What You Should Know
Welcome to our new daily sports live blog, where you’ll find all the news, stories, and analysis you’re used to from the Inquirer, as well as live reactions to breaking news and more throughout the day, plus updates on whatever’s the latest topic dominating the Philly sports scene.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies announced that top prospect Andrew Painter will likely undergo Tommy John surgery based on the team’s recommendation. A night earlier, Phillies improved to 10 games over .500 with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, but Bryce Harper didn’t make his debut at first base.
On Tuesday, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said that the team will not trade star guard James Harden unless they get a “very good player or something we can turn into a very good player.”
The Eagles are now less than one week from kicking off training camp, as rookies and veterans are set to report next Tuesday.
While there are plenty of non-U.S. matches to watch, the USWNT opens World Cup play on Friday night against Vietnam. The tournament features several local connections, including an American roster with an old guard that’s looking to win another tournament while also mentoring the next generation of stars.
Will Phillies’ win streak come to an end against Milwaukee?
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.
Here’s the Phillies lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Brewers
Which Eagles players have the highest Madden 24 ratings?
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hasn’t seen his Madden rating yet, but Lane Johnson has to be happy with his..
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
Everything you need to know about Tommy John surgery in baseball
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…
What is Tommy John surgery?
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.
Why do so many pitchers need Tommy John surgery?
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.”
How long does it take to recover and how many pitchers return to form?
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.
Phillies recommend Tommy John surgery for top prospect Andrew Painter
Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter is headed for Tommy John surgery..
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.”
Trouble in Dallas? Cowboys team captain says he’s ‘woefully underpaid’ and may skip training camp
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:
The Cowboys and Martin’s representatives had brief discussions at the combine in February about reworking the seven-year, $93.41 million deal he signed in 2018, according to sources.
In March, the Cowboys restructured Martin’s contract for the fifth straight year to help create salary-cap space, turning nearly $12 million of his $13.5 million base salary into signing bonus. Martin is signed through 2024. As a result of all of the restructurings, Martin’s cap figure next year tops $23 million.
The Cowboys are hopeful of signing two other Pro Bowlers, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and cornerback Trevon Diggs, to contract extensions…