Phillies make moves ⚾ | Sports Daily Newsletter
This weekend, the Phillies added righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays and late-inning reliever Carlos Estévez to the roster.
The trade deadline isn’t until 6 p.m. Tuesday, but the Phillies are likely finished making moves after this weekend.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski addressed the team’s two biggest needs by acquiring righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays from the Orioles on Friday. Then they got closer Carlos Estévez on Saturday from the Angels. But it came with a price — the Phillies gave up their No. 5 and No. 7 prospects for the right-hander who will be a free agent after this season.
But, the focus is winning a World Series this year, and Barry Enright, a pitching coach for the Angels, is a friend and former teammate/pitching coach of Estévez. He’s helped the 31-year-old pitch better than ever in his eight-year career in the majors, and now Estévez could turn the Phillies bullpen into an elite unit.
— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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If the Phillies achieve their mission of winning the World Series, it will be on the backs of the high-salaried stars, notably Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, and pitchers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. But as of lately, Harper believes he isn’t doing his part.
He went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday in a 4-3 loss to the Guardians. The Phillies, as a whole, couldn’t get much going at the plate aside from two Schwarber homers. They totaled five hits, went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base.
Next: The Phillies face the New York Yankees tonight (6:40/NBC Sports Philadelphia).
In March, the Eagles signed Parris Campbell to a one-year deal. Now, the wide receiver, who put up career numbers with the Colts but struggled with the Giants last season, is getting an opportunity to compete for the No. 3 receiver spot.
Another player who struggled last season was James Bradberry, and he was upfront about discussing his tenuous role on the team. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell is in the running to grab that starting cornerback spot.
Joel Embiid did not have a good game in his Olympic debut on Sunday in the United States’ 110-84 victory over Serbia. Why he had a rough outing is open to some conjecture and speculation. But Embiid does not appear to be in peak physical condition, making it hard for him to fit in the style that Steve Kerr wants to play.
The underdog men’s basketball story of the Olympics is Team South Sudan, which is being led by a former Sixers guard.
Mikael Uhre’s omission from the starting lineup Saturday in the Union’s Leagues Cup win over Charlotte FC was surprising when it was announced. But manager Jim Curtin wanted to mix up his forward pairings. Between Sam Adeniran, Tai Baribo, and Uhre, there are now good reasons to do that.
Worth a look
Childhood dream: Penn’s Isabella Whittaker and sister Juliette are the first siblings to make a U.S. Olympic track and field team since 2000.
Bigger than soccer: Team Ghana has worked hard to establish itself as a force in Philly’s Unity Cup, a soccer tournament designed to celebrate immigrant communities.
NCAA football: The Inquirer went head-to-head with three Temple football players in the new EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game.
Electric start: Sophia Smith powers U.S. women’s soccer to a statement win over Germany at the Olympics.
Standings, stats, and more
Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.
On this date
July 29: On this day, in 2002, the Phillies traded star third baseman Scott Rolen, along with Doug Nickle, to the St. Louis Cardinals for Plácido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith. Rolen was a seven-time All-Star who won eight Gold Glove awards throughout his career. He won a World Series championship in 2006 with the Cardinals and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2023.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Mike Sielski, EJ Smith, Ben Istvan, Lochlahn March, Isabella DiAmore, Devin Jackson, and Jonathan Tannenwald.
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Thanks for reading! Let’s have a good week. Jim will be back on the controls tomorrow. — Bella