After going 21-21 over a brutal 42-game stretch, the Phillies started a 16-game run against teams with losing records by getting a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Zach Eflin kept rolling on the mound, winning his sixth-straight start, becoming the first Phillie to do that since Cliff Lee back in 2011. Despite an 85 minute rain delay before the game began, Eflin went seven innings, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out six without a walk.

A Rhys Hoskins two-out double in the bottom of the third gave the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Andrew Knapp’s triple the following inning would be the eventual game-winner.

Baltimore almost tied things up in the eighth with the bases loaded and two outs. But Maikel Franco and Carlos Santana teamed up for this amazing play:

Aaron Nola takes the mound in the final game of the two-game Fourth of July series at 4:05 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia and nationally on ESPN.

But that’s not all for the Phils. They’re going to look to solidify themselves as a contender and will probably be buyers at the trade deadline. We’ve heard Mike Moustakas and Adrian Beltre’s names already circling around. And we’ve heard plenty about Manny Machado, who’s spending the holiday here with the O’s.

Here’s a new note from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:

The Orioles visit the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and Wednesday, giving Machado a chance to showcase himself to the former O’s executives now running the Phillies — and to the hungry Philadelphia ownership.

The conventional wisdom is that the Phillies do not want to trade top prospects for Machado when they can simply sign him as a free agent after the season. But the Phils, who just won three of four from the Washington Nationals, are not likely to fade anytime soon — their next 16 games are against sub-.500 clubs.

The question, for every club interested in Machado, is the acquisition cost. Would the Phillies, for example, be willing to part with shortstop J.P. Crawford, a favorite of GM Matt Klentak, without knowing whether they could sign Machado long-term?

The Orioles are thought to like Crawford. The Phils value him so highly that they traded Freddy Galvis, the major league leader in defensive runs saved, to create an opening at shortstop. But Crawford, who is on the disabled list a second time and batting just .194, continues to elicit mixed opinions within the industry.

Who knows how Crawford will pan out, but right now he’s not looking too good when he’s not hurt.

We also heard yesterday about a possible Cole Hamels reunion. But maybe it’s a bad idea with the rotation pitching so well right now.

It’s certainly lining up for a summer push to the playoffs at Citizens Bank Park, which should mean more people coming to the ballpark. We’ve certainly deserved that.

On a final note, former Phillie Shane Victorino is retiring. The Flyin’ Hawaiian will sign a one-day contract with the Phils on August 3.

The Roundup:

The Sixers made their second move of the offseason, trading for Denver small forward Wilson Chandler and a 2021 second round pick for minimal cash considerations. His $12.8 million salary hit pretty much makes things tougher for the team in terms of free agency, but the team can trade him immediately if needed. It doesn’t sound like they’ll do that:

Just because Chandler is a Sixer doesn’t mean the team can’tstill get quality stars from other teams, even if it isn’t Kawhi Leonard.

Maybe the team is very comfortable with rookie Zhaire Smith that they don’t feel they need more help at the wing.

With Golden State making the Lakers look like crap by signing Boogie Cousins, why watch the NBA this season?

This is pretty spot on with free agency:

Nothing really going on in Eagles land, except Jay Ajayi preferring fish and chips over a cheesesteak and this 66-yard bomb by Carson Wentz:

I think he’ll start Week 1.

$1 million in fake Super Bowl rings were seized in Philly however.

Erik Karlsson to the Flyers probably won’t happen. But he’d be a great fit:

Karlsson is a totally different animal. He’s an elite defenseman, a five-time NHL All-Star and a two-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner. He’s averaged 0.83 points per game throughout his career, ninth-most ever by defensemen. The next closest active player is P.K. Subban, who averages 0.65 points per game. Karlsson is pretty, pretty, pretty good at hockey.

Last season, Karlsson registered 53 assists and 62 points in 71 games for an 0.87 points-per-game clip on an atrocious Sens team. At 28 years old and even with some serious injuries in his career, he hasn’t shown any signs of losing his offensive gifts.

For the Flyers, it’s worth poking around. Karlsson carries a $6.5 million cap hit for 2018-19. For argument’s sake, let’s say the Flyers acquire Karlsson, they’d have about $8.2 million in cap space without taking into account players going the other way.

The point is, they have money to spend and fitting Karlsson in would not be a problem. As for Karlsson’s extension, because any acquiring team would want to sign him first, that’s a bridge to cross down the road.

In the FIFA World Cup, Sweden defeated Switzerland 1-0 on an own goal in the second half to advance to the quarterfinals, while England escaped Colombia in penalty kicks to advance to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals will be played on Friday and Saturday. Here’s the schedule:

  • Uruguay vs. France (July 6, 10 AM on FS1)
  • Brazil vs. Belgium (July 6, 2 PM on FS1)
  • Sweden vs. England (July 7, 10 AM on Fox)
  • Russia vs. Croatia (July 7, 2 PM on Fox)

In other sports news, Terrell Owens is holding his own Hall of Fame celebration at UT-Chattanooga, his alma mater, the day of the enshrinement ceremony. I actually like it.

Maybe Kawhi doesn’t want to go to the Lakers?

By signing Raymond Felton, the Thunder are the first team in NBA history to reach the $300 million mark between the team payroll and luxury-tax bill.

The Thai soccer team trapped in a cave is doing okay, but rescuing them won’t be that easy.

In the news, the July 4th celebrations in Philly are happening tonight.

Barnes & Noble (do people still go there) fired their CEO for violating company policy.

This person is a dumbass: