Andrew Painter Proving Phillies Right Not Adding to Rotation

“If we were going to do it and add somebody, they would have had to be significantly better, in our opinion, than Andrew (Painter), than just acquiring another arm,” Dombrowski said, via Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required).

It was certainly a risk not bringing in another experienced starting pitcher to round out the rotation. Several players who would have helped Philadelphia, such as Kevin Gausman, Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes and Robbie Ray, were on the move for prices most would say the Phillies could have competed with.

Alas, Painter has proven the front office right with his performance since the MLB trade deadline came and went. In his first start after the team didn’t make a move, he threw four innings, getting removed after his hamstring ailment became too much to overcome on the mound.

He gave up one run in the first inning before finding his groove. In his latest start against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies were desperate for a good outing because of how taxed their bullpen has been, and he delivered.

Painter threw 93 pitches, reaching the 90-pitch plateau for only the fifth time in 17 Big League outings. He completed 5.1 innings, which was only the sixth time that he even managed to be available into a sixth inning of work.

And again, he exited with his team ahead. Only two hits were surrendered, as he is finding his confidence in the Big Leagues, with three walks, resulting in two earned runs being charged. For the second time in three starts since being promoted, he struck out six batters.

This is the version of Painter the team was expecting coming into the season. Better late than never, as he can play a huge role in the team making a push down the stretch to stay in the National League playoff field.