The Eagles and Phillies played two ugly games yesterday and lost both of them. But the Phils did win the second half of their double-header to break even on the day.

Let’s start with the Birds, who fell to the Patriots 37-20. Despite not having three of their top receivers, the first team offense led by Nick Foles got torched for the most part. And so did the defense. Foles went 3/9 for 44 yards and fumbled on the last play of his night as he suffered a shoulder sprain on that very play.

But there were some bright spots. Shelton Gibson looked like he could secure a roster spot as one of the five or six wide receivers. Not only did he make plays on offense, but he also had a nice kick return in the first quarter. Dave Fipp loves that stuff.

Despite giving up a touchdown on the first drive, Avonte Maddox got first-team reps as the nickel corner and did a pretty good job. Also, Sidney Jones whiffed against Cordarrelle Patterson and Matt Jones couldn’t catch.

Since it’ll be a topic for the rest of the season elsewhere in the league, Malcolm Jenkins, De’Vante Bausby, and Michael Bennett all stayed inside during the national anthem. Bennett was in the locker room while the first two were in the tunnel.

On the bright side, we had this:

https://twitter.com/stefenwiz61/status/1030211360771239937

As for the Phillies, they got TORCHED by the Mets 24-4 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Mets scored 10 runs in the fifth off Ranger Suarez and Mark Leiter Jr. It was 15-4 after the fifth. A disaster.

Even worse, Gabe Kapler decided to put ROMAN QUINN and SCOTT KINGERY in as pitchers. Quinn was awful, giving up seven runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Kingery gave up two runs on four hits in 1 1/3. Something to forget.

But in game two, the bats got going in a 9-6 win. Rhys Hoskins, who homered in the first game, hit another dinger in the second and drove in three runs. Wilson Ramos went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Zach Eflin had a good outing, going 6 2/3 and giving up four runs off seven hits and five strikeouts.

Despite splitting the doubleheader, the Phils actually gained a half-game on the Braves after they lost to the Rockies. They’re now 1.5 games back.

The series continues tonight at 6:05 PM on NBC 10 with Aaron Nola taking on Noah Syndergaard. They’ll play Saturday at the ballpark before heading off to Williamsport to wrap up the series for a 7:10 PM start on ESPN.

The Roundup:

Remember when Lane Johnson wasn’t as beloved as he was today? Coggin does.

BGN Radio is back as…well, BGN Radio, along with SB Nation’s four other sites hosting new look pods.

What did JJ Redick have in the back of his courtesy car?

The Sixers also hired WNBA star Lindsey Harding as a full-time scout.

In other sports news, LaVar Ball’s JBA is in some contract paying trouble.

Colin Kaepernick had a chance to be a Denver Bronco, but passed on the opportunity.

Could Chris Berman return to ESPN in an expanded role?

La Liga could play some regular season games in the United States soon.

In the news, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed away at the age of 76.

The Pentagon postponed President Trump’s military parade.

Some guy trucked Fox 29’s Kristen Rodgers at the PAL Charity Softball game.

The Montco teacher who wrestled as a Nazi won’t be punished by his school district.