2) The Phillies roster won’t have Dylan Covey on it by August 1
Buried in the back of the bullpen, we find Dylan Covey. He is the mop-up man of mop-up men. His failed start for the Phillies and lack of minor league options has turned him into nothing more than someone to come into the game when the Phillies need innings eaten and they don’t so much care about winning.
Covey is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA in 17 innings of work for Philadelphia. By August 1, the Phillies need to find someone better for this role. It doesn’t have to be a bullpen ace. The Covey upgrade just needs to be a pitcher we can feel a little confident in. Right now, there is none in Covey.
Covery has been able to toss a few clean innings for the Phillies, but Rob Thomson has used him wisely and mostly in games the team was already punting. He has pitched in only two Phillies wins this season, one where he was awarded the victory after blowing the game. The other was a 19-4 route versus the Washington Nationals on July 1.
The long-man role in the bullpen doesn’t necessarily have to go to a far more competent reliever. However, we should all at least hope for the Phillies to find someone a bit better. Feel confident they will and it won’t take until the last hours of the trade deadline to get it done.