Covey could earn a look in Phils’ rotation

PHILADELPHIA — No one issue has caused the Phillies’ disappointing start to the year, but the club’s rotation woes are likely at the forefront.

And while Philadelphia continues to search for consistency from its top-of-the-rotation arms, the concern at the back end has become simply finding someone to fill the No. 5 spot. Newcomer Dylan Covey made his first bid for that role in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the D-backs at Citizens Bank Park — and the right-hander likely did enough to earn another look.

Following opener Matt Strahm, Covey — claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Saturday — allowed one run over five innings. He scattered five hits and one walk while racking up six strikeouts.

“I thought I did my job; thought it went pretty well,” Covey said. “Didn’t get the win, obviously, but I think I came in there and did my best to eat as many innings as possible.”

It was far from a perfect outing from Covey, whose lone 1-2-3 inning came in the seventh — his final frame. His relief appearance started with a third-inning leadoff single by Geraldo Perdomo, followed by an RBI triple by Ketel Marte.

Covey, however, retired the next three batters to strand Marte at third. Covey then allowed a leadoff double to Corbin Carroll in the fourth, but he ultimately stranded a pair of runners to avoid further damage. Covey gave up another leadoff double to Carroll in the sixth and again left him stranded.

“It was huge,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He knuckled down when it mattered and got out of those innings. That kept us in the ballgame, because it could have gotten away from us. Showed a lot of toughness and poise, and got it done.”

At the end of the day, that’s what the Phillies need out of a No. 5 starter — and it’s something Bailey Falter had struggled to do prior to his demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 16.

Falter (0-7, 5.13 ERA) allowed opposing batters to hit .358 with a .918 OPS with runners on base. That included an opposing slash line of .469/.486/.813 with runners in scoring position.

Though, to be fair, the Phillies’ rotation problems extend far beyond the No. 5 spot.

The only starter with a sub-4.00 ERA is Strahm, who has since been moved to the bullpen, where he’s likely to remain for the rest of the season due to workload restrictions. Zack Wheeler (4.11 ERA) and Aaron Nola (4.31 ERA) haven’t exactly set the tone, while Taijuan Walker (5.79 ERA) is off to a slow start and Ranger Suárez (10.50 ERA in two starts) is still searching for his footing after missing the first month and a half.

Put it all together, and the Phillies’ starting staff has a 4.89 ERA (22nd in the Majors) this season. The rotation has a 5.95 ERA in May (29th in MLB) and has earned just three wins in the club’s past 20 games.

Thomson is confident that Wheeler and Nola will eventually start to pitch to their standards. He’s also optimistic that Walker and Suárez will settle in.

As for whether Covey could secure that final rotation spot, he still has a lot to prove. After all, he hasn’t started a big league game since 2019.

Covey went 6-29 with a 6.57 ERA with the White Sox and Red Sox from 2017-20 before pitching in China from 2021-22. He made just one appearance with the Dodgers this season before being designated for assignment on Thursday and claimed two days later by the Phillies.

“Any opportunity is a great opportunity,” Covey said. “But to come to a team like this, it feels good to be wanted. It feels good to be wanted by a good team. I’m just here to do my job. I don’t know whether that’s going to be in the bullpen going forward or not.”

The 31-year-old righty showcased his five-pitch mix, averaging 94.4 mph with his 25 sinkers and ramping it up as high as 96 mph. He relied heavily on his cutter (31 pitches), while also mixing in 20 sliders, 13 sweepers and a pair of changeups.

In all, Covey threw 55 of his 91 pitches for strikes, while getting eight swings and misses and 14 called strikes.

Was it enough to earn another look on Sunday against the Braves?

“I would think so,” Thomson said. “I’ll talk to [pitching coach Caleb Cotham], but from what I saw tonight, he was pretty good. He did a great job.”