The Ramos roundup is a weekly Philadelphia Sports column highlighting all the pertinent news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Sixers Fall in Game One to Knicks
After distinguishing the Miami Heat in the play-in round, the Sixers dropped their round 1 opener to the Knicks this past weekend. It wasn’t without a scare, however, as Joel Embiid did briefly leave the game, potentially reaggravating his knee issue. According to Kyle Neubeck, Embiid was in good spirits in the locker-room so he didn’t appear to be nursing the injury anymore than he already had been.
My take?
Embiid’s exit was strictly precautionary. Remember; the Sixers star is wearing a bulky knee brace for support. There’s perhaps still an adjustment period since he likely doesn’t have a full range of motion. Nevertheless, a definite scare for a brief moment. The Sixers return to action for game 2 on Monday night and hopefully, can even the series at one apiece.
Phillies Sweep White Sox
The Phillies flexed their offensive prowess in their series finale, disposing of the White Sox with a 8-2 victory Sunday. It was also the Phantic’s birthday, which you know, is always a fun event for those in attendance.
An overarching theme in this series for the Fightins was the quality pitching they received over the three game set. Spencer Turnbull carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of game one, while Zack Wheeler took one into the eighth in game two to open the series.
According to Dan Gleston, the Phillies rotation entered the game having gone 31 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. That’s the Phils longest streak since 1969.
Next up will be a series in Cincinnati with the Reds.
Union Loan Matt Real to Switchbacks FC
Earlier this week, the Union announced that the club has loaned Homegrown defender Matt Real to USL side, Switchbacks FC, through 2024.
Real signed a contract as a Homegrown with the Union in 2018 after spending time with Bethlehem Steel FC in the USL. Over six seasons Real made 50 appearances, with his debut on March 31 against Colorado. In that time, the former Union Academy player had logged two goals and four assists, with an overall 75.95% pass percentage.
The boys in blue return to action on the 27th. Be sure to follow along with all of our Union coverage this summer.
Joel Farabee on the Move?
In this week’s 32 Thoughts Column, NHL insider Eliotte Friedman speculated what could come next for Flyers’ forward Joel Farabee. From Friedman:
“They are expected to announce a two-year extension for Ivan Fedotov at any time and Samuel Ersson took huge steps under less-than-ideal conditions. A lot of their young players, from Cam York to Morgan Frost to Foerster, improved their standing. Cam Atkinson made it sound like he will start anew in 2024-25, and the other one I wonder about is Joel Farabee.”
Eliotte Friedman
Friedman wouldn’t share this nugget of information without there being some smoke on this front. Farabee, 24, posted career-highs in all major offensive categories in 2024, but found himself pushed down the lineup late in the season due to slumping. Despite this, Farabee does fill a position of need for Philly at left wing. If the team is looking to fill their need at number one center though? He may very well be trade fodder.
We’ll keep tabs of this as the Flyers move through their summer.
Eagles Set for NFL Draft
The 89th NFL Draft is set for this coming Thursday. The Eagles have the following picks in this years draft:
1st Round: Pick 22
2nd Round: Picks 50 and 53
4th Round: Pick 120
5th Round: Picks 161 and 171
6th Round: Pick 210
