Andrew Painter looked ‘as good as I’ve seen him’ in the longest start of his career
Don Mattingly praised the rookie after he pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in nine starts. The Phillies now face their toughest schedule since the managerial change.
Andrew Painter learned his lesson in his very first start.
It’s always wise to listen to J.T. Realmuto.
“I shook him [off] once this whole year in my debut,” the Phillies’ rookie starter said Sunday, “and Daylen Lile [of the Nationals] hit a homer like 2 feet foul. So, I’m done with that.”
Painter let Realmuto take the lead in the series finale against the Guardians and delivered the longest start of his career, pitching into the seventh inning for the first time in nine starts.
» READ MORE: Don Mattingly isn’t considering dropping Trea Turner in the Phillies’ lineup: ‘I think we count on Trea being Trea’
It was the silver lining from a listless 3-1 loss and the second consecutive losing series for the Phillies, who scored a total of four runs in three games against Cleveland.
After consecutive solid starts in which interim manager Don Mattingly pulled Painter early to help build up his confidence, the 23-year-old righty gave up two runs, scattered six hits, and threw 82 pitches in 6⅓ innings.
Painter’s biggest mistakes: two walks, both of which came around to score on Steven Kwan’s RBI single in the fifth inning and Rhys Hoskins’ double in the sixth.
“That’s probably as good as I’ve seen him,” Mattingly said. “He spotted up all day. He got the ball where he wanted to. Good split today, it looked like, too. I thought that was really good.”
Indeed, Painter threw 23 splitters, a season-high, and got five of his eight swings and misses. Painter said the command of his splitter hadn’t been especially good in his previous starts.
“It’s a pitch I’ve kind of been searching for the past couple of outings,” he said. “It’s kind of been scattered.”
But the gameplan for Painter against the Guardians was similar to Saturday night, when Zack Wheeler got 15 swings and misses on a career-high 23 splitters over six scoreless innings.
The common denominator: Realmuto was catching.
And Painter knows better than to doubt him.
» READ MORE: Rhys Hoskins’ injury was a sliding door moment in Phillies history. And it still ‘kind of eats at’ Bryce Harper.
“I always trust everything that he’s calling, and I know that he trusts what he’s calling as well,” said Painter, who has allowed five runs in 17⅓ innings over his last three starts — all with Realmuto behind the plate. “Just knowing there’s a guy back there that puts in all the prep work, just the game planning, it makes you feel good about that.”
But Painter is following someone else’s lead, too. For the last four turns through the rotation, he has started the day after Wheeler and said he has benefited from watching the veteran righty attack the lineup that he’s about to face.
“It’s great,” Painter said. “It kind of gives me a good idea of what hitters are looking for and what their approach is going to be. Just the day before my start, being able to watch him go out there and throw the ball is very helpful.”
A test out West
The Phillies flew to San Diego after the game to open a three-game series with a late-afternoon Memorial Day matinee. The six-game West Coast trip continues Friday with a return to Dodger Stadium, site of last season’s divisional round ouster.
It will be the toughest the schedule has been since the managerial change from Rob Thomson to Mattingly.
“I feel like we’re playing good baseball, and then we kind of hit little rough patches the last two series,” Trea Turner said. “But I don’t feel like we’re beating ourselves. We’re in games. We’ve just got to get a few more hits offensively and produce a little more offensively, and we can keep rolling.”
» READ MORE: A beer in the dugout, a benching, and a rift with his manager: Inside the final Phillies season for Nick Castellanos
Extra bases
The trip to San Diego will mark a reunion for the Phillies with Nick Castellanos, the disgruntled right fielder who was released in spring training. The Phillies are paying approximately $19.2 million of Castellanos’ $20 million salary. He’s batting .192 with four homers and a .583 OPS in a bench role for the Padres. ... Bryson Stott has reached base in 10 consecutive games. ... Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus (elbow) threw a bullpen session. ... Jesús Luzardo (3-4, 4.85 ERA) will start at 6:45 p.m. ET Monday against Padres righty Griffin Canning (0-2, 9.00).
As the Phillies continue to seek more production out of the cleanup spot, Rhys Hoskins is coming back to town this weekend with the Cleveland Guardians. Hoskins sat down with "Phillies Extra," The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss his role with the first-place Guardians, his legacy with the Phillies, and more. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Terry Francona | Aaron Rowand | Hunter Pence | Paco Figueroa | Gage Wood | Scott Boras | Brian Barber | Aaron Nola | Justin Crawford | Garrett Stubbs
