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Tag: Andrew Painter

  • Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber out of the lineup for a second straight game: ‘Just being a little cautious’

    Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber out of the lineup for a second straight game: ‘Just being a little cautious’

    WASHINGTON — Kyle Schwarber was out of the Phillies lineup on Wednesday, missing a second consecutive game with tightness in his lower back.

    The Phillies designated hitter felt his back lock up a few minutes before first pitch on Tuesday. He found it difficult to swing, and was a late scratch from what would ultimately be a roller coaster 14-9 win over Washington.

    Interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday that Schwarber was feeling better, but he wanted to be cautious and give him another day off. Bryce Harper was in the lineup at designated hitter, with Alec Bohm moving to first base and Edmundo Sosa starting at third.

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    “I think if it was a different time of year, we’d do everything we could to get him to play today, and he would too, I think,” Mattingly said. “But just being a little cautious with him, don’t want to end up being two weeks or something.”

    Mattingly said pregame on Wednesday that he hoped Schwarber would improve enough to be available off the bench in an emergency situation as a pinch-hitter. But he didn’t want to put a definitive timetable on Schwarber’s return.

    “If it takes another day, it takes another day,” Mattingly said. “And we got guys who can play. So [better to] be cautious.”

    On Tuesday, Sosa slid into the lineup at designated hitter in Schwarber’s place on short notice, and had five RBIs in the Phillies’ comeback win, including a ninth-inning double that was part of their eight-run rally with two outs.

    “I definitely wish Schwarber was out there every single night for us, but health always comes first, and we got to make sure he’s OK, and get him back out there,” Brandon Marsh said. “But it’s just next-man-up mentality. Sosa stepped up and had a tremendous game for us, man.”

    Andrew Painter was optioned to triple A by the Phillies on June 18.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Painter set to return to action in triple A

    Andrew Painter is scheduled to start on Sunday for triple-A Lehigh Valley, his first game appearance since being optioned on June 18.

    After the Phillies’ prized rookie struggled to a 7.06 ERA in 14 games, the Phillies sent him down to the minors to work on his fastball. Batters were slugging .660 against his four-seam. The pitch has a run value of minus-11 according to StatCast, which is third-worst among four-seamers in the majors, only better than those thrown by Aaron Nola (minus-13) and the Rockies’ Kyle Freeland (minus-12).

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    Instead of getting into a triple-A game right away, Painter threw multiple bullpen sessions to work on his delivery. But he will be back facing the Syracuse Mets on Sunday, which Mattingly said he expects to be a “full start.”

    “I don’t know if it would be a 100-pitch type start, they may want to be cautious a little bit, but there’s no limitations on him, anything he can’t do. It’s a start,” Mattingly said. “Hopefully we get able to start ironing things out, and that starts to take hold.”

    Adolis García’s recovery from surgery is expected be last six to eight months.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    García undergoes surgery

    Adolis García’s season is officially over after undergoing right latissimus dorsi repair surgery on Wednesday morning in Chicago. The timeline for recovery is six to eight months.

    García tore his lat while making a throw from the outfield in Toronto on June 10. He had become a popular member of the Phillies clubhouse after signing a one-year deal in the winter.

    The right fielder has a strong relationship with Sosa, dating back to their time in the St. Louis Cardinals‘ minor league system. García would use his DJ skills to soundtrack the Phillies’ postgame win celebrations, and had a turntable set up in the home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park.

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    Mattingly said García will be rehabbing at the Phillies complex in Clearwater, Fla., instead of being around the major league club.

    “It’s just hard to have guys that you’re rehabbing every day, when you have a bunch of guys that need treatment and things like that,” Mattingly said. “But he was very popular. I think he was easy to be popular, because he was a positive guy, played with a smile on his face, just a professional from the standpoint of being ready to play every day.”

    Extra bases

    Right-hander Bryse Wilson, who was designated for assignment on Monday, was claimed on waivers by the Chicago Cubs. … Cristopher Sánchez (9-3, 1.80 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli (4-4, 4.07).

  • Phillies weighing options to fill Andrew Painter’s spot in starting rotation; Trea Turner returns to lineup

    Phillies weighing options to fill Andrew Painter’s spot in starting rotation; Trea Turner returns to lineup

    Andrew Painter has reported to Lehigh Valley, where he will work to improve a fastball that hasn’t overpowered many major-league hitters.

    The Phillies aren’t sure how long it will take.

    “We haven’t put a timetable on it,“ general manager Preston Mattingly said on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “It’s TBD at this point when he comes back. But I think we all know as an organization that we’re going to need him.”

    OK, but in the meantime, the Phillies must fill Painter’s spot. They don’t have many options. Starting pitching depth has been a concern since the offseason. It isn’t an organizational strength.

    The Phillies still need a right-handed bat. Let’s take an early dive into some options before the trade deadline.

    But before the Phillies settle the fifth-starter question, they will slightly rearrange the rotation beyond co-aces Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler. Jesús Luzardo will move back one day to avoid overtaxing the bullpen by splitting up Painter’s spot and Aaron Nola.

    So, after Wheeler starts at home Sunday night against the Mets, the rotation will shape up like this for the upcoming series in Washington: Monday: No. 5 starter; Tuesday: Luzardo; Wednesday: Nola; Thursday: Sánchez.

    As for who will take the fifth (spot), the Phillies seem to have three choices:

    Bryse Wilson: Called up to fill Painter’s roster spot, Wilson threw 29 pitches in two scoreless innings of relief Thursday night against the Mets, which would line him up to start on short rest. The 28-year-old righty had a 6.29 ERA in triple A but also hadn’t allowed a run in 12 innings in his last three starts. He has appeared in 164 major-league games, including 57 starts.

    Alan Rangel is a candidate to join the Phillies’ starting rotation next week.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Alan Rangel: Despite occasionally spotty command (27 walks in 70 innings), Rangel has been Lehigh Valley’s most consistent starter. He has a 3.99 ERA in 14 games (11 starts) and would be on regular rest Monday.

    Bullpen game/opener: The Phillies have more depth in the bullpen. Interim manager Don Mattingly said he isn’t inclined to pass the baton from reliever to reliever for nine innings. But the Phillies could use an opener before turning to a bulk pitcher, possibly Wilson or Rangel.

    “I don’t know about bullpen-heavy, but obviously there will be usage,” Mattingly said. “There’s no plan to just go two innings and then try to do the whole thing with a bullpen. It won’t be that kind of game. We’ll definitely have bulk in there.”

    The fifth spot in the rotation will come around four times before the All-Star break. Painter isn’t expected back until after the second half opens. He will throw multiple bullpen sessions before making his first start for Lehigh Valley, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.

    Andrew Painter was ‘understanding’ when told the Phillies were demoting him: ‘I have to get better’

    Painter has a 7.06 ERA and a 1-8 record (the Phillies are 3-9 in his starts). Opponents are batting .404 and slugging .660 against his fastball.

    The Phillies believe it stems mostly from his delivery. He tends to over-rotate toward the first-base side of the mound, rather than striding directly toward home plate, which has affected his ability to command the fastball.

    “Most of it is delivery-oriented,” Dombrowski said. “Because he’s done some things with his delivery, just going more directly to the plate rather than spinning off. He’s had more life, and you see it at times. He threw some pitches that were outstanding but not on a consistent basis.

    “So, the feeling is that when he does that, when he gives that effort going forward, his ball’s got more movement. He’s got more command of his pitches.”

    Trea Turner is back in the lineup after suffering a bruised right calf on Thursday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Trea bien

    Trea Turner returned to the lineup Saturday — in his familiar leadoff spot — after leaving Thursday night’s game with a bruised right calf. He got hit by a pitch from Mets lefty Sean Manaea in the first inning.

    When Turner reported soreness and tightness, Mattingly took him out of the game. But after a day off Friday, Turner felt better.

    “For me, the biggest danger with that is him running differently, and then we’re into a hamstring or a hip [injury] or something like that,” Mattingly said. “So, wanted to make sure that he can run. That was his biggest issue, just pushing off. The off-day did him well.”

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    Extra bases

    Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus (elbow) was scheduled to make his fifth injury rehab appearance for Lehigh Valley. The Phillies likely will reinstate him from the injured list early next week. Backhus could fill an important role in the bullpen, with lefty José Alvarado struggling and Tanner Banks getting sent back to the minors. … Gage Wood update: The Phillies’ top prospect has a 3.71 ERA, 25 strikeouts, and only five walks in 17 innings over five starts since his promotion to double A. … Wheeler (6-1, 2.01 ERA) will be opposed Sunday night by Mets lefty David Peterson (3-5, 5.91).

  • Andrew Painter was ‘understanding’ when told the Phillies were demoting him: ‘I have to get better’

    Andrew Painter was ‘understanding’ when told the Phillies were demoting him: ‘I have to get better’

    Upon deciding Wednesday evening to send Andrew Painter back to triple A, several Phillies officials wondered how the rookie pitcher might react.

    “When you tell him,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recalled pitching coach Caleb Cotham saying, “at that point, I don’t know how much more he’s going to hear.”

    But Painter is also self-aware enough to know that the Phillies couldn’t keep him in the starting rotation. Not with a 1-8 record and 7.06 ERA that was the second-worst mark among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.

    Andrew Painter has reached his Roy Halladay moment. It is on him to seize it.

    “He was understanding,” Dombrowski said. “He was sitting there and we talked to him, and it wasn’t like he said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I have to get better. I have to do better. I understand that.’”

    Specifically, Painter must improve a fastball that has been hit hard in his first major league season. Opponents are batting .404 and slugging .660 on the heater, which Painter has struggled to command. In giving up six runs in two innings Wednesday, he left two fastballs over the plate for homers to the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers and Owen Caissie.

    Dombrowski said Painter will throw multiple bullpen sessions for Lehigh Valley before making another start, likely in “a week or 10 days.”

    As Painter goes in search of a fastball that hasn’t been the same since he returned last year from Tommy John surgery, Dombrowski said the Phillies believe they identified the root of the issue.

    The Phillies hope Andrew Painter’s return to triple A won’t last long.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “Most of it is delivery-oriented,” Dombrowski said. “That’s what it comes down to. Because when he’s done some things with his delivery, which is going more directly to the plate rather than spinning off, he’s had more life. And you see it at times.”

    The Phillies haven’t settled on how they will fill Painter’s spot in the rotation. One possibility: righty Bryse Wilson, who was selected from triple A and added to the 40-man roster.

    Wilson, 28, has a 4.82 ERA in 163 major league games, including 57 starts. He recently exercised an upward-mobility clause in his minor league contract, which may have influenced the Phillies’ decision to call him up now.

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    In 11 starts for Lehigh Valley, Wilson had a 6.29 ERA. But he hasn’t allowed a run in 12 innings over his last three starts.

    Regardless, the Phillies are hopeful that Painter’s return to triple A won’t be long-lasting.

    “He was searching,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “It felt like he was working on something in between [starts], and trying to figure it out, and trying to compete and all that. You’re still going to have to compete at triple A, but the result is not necessarily the most important thing. It’s more about what you’re doing and how you feel about it.

    “I think he’s just going to come back more sure of himself, what he wants to do.”

    Phillies reliever Tanner Banks has a 5.86 ERA in 26 appearances this season.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Banks demoted

    With the Phillies in need of a fresh arm after the bullpen worked seven innings in relief of Painter, lefty Tanner Banks was optioned to triple A. Right-hander Seth Johnson got called up.

    Banks, who began the season as the No. 2 lefty in the bullpen behind Jose Alvarado, has a 5.86 ERA in 26 appearances. He gave up two homers Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing one to that point in the season.

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    “In general, he just has to be better,” Mattingly said. “This gives him a chance to reset, work on his stuff, and just get himself back on the right track.”

    Johnson has dominated in triple A, with a 1.33 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 27 innings. The 27-year-old righty was acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2024 for reliever Gregory Soto.

    Adolis García batted .195 with seven homers and a .599 OPS in his first (and only?) season with the Phillies.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Surgery for García

    Right fielder Adolis García will have season-ending surgery Wednesday to repair a torn lat muscle near his right shoulder. The projected timetable for a return to play is 6-8 months, according to the Phillies.

    García was injured on a throw to home plate in a June 10 game in Toronto. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies in December and batted .195 with seven homers and a .599 OPS. Despite his lack of production at the plate, he was a superb defender in right field.

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    The Phillies were shopping for a right-handed bat even before losing Garcia for the season. Lefty-hitting Gabriel Rincones Jr., recalled last week from triple A, will get the majority of at-bats in right field against right-handed pitching. Rincones missed the first two months of the season with knee inflammation.

    “He’s going to get that chance,” Dombrowski said. “We’ll see what happens. They felt he was swinging the bat well [in triple A], and he was starting to play every single day. So, we’ll see.”

    Extra bases

    The Phillies signed lefty Kolby Allard to a minor-league contract and sent him to triple A as rotation depth. Allard, 28, had a 5.00 ERA for the Phillies in seven games (four starts) in 2024. … After a rare Friday off, the Phillies and Mets will continue their series at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Cristopher Sánchez (8-3, 1.82 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets righty Freddy Peralta (5-5, 3.90).

  • Andrew Painter has reached his Roy Halladay moment. It is on him to seize it.

    Andrew Painter has reached his Roy Halladay moment. It is on him to seize it.

    Somebody needs to tell Andrew Painter to remember one number.

    10.64

    He needs to say it out loud until it is ingrained in his memory, then he needs to take that memory with him.

    Ten-point-six-four.

    He needs to carry it, to own it, to believe in it. All the way down to Allentown and then to wherever his career takes him next. Buy a notebook, maybe. That’s what Roy Halladay did. Halladay knew that number better than anybody. He felt it. He owned it, rather than letting it own him.

    After his latest rough start, can Andrew Painter keep pitching for the Phillies?

    That number — 10.64 — was Halladay’s ERA in 67⅔ innings as a 23-year-old big leaguer. It is nearly three runs higher than the ERA that just earned Painter a demotion to triple-A Lehigh Valley after allowing six runs in two innings of the Phillies’ 12-4 loss to the Marlins on Wednesday. Halladay ended up spending his 24th birthday facing class-A minor league hitters in Dunedin, Fla. As the old saying goes: It’s not how far you fall, it’s how high you bounce.

    Painter is 25 days older than Halladay was when he lost his spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation in 2000. He is nearly a full year younger than Halladay was when he began the process of reinventing himself, both mechanically and mentally. It is a shame that Halladay is no longer around. He almost certainly would have shared all of this with Painter personally.

    Failing is easy. The hard work is what comes next. It’s an endeavor upon which Painter must embark. The 65 innings he has logged as a major leaguer offer plenty from which to learn. They have told him that his fastball will not play in its current form, whether he grips it with four seams or two. Against the Marlins on Wednesday, Painter threw just 19 of them on 56 pitches. Ten of those fastballs prompted swings. None of them were whiffs.

    Unlike a lot of young pitchers, Painter’s issues are not related to control. Heading into Wednesday, he was walking an average of 3.1 batters per nine innings, against 7.1 strikeouts. The big issue is the contact, a lot of it loud. The two-run home run he allowed to Kyle Stowers in the first inning was his 13th in the last 49⅔ innings. It is an unsustainable pace, grotesquely so. The Phillies had no other choice even without better options.

    You aren’t going to win many games when your starter lasts only two innings, allowed eight of 14 batters to reach base, and allows six of those eight batters to score. By the end, the Phillies had used six relievers, two of whom threw 26-plus pitches. That didn’t include backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, the human white flag. He was one of two pitchers who didn’t allow a run.

    Trea Turner slams his bat down after striking out in the sixth inning.
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    It was not a fun afternoon, especially for Don Mattingly. The Phillies interim manager got a good look at two of the biggest reasons his team may be destined to spend the rest of the season attempting to yo-yo away from .500 and toward 90 wins. It is very hard to break off a long winning streak when you have holes at the top of your lineup and the back of your rotation. In Painter and Trea Turner, the Phillies had both. Now, they have one.

    On Wednesday, Mattingly went back to the old drawing board with Turner, his struggling leadoff hitter. Turner went 3-for-5 with a double, his first three-hit game since May 9. The Phillies desperately need it to be the start of something.

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    With Painter in the minors and no obvious replacement, the onus will fall even more squarely on Turner. He entered the day with a brutal .595 OPS. He has a lot more work to do to reestablish a rightful claim as a set-it-and-forget-it leadoff man. Mattingly can’t afford to be too patient, especially given the aftertaste of success from Tuesday’s experiment with Brandon Marsh in the one-hole.

    If the manager’s latest exhibition of patience doesn’t result in a serious heater from Turner, he shouldn’t hesitate to climb back outside of the box and see what happens with Marsh setting the table. Three consecutive lefty-on-lefty matchups for an opposing bullpen isn’t ideal, but it can be better than anybody-on-Turner. I don’t know if that counts as a real solution. After all, Turner still has to hit somewhere.

    It has been an unfortunate season for 24-year-old 40-man roster member Jean Cabrera, who has a 9.39 ERA in 13 starts between triple A and double A. Gage Wood, last year’s first-rounder, has pitched well in Reading. But a big-league promotion is a bit ambitious. The more realistic answer is to patch it together the way the Phillies did for much of 2024 and 2025.

    Andrew Painter gave up six earned runs on six hits, including two home runs, in two innings against the Marlins on Wednesday.
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    The bigger concern is Painter’s future. The Phillies have clung to the hope of him for four years now. He has shown plenty to justify the belief. He was brilliant in his debut, more than adequate in his next two. He logged back-to-back quality starts as recently as late May. He has not recorded more than four strikeouts in any of his last eight starts. But the fastball is a problem, and he must figure it out. The velocity isn’t there like it was in his peak prospect days. But 94-96 mph is not a bad baseline.

    Can it be fixed? If it can, it wasn’t going to happen at the major league level. With the All-Star break drawing near and Painter probably needing some form of workload management in his first big league season, it was hard to make an argument for keeping him in the majors. A lot of what comes next comes down to Painter. Responding to failure isn’t easy. But it is a personal choice.

  • Phillies send Andrew Painter down to triple A after another ugly start

    Phillies send Andrew Painter down to triple A after another ugly start

    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?

    The answer: Not right now.

    Painter was sent to triple A Wednesday evening, a few hours after his hard-to-watch rookie season got even uglier. The Marlins pounded him for six runs on six hits, including two homers, and knocked him out after two innings of a 12-4 matinee rout in Citizens Bank Park.

    And so, Painter heads back to the minor leagues with a 1-8 record and a 7.06 ERA, the second-worst mark among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.

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    The Phillies announced Painter’s demotion at 6:15 p.m., a little more than two hours after the final out. They will make a corresponding roster move Thursday before opening a three-game series against the Mets.

    After the game, interim manager Don Mattingly wouldn’t commit to having Painter make his next start, saying “it’s something we’ll probably talk about.”

    The conversation happened quickly. After Mattingly spoke with reporters, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Preston Mattingly poked their heads into his office, just as they do after most games.

    It seems Painter was Topic A.

    Phillies rookie Andrew Painter gave up six earned runs on six hits, including two home runs, in two innings against the Marlins on Wednesday.
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    The situation is nuanced. The Phillies remain bullish on Painter as a high-end starter. For now, they’ve asked only that the 23-year-old righty 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.

    So, although the Phillies continue to believe in Painter, and while they don’t have appealing alternatives in triple A, they couldn’t allow him to continue to pitch every fifth game.

    “The fastball’s just getting hit right now,” Painter said after the game, before the demotion. “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.”

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    More than anything, though, Painter can’t locate his fastball. At least not the one that overpowered hitters in the low minors.

    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.”

    Andrew Painter fell to 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA, second-worst among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    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.”

    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.”

    Painter will search for his fastball in Lehigh Valley. His replacement isn’t apparent. The triple-A rotation consists of 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, started Wednesday night for the IronPigs and could slide into Painter’s spot.

    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 the answers are in 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.”

    Not before taking a detour.