PHILADELPHIA — Dylan Covey had only been on the Phillies’ active roster for six hours when he took the mound on Tuesday night, but nevertheless, he gave his new team what they needed. At first, it didn’t seem like he would. Covey, who was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Saturday, allowed a single and an RBI triple in his first two at-bats of the third inning. But he settled in after that.
Covey induced a lineout and two strikeouts to end the third. After taking the ball from Matt Strahm, who allowed two earned runs over the first two innings, Covey gave the Phillies five frames of one run ball, allowing five hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He kept them in the game. Unfortunately for the Phillies, their bats were unable to do the same, in a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
It took the lineup a while to capitalize on Covey’s performance, but in the seventh inning, they did. After managing three hits and one run off of Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson over six innings, the Phillies loaded the bases with a walk, a double, and a hit by pitch with one out in the seventh. Kody Clemens, who put them on the board with an RBI double in the second inning, drove Bryce Harper home with a force out. Alec Bohm — who was pinch-hitting after a frustrating week-long slump — hit an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
That positive momentum did not last long. Seranthony Domínguez took over for Covey in the eighth inning and was unable to record an out. He threw only 11 pitches but less than half of them were strikes. Domínguez allowed a double, a walk, and an RBI single to give the Diamondbacks a 4-3 lead. The right-handed reliever had not allowed an earned run since April 14.
Gregory Soto, who entered in relief of Dominguez, kept it there. With runners on first and second and no outs, he tossed a strikeout, allowed a walk to load the bases, and tossed another strikeout and induced a forceout to end the inning.
The Phillies tried to rally again in the eighth but to no avail. With two outs, Harper hit a line drive double and Nick Castellanos took a walk to put runners on first and second for Kyle Schwarber. But Schwarber hit a lineout to center field that Dominic Fletcher just barely caught, and the inning was over.
Yunior Marte pitched a scoreless and hitless inning in the ninth, but the Phillies were unable to muster another rally after that. J.T. Realmuto grounded out, Clemens flied out, and Bohm lined out.
The Phillies have lost seven of their last nine games.
