Nightmare first inning for Dylan Covey dooms Phillies in 11-4 loss to Braves

Covey wasn't able to last the first inning against the Braves, turning the contest into an ad hoc bullpen game.

Published May 28, 2023, 10:28 p.m. ET

ATLANTA — It’s never a good sign when the starter can’t throw a single pitch that produces a swinging strike in the first inning. But that is precisely what happened to Dylan Covey on Sunday night as the Phillies lost to the Braves, 11-4. After a solid first outing for the Phillies on Tuesday in which he allowed just one run over five innings, Covey allowed six hits, seven runs — five earned — with two home runs in two-thirds of an inning against Atlanta.

He became the first starter since 2017 to allow that many hits, runs, and homers without finishing the first inning. Only six National League pitchers had done it before him. That’s not the kind of history you want to make.

Covey said he couldn’t identify any clear reason why this outing went so differently than Tuesday’s.

“I mean, they were just on it,” he said. “There were some pitches I probably had more room to work with — meaning I could have tried to hit the corner with it a little more. But my game plan is to go in there and attack and throw strikes. And even when I did execute and throw really well, they still hit it. So, just try to move on from that one. It stinks to watch your team try to pick up the pieces for you for eight innings. But just got to be ready when my name is called next.”

Covey wasn’t the only problem, though. Sunday’s nationally televised loss was one of the Phillies’ uglier games this season. They made three errors, including two on the same play in the first. Orlando Arcia hit a groundball to Trea Turner that went through his legs to left field. Kyle Schwarber tried to scoop it up, but missed it.

In the bottom of the fourth, Edmundo Sosa made another error at third base with two outs. If not for that mistake, he could have ended the inning.

Manager Rob Thomson conceded that his team has made too many defensive mistakes this season.

“They seem to come in bunches,” he said. “So we just need to make sure that we stay focused and concentrate and take care of the baseball on the defensive side.”

Because Covey exited so early, the Phillies had to go with an impromptu bullpen game. They used five relievers. As a staff, they allowed 20 hits, but somehow didn’t allow a walk, which was a silver lining if there was one.

There were a few other positive takeaways. Brandon Marsh hit a two-run home run off of Braves starter Spencer Strider in the third inning. Schwarber hit a two-run homer off of reliever Collin McHugh in the seventh inning to cut the Phillies’ deficit to 10-4.

Schwarber said he was encouraged by the team’s at-bats against Strider, who went six innings and struck out nine to raise his total to 106.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s what, our fifth time seeing him in the last couple of years? The guy is a good pitcher,” Schwarber said. “He’s got 100 strikeouts, right? You pretty much go into the game knowing you’ve got a pretty good chance of punching out. You don’t want to say that but you also want to try to get him into the zone. Try to work him. And I felt like we did a pretty good job, despite the circumstances of the first inning. I felt like we did a pretty good job of working him. He had a pretty high pitch count in the fifth. If we keep doing that consistently, things will be good for us.”

But it was to no avail. Questions linger about the fifth starter spot. Covey, who was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers about just over a week ago, doesn’t seem to be the solution. For the Phillies, there isn’t an obvious option below him.

Thomson indicated it’s unlikely they’ll stretch out reliever Jeff Hoffman, who has an 0.93 ERA and pitched two scoreless innings Sunday. The previous fifth starter, Bailey Falter, is still struggling in triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has a 5.40 ERA through 11 2/3 innings pitched. Cristopher Sanchez gave Lehigh Valley six scoreless innings on Sunday night, but has looked shaky otherwise. Prospect Griff McGarry should be an option at some point, but he is still in the process of building up his innings after an injury delayed the start of his season.

The Phillies are now 1-9 in games in games pitched by a fifth starter. They need someone to pitch every five days. The question is, who?