Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
PHILADELPHIA – Anything that could go wrong went wrong for Andrew Painter on Wednesday afternoon in South Philadelphia, a game in which the Phillies fell to the Marlins 12-4 in the series finale.
Painter only lasted two innings in his outing, surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks. Interim manager Don Mattingly said before Wednesday’s contest that he wanted to see a similar aggression to what Painter showed in his last outing, but that “it can't just be aggression, it's got to be aggression and throwing the ball where you want with that energy…you still got to get it to spots.”
The rookie was aggressive early in counts, throwing a first-pitch strike to 10 of the 14 hitters he faced. The consistency and “throwing the ball where you want” did not last long in those ABs. Here are the results when Painter got ahead:
The first five balls put in play against him - which included both hume runs, a ground out, a double and a single - were all struck with an exit velocity higher than 90 MPH.
Philly's best pitching prospect was eventually able to limit the speed at which balls left the bat, as the last four put in play came off slower than 80 MPH, but the damage continued. Kyle Stowers’ second-inning RBI double had an exit velo of 68.7, and Zavier Edwards followed with an RBI single that left his bat at 47.6 MPH.
Five of the six hits he surrendered were in the middle third of the plate, with four of those touching middle-middle. He appears to be throwing, not pitching. Something had to give.
His ERA now rests at 7.06 through his first 14 appearances. There are different things to weigh when making a decision such as this. You don't want to destroy his confidence, but Caleb Cotham's reputation as an elite pitching coach precedes him. J.T. Realmuto is incredible at working with pitchers and calling games. Brains like Zack Wheeler's and Cristopher Sánchez's are not around to be picked in the minors.
"The balancing act is tough," Mattingly said flatly after the game. "You still have to perform and get people out, you know, and you like the fact that you're gaining experience by being around the big league pitching coach, being around Wheels and the other veteran pitchers. All those things can help you, but you still have to perform."
While it is not easy watching a young man struggle like this, another 23-year-old with potential who struggled mightily but eventually panned out comes to mind - Roy Halladay.
In Halladay’s 23-year-old season, he was eventually sent down after 19 appearances while holding a 10.64 ERA. He had to change something, and he did. He took the opportunity as a challenge and eventually pitched his way to the Hall of Fame after winning multiple Cy Young awards, one of which came in Philadelphia. Another member of the famed ‘Four Aces’ rotation, Cliff Lee, was sent down - even later at age 28 - and returned to be one of the best pitchers of his generation, earning a Cy Young Award of his own.
It may not be ideal or what anyone envisioned, but there is precedent for pitchers failing at the big-league level, being optioned back to the minors, and coming back to reach their potential. It’s a balancing act, and every player is different. Maybe continuing to work with J.T. Realmuto and Caleb Cotham every day may would have provided more value than facing lesser competition in the minors to try and get right. Still, you also don’t want to see a player’s confidence shattered before his career even truly begins.
“I would say it almost has to waiver some,” Mattingly said when asked if he was worried about his starter’s confidence. “He's been pretty resilient to this point, but I'd have to say I’m sure it's wavering.”
The biggest problem for Painter has been his four-seam fastball. During a recent interview with The Inquirer’s Scott Lauber, pitching coach Caleb Cotham said he had to work on his ability to throw the fastball down in the zone effectively. “If you throw the fastball up, up, up, up, up, their eyes have seen it,” Cotham told Lauber. ‘The foul ball turns maybe into a ball in play, and kind of cascades up the damage hierarchy.”
This afternoon, four of the hits he surrendered were on the four-seamer; three of them were up and center-cut, and one was even up and far out of the zone. To Cotham’s point, the Marlins were used to seeing it there. Mattingly added postgame, “The home runs were kind of center-cut fastballs. Usually don't like to throw anything center cut.”
When asked about whether Painter would make his next start, Mattingly said: “It's something we'll probably talk about.” Just over two hours after the end of Wednesday's game, the Phillies announced Painter would be optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
It is not clear who would replace Painter in the big-league rotation. Philadelphia has not announced a corresponding move yet. What is clear, though, is that the Phillies had an important decision to make about their most hyped pitching prospect in decades. They determined that time down on the farm was best for him and the starting staff.
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