Andrew Painter goes five solid innings, but Phillies bullpen falters in tough loss to Red Sox

BOSTON — Andrew Painter unleashed a 98-mph fastball that tied up Jarren Duran for the third strikeout of the fifth inning against the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

It was his last pitch of the game.

Never mind that Painter was cruising. Or that he threw only 62 pitches, the fewest of his eight major-league outings. Or that the game hung in the balance.

The Phillies were intent on building the touted rookie’s confidence after four rough starts in a row. So, five innings, Don Mattingly decided, were enough. And if Painter gets on a roll, it may be deemed a good call.

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For now, it cost the Phillies a game.

Lefty reliever Tanner Banks gave up a one-out single in the sixth inning, and righty Orion Kerkering hung a fastball to Ceddanne Rafaela for a two-run homer.

As a result, the Phillies lost, 3-1, on a chilly night in Fenway Park.

There was a rally in the ninth inning. Kyle Schwarber, whose home-run streak ended at five games, drew a leadoff walk against Sox closer Aroldis Chapman. Pinch-hitting Trea Turner, who didn’t start due to illness, worked a two-out walk. They pulled off a double steal.

But Chapman got Alec Bohm to swing at an elevated 99-mph heater to end the game and even the series with rain threatening the finale Thursday night.

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For five innings, the youngest Phillies were also the best Phillies.

Justin Crawford tied the game by powering a thigh-high fastball over the center field wall in the third inning. In the fourth, he closed on a pop fly to shallow center field and made a sliding catch to rob a hit.

It’s been a blast-from-the-past week for Crawford, the 22-year-old rookie who spent the summers here when he was 7 and 8 years old while his dad, Carl Crawford, played left field for the Red Sox.

“I had the most fun here, coming to the field, shagging, being around the players,” Crawford recalled. “A lot of good memories being here.”

Then there was Painter, who left a fastball over the plate for Trevor Story to hammer for a solo homer in the second inning.

But Painter got stronger the second time through the order. He gave up only one other hit, a two-out single to Willson Contreras in the third inning. He got through the third, fourth, and fifth innings on a total of 30 pitches.

Painter entered with a 9.33 ERA in his previous four starts. He lowered his overall season ERA to 6.21. And after striking out Duran to end the fifth inning, he received handshakes in the dugout.

Prematurely, as it turned out.