⚾ Opening pitch | Sports Daily Newsletter

Ready for some baseball? As the disappointing seasons for the Sixers and Flyers grind to a halt, we bet you are, Philly fans.

The Phillies will open their season in three days and The Inquirer throws the opening pitch in preview week with a look at the men on the mound — specifically, the starters. At a time when most teams are asking less of starting pitchers than ever before, the Phils are leaning on theirs to defend a division title and win the World Series that has eluded them since 2022.

They have $105 million invested in the rotation, including $18 million for No. 6 starter Taijuan Walker. The starters account for more than 30% of the team’s estimated $306 million luxury-tax payroll.

Dave Dombrowski upped the ante this offseason by adding Jesús Luzardo to an already loaded starting staff. Will that be enough to beat the Mets, Braves, Dodgers, and more? Dombrowski is banking on it.

Keep an eye on Inquirer.com all week as we ramp up our Phillies coverage.

The Phillies’ batting order has been a hot topic this spring. We give you a chance to draw up the batting order yourself.

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

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❓ What do the Phillies need to do to get over the postseason hump this year? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Kevin McGonigle, a 20-year-old prospect in the Tigers’ system, got quite a thrill Sunday when he hit a first-pitch home run off Aaron Nola. A Delaware County native, McGonigle got an even bigger thrill later when Bryce Harper actually talked to him while he was on first base. “Nice swing,” the Phillies slugger said.

McGonigle replied, “Thanks. I grew up 15 minutes from the stadium, and loved watching you.”

“That’s awesome,” Harper said. “Good luck this year.”

Harper seems locked into his preferred spot in the order, batting third. As far as the leadoff man goes, don’t be surprised if Kyle Schwarber ends up there once again.

Azeez Ojulari seemed like an obvious free agent for the Eagles to pursue as they were in need of an edge rusher, and he found his way here on a one-year, $4 million contract. He has been injury-plagued, but our beat writers see Ojulari’s addition as a good move.

The Eagles lost Josh Sweat in free agency and Brandon Graham to retirement. Days after delivering his retirement speech, Graham got a chance to meet with fans who came out to collect autographs and wish him well.

The Eagles also bid farewell to Avonte Maddox, who has signed with his hometown Lions after seven seasons in Philadelphia. The secondary did gain cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who has some good and not-so-good moments on film. And the team will still be in the market for a safety. Will one come via the draft?

The 76ers had hoped for the return of Tyrese Maxey before the end of this road trip, but coach Nick Nurse says it looks doubtful. Sunday marked the 11th consecutive game that the point guard has missed with a lower-back sprain and a sprained finger.

Joel Embiid and Paul George are already finished for this lost season. Why not shut Maxey down as well? “I keep saying, ‘It’s a season and he’s a good player,’” Nurse said. “He’s a good young player, and there’s games to play. And if he can do it healthy, he should do it.”

The Sixers continued to help their chances in the NBA draft lottery with a 132-119 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The losses are piling up as the Flyers move closer to another season without a playoff berth. Ivan Fedotov allowed seven goals on 28 shots Sunday in a 7-4 loss to the equally woeful Chicago Blackhawks. Losers of five straight, the Flyers have dropped 10 of their last 11. “We absolutely had a stinker tonight,” defenseman Jamie Drysdale said.

The NCAA wrestling championships lived up their billing this weekend at the Wells Fargo Center. As expected, the Penn State Nittany Lions roared to their 12th national title in 14 years. Not every overwhelming favorite prevailed, though. Olympic champion Gable Steveson of Minnesota suffered a stunning loss Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson in a thrilling heavyweight finale.

In all, 109,995 fans attended the six sessions at the South Philly arena, including President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

March 24, 1979: The Penn Quakers reached the Final Four before they lost to Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans, 101-67. Tony Price scored 18 points for Bob Weinhauer’s Quakers, who finished with a 25-7 record.

In our latest episode of unCovering the Birds, Jeff McLane and broadcaster Mike Quick reflect on the Eagles’ Super Bowl triumph and explore strategies for the offseason to begin another championship run. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Jason Nark, Keith Pompey, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Devin Jackson, Ariel Simpson, Ellen Dunkel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gabriela Carroll, and Mia Messina.

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.

Thanks for reading, Sports Daily fans. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim