After his latest rough start, can Andrew Painter keep pitching for the Phillies?
Painter’s hard-to-watch rookie season got even uglier on Wednesday when he allowed six runs on six hits, including two homers, in two innings. “The fastball’s just getting hit right now,” he said.
The bullpen door swung open as the third inning began, and the question couldn’t be held back any longer.
Can Andrew Painter keep pitching for the Phillies?
It’s fair to ask now. Because Painter’s hard-to-watch rookie season got even uglier in a Wednesday matinee, with the Marlins pounding him for six runs on six hits, including two home runs, and knocking him out after two innings of a 12-4 rout in Citizens Bank Park.
And so, Painter fell to 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA, second-worst among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.
Mercy?
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“Well,” Don Mattingly said, the interim manager pausing a beat, “it’s something we’ll probably talk about. I would say that. The game just ended, though, and haven’t had a chance to talk about anything.”
The conversation is coming. After Mattingly spoke with reporters, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Preston Mattingly poked their heads in his office, just as they do after most games.
Want to bet Painter’s name came up?
It’s a nuanced situation. The Phillies remain bullish on the 23-year-old righty as a high-end starter. For now, they’re asking only that he keeps them in games. He hasn’t done that lately, allowing six, five, six, and four runs in his last four starts and pitching a total of 15 innings for a 12.60 ERA.
“The fastball’s just getting hit right now,” Painter said. “So, you know, I think we’ve just got to evaluate. Just trying to find out who I am as a pitcher right now.”
And who is he?
“I’ve had to lean heavily on spin,” Painter said. “Sweepers and sliders have been great for me. Earlier in the year, the changeup was great, and right now, I’m kind of searching for it.”
More than anything, though, Painter can’t locate his fastball. At least not the one that overpowered hitters in the low minors.
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It hasn’t been the same since he returned from a two-season absence after Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2023. It came and went last year in triple A, where he had a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts. Major leaguers were hitting .382 and slugging .573 against it entering the week.
And that was before the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers and Owen Caissie teed off on center-cut heaters for two-run and solo homers, respectively, as Painter left the Phillies in 2-0 and 6-2 holes.
“I don’t know if he feels like he can really get down the mound and really get after guys because he’s searching for that feeling that he had before,” catcher Garrett Stubbs said. “And it’s really hard.”
Painter’s fastball velocity hasn’t dipped. His trust in the pitch, however, clearly has. Mattingly wants Painter to pitch with more “aggression.” Painter has talked about having greater conviction.
Neither is apparent.
“It’s just trying to get him to get out there and have that dog mentality that Philadelphia represents,” Stubbs said. “Go out and just kind of say [bleep] it and get after ‘em.
“He knows that it’s in there. He just needs to go find it.”
Which brings us back to another version of the original question: Would it help Painter to search for it in triple A?
Painter has appeared downcast after recent starts. He sat facing his locker, dressed in full uniform, last Friday in Milwaukee. Even as Mattingly and pitching coach Caleb Cotham highlighted the positives, the results have been wholly negative.
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Painter said his confidence is “about as good as it can be right now under the circumstances.” But he’s also human. Mattingly guessed Painter’s belief in himself “almost has to waver some.”
“He’s been pretty resilient to this point,” Mattingly said. “But I’m sure it’s wavering.”
What effect would a demotion have? What if Painter falters in triple A, too?
And it isn’t like the Phillies have appealing alternatives in triple A, where the rotation includes Tucker Davidson (6.50 ERA), Alan Rangel (3.74), Bryse Wilson (6.29), Brian Keller (4.35), and Chuck King (4.02). Rangel, the best of the bunch, was scheduled to start Wednesday night and could slide into Painter’s spot.
It’s a lot to discuss.
Mattingly said the Phillies were encouraged by Painter’s between-starts bullpen session. But Painter’s fastball failed him again. And after a 33-pitch second inning, which included an 11-pitch at-bat that ended with Xavier Edwards’ two-out infield single, Mattingly went to the bullpen.
Painter said he can feel it in his hand when he throws a fastball that has “a little more life.” He’s trying to recapture that feeling more consistently. It’s elusive.
“It’s tough,” he said after the shortest start by a non-opener Phillies starter since Jesús Luzardo lasted two innings last July 4. “You can have the best secondary stuff in the world, but everything kind of plays off the fastball.
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“We’ve been searching for some things, and it’s gotten a little better than what it was. But it’s still obviously not to the extent of what it was pre-[surgery]. So, just trying to make adjustments and figure out what’s going to have the most success.”
Maybe it’s something that’s best left for triple A.
“It’s going out there and having a few good outings in a row where you can keep getting after it and know that my stuff’s going to be in the zone and get guys out like he wants to,” Stubbs said. “And a lot of it probably is that confidence piece, right?
“The expectations are high, and everyone wants to win and the city wants to win. He’ll get there. I have full confidence that he’ll get there.”
Sometimes, though, a detour is required.
Say this for the Phillies: They are what we thought they were, a playoff contender led by two aces atop the starting rotation and a dominant closer. Pitching coach Caleb Cotham joins "Phillies Extra," The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss the state of the Phillies' pitching, from the success of Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler to the struggles of Andrew Painter. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Larry Bowa | Joe Maddon | Rhys Hoskins | Terry Francona | Aaron Rowand | Hunter Pence | Paco Figueroa | Gage Wood | Scott Boras
