In the sixth inning of a tie game Wednesday night, Bryce Harper stepped to the plate against a lefty sidearmer and saw six pitches. Three were down the middle, none was faster than 90 mph.

And Harper never took the bat off his shoulder.

It was a weird way to go down on strikes. The Phillies went down strangely, too, with Bryson Stott getting caught stealing second base as the tying run in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Brewers before a midweek crowd of 33,753 at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies’ four-game winning streak went kaput because their bats were mostly muted other than Nick Castellanos’ solo homer in the fourth inning and scorching Kyle Schwarber’s two-run single in the fifth.

After that, the Phillies didn’t get another hit until Harper’s leadoff single in the ninth against Brewers closer Devin Williams.

» READ MORE: Nick Castellanos hits a home run, but Phillies’ bats mostly silent against Brewers in 5-3 loss

— Scott Lauber

NBA veteran coach Bryan Gates is joining Nick Nurse’s new 76ers’ staff as an assistant, a source confirmed to The Inquirer Wednesday night.

Gates, who the previous two seasons was on the Phoenix Suns’ staff, had recently accepted a position with the Dallas Mavericks. But, according to ESPN, the Mavericks allowed Gates to take the job with the Sixers because it would be a “significant step up in role.”

Gates was an assistant under Monty Williams in Phoenix from 2021-23. Before that, he worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2019-21 and 2015-16), Sacramento Kings (2016-19 and 2009-10) and New Orleans Pelicans (2010-15, also under Williams).

» READ MORE: Nick Nurse adds Bryan Gates to Sixers coaching staff

— Gina Mizell

The Eagles are signing free agent Dennis Kelly, a league source confirmed Wednesday, bringing back an offensive lineman who played the first three seasons of his career in Philadelphia.

Kelly will help bolster the Eagles’ tackle depth, which took a hit when backup left tackle Andre Dillard signed with the Titans in free agency earlier this offseason. The Eagles drafted Alabama offensive line prospect Tyler Steen, who played left tackle for the Crimson Tide last year, but Steen projects as more of a guard in the NFL because of his frame.

» READ MORE: Eagles to sign free agent OT Dennis Kelly

— EJ Smith

Julie Ertz, who took time off from playing soccer to have her baby, Madden, got emotional over a letter her husband, former Eagles and current Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, wrote to her ahead of the women’s World Cup.

The defensive midfielder fought her way back to the USMNT roster in record time, appearing in just enough games this spring to convince the coach, Vlatko Andonovski, that she was back to form and could contribute as both a scoring threat on set plays and in her traditional defensive stopper role.

Inquirer soccer reporter Jonathan Tannenwald, who is in New Zealand covering the women’s World Cup, has more on the role the team veterans are taking on for the squad.

— Andrea Canales

Any day now, the Phillies will post a lineup that has this notation: “HARPER 3″ — as in the position, not the jersey number. And with that, Bryce Harper will become the rare star outfielder to move to first base while still in the prime of his career.

Von Hayes remembers when the Phillies asked him to go from the grass to the dirt. They traded for outfielders Milt Thompson and Gary Redus in the 1985-86 offseason and moved Mike Schmidt back to third base after a season at first. Hayes, an outfielder for the first five years of his major league career, got a call from manager John Felske, who relayed the team’s plan to move him to first base for his age-27 season.

“There’s certainly a transition and the idiosyncrasies that go along with any position,” Hayes said. “People think that you can just put somebody over there and all they’ve got to do is catch the ball. First base is not easy.”

For one thing, Harper must become familiar with the way each infielder throws. Hayes recalled that Schmidt’s throws were “dead straight.” But others were less reliable, chucking sinkers in the dirt, fluttering knuckleballs, or sidearm spinners.

And if you miss it?

“It’s going to hit you in the face,” Hayes said.

» READ MORE: As Bryce Harper braces for a new position, a former Phillies player weighs in: ‘First base is not easy’

— Scott Lauber

Other than the still-hovering James Harden trade speculation, the 76ers’ offseason has slowed down.

They lost sharpshooter Georges Niang, reserve guard Shake Milton, and rangy wing Jalen McDaniels in free agency. But they matched the Utah Jazz’ offer to retain restricted free agent Paul Reed, signed 2021 draft-and-stash big man Petrušev to a standard contract, and surprisingly agreed to re-sign reserve center Montrezl Harrell.

The Sixers’ newcomers, meanwhile, are relentless veteran guard Patrick Beverley and defensive center Mo Bamba. Both players were introduced in Philly last week, but for further insight, The Inquirer reached out to beat writers who covered Beverley and Bamba at their previous stops.

First up is the Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif, who covered Beverley during his time with the Clippers.

Q: Beverley’s on-court reputation as an instigator is well-established. But he’s also often described as the emotional heart and soul of his teams. How does he establish that within a locker room? Did you observe examples of that intensity going overboard?

A: One former assistant coach called Pat the 2018-19 team’s “heartbeat” and he, along with Lou Williams, molded that between-eras time after Lob City but before the arrival of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, in his image. He did it there by being an open book for young guys — just ask Terance Mann, Ivica Zubac and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander how influential he was on them early in their careers — an accountability check on the older guys and the tone-setter of the roster. “He’s going to be inclusive and he’s going to try to bring everybody into that team concept, and if you’re outside of that circle, you’re the enemy,” is how J.P. Clark, a current 76ers staffer who worked with Beverley in Los Angeles, told me for a 2019 story, and I think that still applies.

With that comes strong convictions about how things should be run — early in that same season Doc Rivers had to meet with him because Pat wasn’t yet bought in, in Rivers’ words then — and how authority in the locker room should be earned. He can be accepting and abrasive, all in the same night. The arrival of Leonard and George required a long and somewhat bumpy transition to assigning the locker room’s new hierarchy. Remember, they were not very vocal and coming into what in many respects was the very vocal Beverley’s locker room. But I think it speaks to his influence that when George got married last summer, Beverley attended, and he still has so many who will go to the mat for him within the organization.

» READ MORE: Get to know new Sixers guard Patrick Beverley from a reporter who covered him with the Clippers

— Gina Mizell

» READ MORE: Top-rated pitcher Andrew Painter needs Tommy John surgery, Phillies say

AUCKLAND, New Zealand ― Much has been made of the U.S. women’s soccer team’s “old guard” at this World Cup, and for good reason.

Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara, Julie Ertz, and Alyssa Naeher have reached unprecedented heights of talent and fame in their careers, even for an American program long accustomed to being in the spotlight.

Rapinoe and O’Hara won’t be in that spotlight this time on a U.S. team full of new and young stars. But their importance won’t be diminished an ounce as the Americans aim for history and the program’s third straight World Cup title.

“Yes, our responsibility is right now, here in 2023, and how we can find success in this tournament, but it’s about encouraging and building the next generation as well,” Naeher said in a news conference from Auckland’s waterfront.

The 35-year-old Penn State grad was the USWNT’s starter in 2019. She’s set to be the starter again when the U.S. plays its tournament opener against Vietnam (9 p.m. ET Friday, Fox29, Telemundo 62, and Peacock). And she’s in an exclusive position as a mentor.

» READ MORE: Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT’s veterans are at the World Cup to win — and mentor ‘the next generation’

— Jonathan Tannenwald

FOLLOW JONATHAN TANNENWALD’S COVERAGE FROM THE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP.

The Phillies made it four wins in a row Tuesday night vs. Milwaukee. Win streaks can’t last forever, right? We’re betting this one ends on Wednesday.

The Phillies are a tad overvalued, and shouldn’t be such a large favorite against the Brewers here.

The book is still out on starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez, a young lefty with 83 MLB innings pitched.

He’s been excellent across his six starts this year. Still, his underlying Stuff+ metrics (a statistic designed to capture the “nastiness” of a pitch based on its physical characteristics) are underwhelming, and he only throws three pitches.

Expect some regression from Sanchez Wednesday against a Brewers offense that has been hitting lefties well recently.

Back the Brewers at +140 Wednesday night.

» READ MORE: Phillies vs. Brewers prediction: We’re banking on the Phillies to have their win streak stalled Wednesday

— Tanner McGrath, The Action Network

Perhaps it should come as no surprise, but based on the player ratings (so far) for this year’s Madden, which are being unveiled this week by EA Sports, the strength of the Eagles lies along their offensive line. Not only are four of the top eight highest rated players on team members of the offensive line, but two of those players — Lane Johnson (No. 2 overall) and Jason Kelce (No. 9) — were ranked among the Top 10 offensive linemen in the game.

Here’s a look at all the Eagles players to receive at least an 80 rating so far:

If you’re wondering where Jalen Hurts, Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Dallas Goedert are, don’t worry, quarterbacks, cornerbacks, and tight ends haven’t been revealed yet.

But the Eagles did have a couple of other players make their respective positional lists: No. 8 WR A.J. Brown (91), No. 18 WR DeVonta Smith, No. 8 edge rusher Haason Reddick (90), and No. 19 edge rusher Josh Sweat (87). Fletcher Cox (81) was the No. 16 defensive tackle, followed by Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter tied at No. 18 with a 79 rating.

On the flip side, the Eagles didn’t have any of their running backs crack the Top 20 at that position, although former Birds RB Miles Sanders checked in at No. 13 with an 86 rating.

Keep an eye out as more ratings will be dropping throughout the week in the lead up to the game’s release on Aug. 18.

— Matt Mullin

Baseball fans are no strangers to Tommy John surgery, especially Phillies fans who saw Bryce Harper set a record in how fast he returned from the surgery. But he isn’t a pitcher, which is the positioned most often associated with Tommy John. In case you’re unfamiliar, here’s what you need to know from two orthopedic surgeons at the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center: A. Lee Osterman and Kenneth A. Kearns...

Typically, surgeons reconstruct the patient’s injured elbow ligament by using a tendon that is “harvested” from the forearm. But up to 20% of people don’t have that type of tendon in their forearm, Kearns said. In such cases, surgeons can use a tendon from the patient’s hamstring instead, or they can harvest one from a cadaver.

The ulnar collateral ligament, located on the inside of the elbow, bears an especially high strain, as the pitcher cocks it sideways before snapping the arm forward, Kearns said.

“Imagine revving your car’s engine up to 9,000 RPMs,” Kearns said. “That’s kind of what you’re doing to that elbow.”

Recovery from the surgery requires months of physical therapy and rehab. Patients first work on regaining their range of motion, then work on building up strength. If all goes well, a pitcher can safely compete in games within a year. But often, pitchers do not return to full strength until two years after the surgery, Kearns said.

“It’s a long, drawn-out process,” he said.

Roughly 70% of pitchers make it close to pre-injury form after Tommy John surgery.

» READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Tommy John surgery

— Tom Avril

The next chapter in the Andrew Painter injury saga might be Tommy John elbow surgery.

With Painter’s symptoms persisting despite after nearly five months of a conservative treatment plan, the Phillies’ medical staff is recommending that the 20-year-old top prospect undergo a reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and ulnar nerve transposition surgery, the team said in a statement Wednesday.

Painter has a surgical consultation Monday with prominent Los Angeles-based orthopedist Neal ElAttrache, who operated on Bryce Harper last November.

The Phillies were hopeful, based on the opinions of their doctors and ElAttrache, that Painter could avoid surgery and that the injury — diagnosed as a proximal ulnar collateral ligament sprain, or a partial tear — would heal with rest and treatment. The team noted that recent imaging revealed “interval healing” in the elbow ligament.

But Painter felt pain in his elbow before he was scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice setting July 4 in Clearwater, Fla. He was shut down from throwing. Manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday that Painter was still having discomfort and indicated the Phillies were no longer expecting him to pitch this season.

“We’re going to be very careful with this guy,” Thomson said. “We’re going to take our time. And if that means he doesn’t pitch this year, then that’s what it is.”

» READ MORE: Top-rated pitcher Andrew Painter needs Tommy John surgery, Phillies say

— Scott Lauber

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one of the Eagles’ top NFC East rivals could be without one of their best players when they open training camp on Tuesday: six-time All-Pro guard Zack Martin.

Martin, 32, allowed just three sacks last season and was named to his eighth Pro Bowl, but he is still scheduled to make about $7 million less this season than Chris Lindstrom and Quenton Nelson, who are the top-paid at the guard position and average around $20 per year.

Here’s more from ESPN’s Todd Archer about why the sides might be so far apart:

It’s still early — and training camp hasn’t even started yet — but it’s never too soon for Eagles fans to enjoy a little smile at the expense of the Cowboys.

— Matt Mullin

The Sixers will pay for the Kenney administration’s studies on the impact of the team’s proposed $1.3 billion downtown arena, an arrangement that critics say casts doubt on the outcome of what were promised to be independent city analyses.

The plan, principals confirmed to The Inquirer, is for the basketball team’s project developers to put money into a pot that Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. (PIDC), the city’s public-private economic development agency, would then use to hire consultants to evaluate key aspects of the planned 18,500-seat arena.

City officials said the Sixers would fund the $655,000 cost of two parts of the study, with the cost of a third part still to be determined.

Even this, however, has the two sides split, with opponents of the arena saying that having the Sixers fund the key research taints that entire process, given the team’s crucial interest in the findings. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Sixers on arena matters, said it was “no surprise the same people who are collaborating with opponents of the 76ers’ arena plans are trying to cast doubt about the city’s independent analysis.”

» READ MORE: Sixers will pay for Philadelphia’s impact studies of the team’s plan for a downtown arena

— Jeff Gammage and Jake Blumgart

The year’s final major — the 2023 Open Championship — is set to tee off early on Thursday morning (1:35 a.m. ET) at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside.

Royal Liverpool has all the makings of a classic Open Championship course, but there does seem to be a clear path to success at this track: Accuracy is king. Like any other links-style course, massive peril looms as soon as the ball leaves the fairway which is why Tiger Woods decided to keep his driver in its holster for most of his victory here in 2006.

The usual suspects are at the top of the betting boards, but this tournament has been a happy hunting ground for long shots in the past.

Shane Lowry (2018) and Zach Johnson (2015) were both +8000 when they won the Open Championship, while Darren Clarke (2011) was +15000, Louis Oosthuizen (2010) was +20000 and Stewart Cink (2009) was +12500 in their jug-lifting years.

This year, we have our eyes on three players with 250/1 odds or greater to win the tournament, including Abraham Ancer at +50000.

» READ MORE: Open Championship picks: Back these long shots at Royal Liverpool this week

— Michael Leboff, The Action Network

He operated in the shadows of Veterans Stadium, unseen by spectators.

Beginning in 1976, in a small, carpeted room just beyond the Philadelphia Phillies’ clubhouse, Gus Hoefling led a generation of players through daily workout routines that he’d concocted, a punishing blend of resistance exercises, stretching, and Northern Shaolin kung fu.

He was, by many accounts, major-league baseball’s first dedicated strength and conditioning coach, decades before it became customary for players to employ their own training entourages.

Hoefling was also a walking urban legend, a man whose mysterious backstory and unconventional methods transfixed otherwise hard-to-impress professional athletes.

“He came here with rumors of having been in competitive fights with Bruce Lee,” Mike Schmidt, the team’s Hall of Fame third baseman, wrote in an email, likening Hoefling’s training room to a “sweat dungeon.”

“Gus had lethal hands,” said former pitcher Larry Christenson, “and could break bamboo chopsticks with his throat.”

Now, in the wake of his death on July 4 following a lengthy battle with head and neck cancer, the former players he helped, including Schmidt, Christenson, Steve Carlton, Bob Boone, and Larry Bowa want to see him honored by the Phillies — because he strengthened more than just their bodies.

» READ MORE: Ex-Phillies want the team to honor legendary strength coach, kung fu master Gus Hoefling

— David Gambacorta

Atco Dragway, which opened in rural Camden County in 1960, abruptly announced on Tuesday that it was shutting down for good.

The announcement was made at 5:49 p.m. on the Facebook page run by Atco Dragway. No explanation was provided and no comments were allowed on the post. The same announcement was made on the track’s Instagram page and comments there were also turned off.

“Atco Dragway is permanently closed. We will not be open from this point on. The remainder of our schedule for 2023 will be canceled,” the announcement stated.

“Thank you all for your patronage and memories over the years,” the announcement continued.

Atco Dragway was the first official drag strip in New Jersey, originally opening in the Atco section of Waterford Township in 1960 as Atco Raceway.

In 2020, it was revealed that an Illinois company had submitted an application to the New Jersey Pinelands Commission to redevelop the 180-acre site. According to the application, the paved sections of the site were to be used for an automobile auction facility. The application was co-signed by Leonard Capone Jr., who was Atco Dragway’s owner.

» READ MORE: Atco Dragway abruptly announces permanent shutdown after 63 years

— Robert Moran

Here’s another fun game:

Try to name every running back who has rushed for at least 500 yards in an Eagles uniform since 2016. There are 11 of them, which is more than any other team in the NFL. Go ahead and think. In the meantime, I’ll tell you why I wasted my time looking all of this up.

Howie Roseman knows market value. It’s why the Eagles have won two NFC championships since he returned to the general manager’s chair in 2016. It’s also why the whole Bijan Robinson campaign was built on a bed of lies. The Eagles were never going to draft a running back in the first half of the first round. For years, the market has made it clear that it makes no sense to spend significant draft or salary-cap capital on the position. The Eagles are where they are because they were wise enough to recognize it.

One thing this offseason has made clear: the rest of the NFL is catching up. The last few months could well go down as a watershed moment of sorts.

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, and the NFL’s bottomed-out RB market show Howie Roseman’s brilliance

— David Murphy

Aaron Nola admits that he’s been inconsistent this season. A good outing will often be followed by a rough one. That pattern continued in the Phillies’ 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park that extended their win streak to four games.

After allowing three home runs in a loss at Miami on July 9, Nola kept the Brewers off the bases until the fifth inning, when Raimel Tapia reached on an infield single with two out. But unfortunately for Nola, the Phillies’ defense did not help him from there — although it wasn’t bad enough to cost him the win.

» READ MORE: Aaron Nola bounces back from rough fifth inning as Phillies beat Brewers, 4-3

Meanwhile, if you were expecting Bryce Harper to play his first game at first base Tuesday, well, blame it on the rain.

Harper was unable to do his usual pregame work at first base Sunday because steady rain delayed the Phillies’ game at Citizens Bank Park by three hours. He couldn’t practice Saturday, either, because of a day-night doubleheader, so the Phillies decided to push back his debut by a few days.

After previously saying Harper would play first base this week against the Brewers, manager Rob Thomson would not commit to a specific series or day. It’s possible Harper doesn’t play first base until the weekend series in Cleveland.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper’s debut at first base for Phillies is delayed — maybe until the weekend

— Alex Coffey and Scott Lauber

No one should be surprised by Daryl Morey wanting a king’s ransom from potential trading partners for disgruntled point guard James Harden. ...

Even still, some thought things would turn out differently based on Morey’s long-standing relationship with Harden. That relationship is now a reportedly fractured one, although Morey said he’s still attempting to honor Harden’s wishes.

“But the reality is, if we do look at a trade, it’s going to be for one of two things,” Morey said Tuesday on The Anthony Gargano Show on 97.5 The Fanatic. “It’s either going to be for a player who continues to help us be right there like we were last year, up three-two on one of the best teams in the East in the Celtics.” ...

The Sixers’ second option, according to Morey, is to trade Harden for enough draft picks that they can flip for a player who can become a running mate with MVP Joel Embiid.

“If we don’t get a very good player or something we can turn into a very good player, then we’re just not going to do it,” Morey said. “And if James were to turn his mind around, we would all be thrilled. But, at this moment, he does prefer to be traded, and we are attempting to honor that.”

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Daryl Morey only willing to trade James Harden for an elite player or something that can turn into one

— Keith Pompey

Philadelphia will be a stop and Lincoln Financial Field will be the venue as part of a series of exhibition soccer matches in the United States by the Mexican men’s national team.

In the 20th edition of the annual MexTour, Mexico will play Germany at 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Linc. Mexico, which just beat Panama, 1-0, to win the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, will play four matches this fall in a nationwide tour that also will include Australia (Sept. 9), Uzbekistan (Sept. 12), and Ghana (Oct. 14).

Tickets for those matches and the game at Lincoln Financial Field will go on sale at 10 a.m. July 27 on the host website, SomosLocales.com.

» READ MORE: Gold Cup champion Mexico adds Philadelphia as a stop on its fall slate of exhibition matches

— Kerith Gabriel

For those just waking up, a reminder that today is Wednesday, July 19. Yesterday was Tuesday. Tomorrow is Thursday.

Don’t worry, though. You’re almost halfway through the week and more than halfway through the dead period of sports that is July. The MLB All-Star break is in the rearview and Eagles training camp is right around the corner — and there’s a Women’s World Cup ready to kick off any day now.

Here’s a look at the games and events taking place on Wednesday that are of interest to Philly sports fans:

— Matt Mullin