rookie Orion Kerkering, and sped the Phillies to their doom. Craig Kimbrel took the loss to the Diamondbacks in Game 3 when he gave up a walk-off single, but Marcus Hayes writes that his boss lost the game about an hour earlier.

The Phillies squandered another strong postseason start by the unflappable Ranger Suárez.

We rank the Phillies’ most majestic home runs in the last two postseasons.

Next: The Phillies turn to Cristopher Sanchez to start Game 4 of the NLCS against a bullpen game for the Diamondbacks, starting with left-hander Joe Mantiply at 8:07 p.m. Friday (TBS).

Jalen Hurts isn’t the only Eagles quarterback with ties to Dolphins counterpart Tua Tagovailoa. Growing up in Hawaii, Tagovailoa idolized Marcus Mariota and even had the current Eagles backup’s poster on his wall. The two met at a football camp and kept in touch. While Mariota has been looking to help Hurts this season, he has been rooting for Tagovailoa from afar.

One of Hurts’ top targets, DeVonta Smith, expects to be playing on Sunday despite being limited in practice with a hamstring injury. The Eagles also saw Lane Johnson return to practice as he deals with an ankle injury.

Next: The Eagles bring back their kelly green uniforms on Sunday against the Dolphins (8:20 p.m., NBC10).

The Eagles host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.

The plan was pretty simple: keep the Edmonton Oilers’ power-play unit off the ice.

The Flyers largely did just that on Thursday night. Even when players wound up in the penalty box, the penalty kill held strong, even scoring a shorthanded goal, thanks to Sean Walker. Joel Farabee also scored, and Cam Atkinson added a couple more for good measure.

Oh, and Oilers superstar Connor McDavid? He was held in check all night long.

Next: The Flyers play the Stars in Dallas on Saturday at 8 p.m. (NBCSP).

The start of the 76ers’ season is less than a week away. They’ll travel to Milwaukee to lace them up against the new-look Bucks, who are now anchored by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. With that date drawing near, The Inquirer provides a deep preview of the season, sharing major storylines, key games, players to watch, and more.

Next: The Sixers will play their preseason finale at 7 p.m. Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center (NBA TV).

Lynn Greer, the second all-time leading scorer at Temple, is returning to the Owls as their basketball chief of staff. In other college basketball news:

We asked you: In a potential trade, who or what would you like to see in return for James Harden? Among your responses:

The back-to-back distractions of Simmons and now Harden are exhausting. Other than what the Sixers might get in return for Harden having an impact on being able to retain Embiid, I am getting to the point that I am losing interest and just want an end to this mess! — Jim V.

Anyone but Ben Simmons. — Joseph R.

I would be happy with a water boy in return. — Richard S.

Please get rid of this drama queen at any price ... to whomever will take him. — Bill M.

Anybody but Harden. He’s poison for this team. I don’t think they have a shot of winning it with him or without him. — Tom G.

A bag of peanuts! — Bill R.

For the first time in over a decade, the Eagles will wear their kelly green uniforms, last seen in the hectic 2010 season. That year, the anticipated Kevin Kolb era was derailed due to his concussion and injuries to other key players — that’s until Michael Vick emerged as a surprising savior, sparking a quarterback debate. In Episode 3 of unCovering the Birds, Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane explores this chaotic Kelly Green era and the unexpected season that followed. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Matt Breen, David Murphy, Marcus Hayes, Olivia Reiner, Josh Tolentino, Jonathan Tannenwald, Lochlahn March, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Matt Ryan, Anders Pryor, Rymir Vaughn, Colin Beazley, Kerith Gabriel, and Joe Santoliquito.

That’s all for today, faithful readers. I’ll be back Monday with coverage of that Eagles-Dolphins Sunday night clash and more. The Phillies? By then, they’ll be taking a break and waiting for the World Series to start after finishing off the D’backs, right? — Jim