After taking 2 of 3 from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend the Phillies resume play tonight in Detroit, facing the lowly Tigers in a brief two-game set. Aaron Nola pitches for the Phils against Matthew Boyd for the Tigers.
Detroit is tied for the worst record in baseball with Baltimore. The Tigers are still rebuilding and look to move several players before the trade deadline next week. One player who interests Philadelphia is Boyd, a 28-year-old lefty who has three years of controllable salary left on his contract. Boyd has one of the best strike out-to walks ratio in the American League.
It will take a lot to get Boyd, as the Tigers are reportedly asked for two position major leaguers and another prospect. Would a package of Adam Heasley, Adonis Medina and a lower prospect get it done?
The Phils are 7 1/2 games behind NL East leading Atlanta, a game in back of Washington for second place. The Braves invade Philly this weekend, so sweeping two from the Tigers would give the Phils momentum heading into a must-win series with Atlanta.
- The Eagles open training camp tomorrow. I still miss making the annual trek to Lehigh one time to see a work-out. This is a special time of the year, when hopes run high in the summer heat, when every NFL team starts even and dreams big.
The Birds, at least on paper, have their best roster in a long time. Avoiding injuries, especially to quarterback Carson Wentz, is a must. A little luck wouldn't hurt. Getting home field advantage in the playoffs by winning the NFC East and having the best record in the NFC will go a long way to making the Super Bowl a reality.
Great move by signing Darren Sproles again. He will give the already potent offense yet another weapon.
I worry more about the defense, especially Defensive Coordinator Jim Scwartz and his game plans. Getting through a tough early schedule will be key to success. The over/under on wins this season for the Eagles is 9 1/2. They better win more than 9 games if they do want to go far in the playoffs.
It all starts tomorrow and hopefully won't end until Febrauary.
- The list of the most valuable sports franchises in the world is out, and the hated Dallas Cowboys, and their evil owner Jerry Jones, is # 1, worth over $ 5 billion. The New York Yankess are second, worth over $ 2 billion. The Eagles are at #24 on the list.
Whatever you may think of Jones, he is a smart businessman. He does always want to win, but luckily for the Birds and the rest of the NFL, he doesn't know how to win and always tries to play general manager and player evaluator. Luckily he sucks at both.
More football in the weeks and months ahead.....
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