Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Covey crumbles, Braves offense explodes in Phils Sunday Night Baseball loss

Brandon Marsh homered in a Phillies loss. (Cheryl Pursell/Phillies Nation)

The starting pitching matchup told the story in Atlanta.

Waiver-claim right-hander Dylan Covey for the Phillies vs. emerging ace Spencer Strider for the Braves on ESPN‘s Sunday Night Baseball. It went about as well for Philadelphia as you would’ve expected.

Atlanta pounded Covey from his first pitch, knocking him out of the game after just two-thirds of an inning, while Strider went six strong as the Braves cruised past the Phillies, 11-4, in the finale of a four-game series at Truist Park. Matt Olson hit two home runs and Ronald Acuña Jr. went 4-for-5 with a triple to lead Atlanta’s dominant 20-hit offensive outburst.

After winning two straight on Friday and Saturday, the Phillies (25-28) had to settle for a series split with Sunday’s loss. They trail the National League East-leading Braves (32-21) by seven games in the standings.

Covey allowed seven runs, five earned, as he failed to get through one full inning in his second appearance as a Phillie. The Braves ripped off four straight hits in the bottom of the first inning as Acuña laced the first pitch from Covey for a single, Olson and Austin Riley launched back-to-back home runs and Sean Murphy singled to left.

Ozzie Albies hit a two-run single to extend Atlanta’s lead to 5-0 in the first, and — after Covey was pulled — reliever Jeff Hoffman let two inherited runners come home on another Acuña single.

With the Phillies in a 7-0 hole, Kyle Schwarber nearly put Philadelphia on the board in the top of the second before center fielder Michael Harris II reached up and robbed him of a homer at the wall.

The next inning, Brandon Marsh got enough of an 87-mph fastball to exit the yard for a two-run homer, making it 7-2.

Strider settled in from there, working his electric repertoire to strike out nine Phillies hitters over six innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk, the only two runs of his outing coming on Marsh’s blast.

Atlanta tacked on in the fifth inning with Acuña tripling home a run and Olson following with another homer to make it 10-2. With Strider out of the game, Schwarber hit a two-run shot off Collin McHugh in the seventh to cut the Braves lead to six. But Riley responded in the bottom of the inning for Atlanta with an RBI single to go up 11-4.

The Phillies went down scoreless in the final two innings to complete the loss and seal the split. The team has a day off on Monday before beginning another divisional road series on Tuesday in New York, the first of a three-game set against the Mets.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

The Phillies have now ended a game day exactly seven games back of first place in the division 13 times this season. They’ve trailed by as many as eight games this year, and, of course, gained no ground on Atlanta this series with the split.

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