Fabulous Phillies | Sports Daily Newsletter
Andrew Painter looks ready.
Age, to The Inquirer’s David Murphy, is really just a number. What matters most is if you’ve got the big-league goods, and by most reasonable measures, that’s exactly what pitching prodigy Andrew Painter has to offer.
It’s funny, but in certain ways, what last season’s run to the World Series did for the Phillies is pull focus from the process of building a playoff team. Now there’s barely any thought given to what it took to reach that point. Instead, Murphy is thinking about who can help the Phillies most in the postseason.
Every day, that’s looking more and more like Painter.
— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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After confirming Tuesday that the team was looking to be “sellers” ahead of the trade deadline, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher still has a lot to accomplish before 3 p.m. Friday.
One player’s future that remains a mystery is All-Star forward Kevin Hayes. John Tortorella admitted Thursday that the 30-year-old Hayes’ timeline probably doesn’t line up with the organization’s and that “his name has to be brought up” at this time of year.
But would the Flyers get proper value in return? In that vein, Giana Han took a look back at the most significant moves of the Fletcher era so far to see how the general manager has fared as a trader.
Next: The Flyers are off until Sunday when they host the Detroit Red Wings (6 p.m., NBCSP).
When the Phillies signed Taijuan Walker to the fourth-largest contract for pitchers in this winter’s free-agent market, they rooted their decision in scouting, data, and a belief that the 30-year-old right-hander is still improving after a decade in the majors. But they also applied old-fashioned mathematics. The Phillies were faced with replacing 288⅓ innings in the starting rotation from last season. Walker was among the 31 pitchers who logged at least 150 innings in each of the last two seasons. But the Phillies believe Walker is capable of pitching deeper into games, and they have some ideas about how to help him do it.
Command issues plagued Phillies pitching prospect Griff McGarry in his shaky spring debut.
Bailey Falter kicked off a “good, friendly competition” with Andrew Painter for the No. 5 starter job with an appearance that showed room for improvement.
Next: Walker will make his first spring-training start at 1:05 p.m. Friday against the Tigers in Clearwater, Fla. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
At the moment, the 76ers look like they’ve won the blockbuster trade that landed James Harden and shipped off Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. But that could change if Harden, as rumored in recent weeks, decides to take off this summer and returns to the Houston Rockets before he brings a title to Philly, The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey writes.
Tyrese Maxey was back in the starting lineup, but the Sixers lost a shootout, 133-126, against the Dallas Mavericks.
Next: The Sixers continue their five-game road trip with a marquee matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, pitting Joel Embiid against Giannis Antetokounmpo. (8:30 p.m. Saturday, 6abc)
Joey Porter Jr., the son of the former Pittsburgh Steeler, starred at Penn State and believes he’s the best cornerback in the draft. And that should have the Eagles’ attention, as they could use a first-round pick at the position. Devin Jackson was with Porter and another top DB, Christian Gonzalez, at the NFL combine and breaks down how the two constantly are looking to get better.
Most people don’t pay attention to the man behind the proverbial curtain with the Union, but knowledgeable fans understand that the team’s rise to the top ranks of MLS has been driven in no small part by sporting director Ernst Tanner. None other than former Union director Earnie Stewart, now the former sporting director at the U.S. Soccer federation, recommended Tanner for his USSF post. It’s a prestigious position, despite some recent turmoil, but it turns out that Tanner isn’t really interested in any national role.
He clearly prefers the club level of competition, the control and camaraderie. He also doesn’t mind the relative anonymity of his current role and even would prefer people focus on how the Union have grown than on how much he has contributed.
Have you figured out how to watch the Union away games on Apple TV yet? The one this weekend is still free for all.
When the Union face off against Inter Miami, the team will go up against a Union-trained player.
Next: The Union (1-0) take on Inter Miami (1-0) (7:30 p.m., Apple TV, MLS Season Pass, free)
Worth a look
Rowan’s scoring renaissance: It takes a certain philosophy and a playground mindset to score 100-plus regularly.
Rowan’s warrior: One coach may be a philosopher, but the other Profs head basketball coach certainly is a fighter.
Too late, probably: It’s not a sure thing that Villanova is on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament, but it’s likely.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, David Murphy, Mike Jensen, Jeff Neiburg, Devin Jackson, Keith Pompey, Scott Lauber, Giana Han, and Olivia Reiner.