It felt like the Phillies would not complete the four-game sweep of the Giants after two rough innings from Vince Velasquez. He gave up homers in the first two innings as the Giants took a 3-0 lead.

But Velasquez and the offense heated up as they have this entire series. A Rhys Hoskins RBI single and a three-run home run by Carlos Santana in the bottom of the fourth catapulted the team to a 6-3 win.

Velasquez also dominated on the mound. After one strikeout and three hits in two innings, he struck out 11 of his final 17 batters he faced and allowed two hits. So much for those that wanted him to move to the bullpen. This is the Velasquez people have expected and wanted to see, and if he can continue this performance, he’s going to be a great young talent.

The Phils are a half-game behind Atlanta for first in the NL East. A win tonight against the Mets and a Braves loss to the Marlins would give the team sole possession of first in May for the first time in seven years. Is the rebuild working? Probably, and Ruben Amaro Jr. wishes he started it earlier:

“I probably wouldn’t be a coach for the New York Mets right now if I had started the rebuild maybe a little bit earlier,” Amaro said by phone Thursday. “I think sometimes you get a little attached to the players, because they had so much success, and there’s a loyalty that’s created. But those are things that you learn.”

Jake Arrieta takes the mound tonight as the team starts a weekend series with the Mets. First pitch is at 7:05 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Roundup:


Prior to the game, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila threw this:

Kabeer was probably the better athlete in the house.

Meanwhile down in Lehigh Valley,

The letter is so good:

But there’s one major flaw in your quest. One glaring hole in your resume that continues to hold you back, that leaves you a clear level below Michael Jordan.

A season of mediocre play in Minor League Baseball.

Jordan knew this, which is why he stepped away from the NBA after his 31st birthday to spend a season in Birmingham. You’re already 33, and time is slipping away.

Could you hit better than .202 with 3 home runs and 51 RBI in 127 games? Those were Jordan’s numbers in Double-A. You could top that at the Triple-A level at the best ballpark in all of Minor League Baseball in front of 10,000 fans each night.

They have a point.


The Sixers had their exit interviews hours after a season-ending 114-112 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Plenty of good nuggets in Kevin’s running thread of exit interviews. A ton of the guys, if not everybody, all want to stay next year.

There were two dumb tweets regarding the Sixers’ failures. You could probably guess who sent out one of them.

The NBA’s Last 2-Minute Report showed that Aron Baynes did foul Joel Embiid and Marcus Smart traveled with a second left.

But in the end, Trust The Process.


Josh Sweat could turn out to be a really good steal for the Eagles:

As the 130th overall pick, Sweat will have to make the most of a limited number of snaps as a rookie, playing behind Michael Bennett, Brandon Graham, Chris Long, and Derek Barnett. But a rotational role could actually allow the Florida State product to do what he does best: draw on his elite explosiveness to bring heat off the edge. And he’s bound to get plenty of one-on-one blocks playing alongside such a deep and talented group of pass-rushers.

Sweat dropped in the draft due to reported concerns over a previous knee injury and a lack of top-tier production in college. But he frequently lined up on the inside shoulder of opposing tackles in college, and that alignment sapped some of his ability to explode forward as a pass rusher — so he seems like a perfect fit for the Eagles’ wide-9 rush technique, which places him well outside the tackle’s shoulder before the snap and could tap into Sweat’s natural speed and quickness.

Could Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert be on the field at the same ton a lot this upcoming season? History says yes.

More defensive line depth?

If the Eagles stayed at 32, they may have taken SMU wide receiver Courtland Sutton. He’s now on the Broncos.


In other sports news, the Winnipeg Jets dominated Game 7 over the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference semifinals with a 5-1 win. They’ll play the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. What a time to be alive.

Nick Collison retired from the NBA after 15 seasons. Russell Westbrook will miss him:

James Borrego is the new head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. He’ll become the first Latino NBA head coach.

Carolina Panthers running back Fozzy Whittaker won’t play this year after tearing his ACL.

David Price won’t play Fortnite anymore to try to improve his pitching.


In the news, two people are dead after a violent car crash in Lawncrest.

One White House aide mocked Senator John McCain, saying “It doesn’t matter, he’s dying anyways.”

Fox is cancelling “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” This is a god damn disgrace.