Andrew Painter shoves in a 12-3 beatdown of the Cardinals, Phillies win eighth straight game
Remember when Dombrowski whiffed on a fifth starter at the deadline and we all lost our minds about it? Well, funny how things work out, because being forced to run it back with Andrew Painter might end up being the best non-move of the summer.
The 23-year-old just delivered the longest and best start of his young career, seven innings of one-run ball, in a 12-3 demolition of the Cardinals that ran the rampaging Phillies’ winning streak to a season-high EIGHT.
Andrew Painter Was Straight-Up Filthy
This was THE version of Andrew Painter we’ve been waiting for. Five hits, ZERO walks, eight punchouts over seven innings. He threw a first-pitch strike to 22 of 27 hitters, which is absurd command for a rookie.
His 100th pitch of the night still lit up 99.6 on the gun, so the kid was pumping gas start to finish. And he piled up 20 swings and misses with his six-pitch arsenal. That’s not some rookie surviving on fumes. That’s a legit big-league arm carving up a good lineup and making it look easy.
Here’s what makes it so damn satisfying. This is the EXACT same guy who slinked off the mound with his head down on June 17 after getting lit up for six runs in two innings, a disaster that got him shipped to Triple-A.
Two months later, he walked off that same mound with his head high and a standing ovation from 42,218 raining down on him. That’s a redemption arc, and the kid earned every clap.
The Reinvention Is the Whole Story
None of this happened by accident. Down in Triple-A, Painter tore it down and rebuilt. Ditched the splitter, added a circle change, cleaned up his mechanics to fix the command, and, best of all, decided to stop nibbling and just LET IT EAT. “Rip it,” as he put it. That mentality juiced the velo and the ride on his fastball, and he paired it with actually getting ahead in counts instead of pitching from behind all night.
The results are legit. Since coming back up, Painter’s got a 3.62 ERA and has worked into at least the sixth three times, with the Phillies winning three of his five starts. After that fifth-starter spot was a smoking crater all year, losing 12 in a row at one point, Painter has quietly become exactly the guy this rotation needed.
That’s a HUGE development with October on the horizon, and it’s the kind of internal answer that makes the deadline miss sting a whole lot less.
The Offense Kept Feasting
Not that Painter needed a lick of help, but the lineup buried the Cardinals with 15 hits and one of its best nights of the year. Bryce Harper crushed a three-run bomb, and Kyle Schwarber added a solo shot for his MLB-leading 38th. In true August fashion, they cashed in the traffic, going 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
That RISP number is the story of this entire month. The Phillies are hitting .333 with runners in scoring position in August, TOPS in the majors. That relentless, don’t-try-to-do-too-much, cash-the-runners approach has powered a 15-5 August and this eight-game tear. This is the deep, complete, nightmare-to-navigate offense we’ve been hyping, and it just refuses to cool off.
The Standings Just Got Spicy
Now THIS is where it gets fun. The Phillies are a season-high 14 games over .500, and they’ve sliced Atlanta’s NL East lead down to just THREE games with 32 to play, all while keeping a firm grip on the second Wild Card.
They’re also just two back of the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot. This isn’t some team hanging on for dear life anymore. This is a team charging at the division, and with SEVEN head-to-head games against Atlanta coming in September, that gap is very much there for the taking.
Banking a win with the No. 5 guy Saturday sets up a beauty.
The Phillies go for the sweep Sunday with the ace, Cristopher Sanchez, on the hill. Get it, and that’s their THIRD straight series sweep. This team is running through the schedule like a freight train right now.
A Few Bumps to Sweat
The only sour note Saturday was a handful of dings, and they’re worth watching. Luis Arraez left with a hamstring cramp but said he’ll be good for Sunday. Red-hot Alec Bohm appeared to tweak a groin reaching for a ball at first, and Derek Hill exited with neck stiffness. Nothing sounds serious yet, but the LAST thing this team needs while it’s rolling is to lose key bats to nagging junk. Fingers and toes crossed they’re all fine.
They are noticeably missing from today’s lineup so keep an eye on it.
Eight straight. Fourteen over. Three back in the East. A rookie fifth starter dealing like a vet. This is everything you want from a team catching fire at exactly the right time. Go get the sweep Sunday, ride Sanchez, and keep the pedal down, because the Phillies are playing like an absolute force and I don’t want it to stop.
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