The Philadelphia Phillies reported on May 18 that Andrew Painter completed six innings for the first time in his career during a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Interim manager Don Mattingly decided not to send Painter out for the seventh inning, despite him having thrown only 69 pitches and retiring ten consecutive batters.
This decision follows a similar approach in Painter’s previous start, where he was removed after five innings and just 62 pitches. The Phillies are focusing on building up the confidence of their highly regarded rookie pitcher, who had struggled with a 6.89 earned run average through his first seven outings.
Alec Bohm contributed with a solo home run in the sixth inning, extending his hitting streak to nine games since receiving what Mattingly called a two-game “reset.” Bryson Stott hit a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning. “With the lineup, the deeper it gets, the more guys who are contributing, it takes pressure off the top,” Mattingly said. “Those guys are going to carry the load for the most part, but if you’re going to have a good year, you need everybody kind of having good years.” Stott described his homer: “When I was going to first, I saw the exit velo board said 44 degrees. So I was hoping for a double at that point.”
The team played without home run leader Kyle Schwarber due to illness but managed to secure its sixteenth win under Mattingly’s leadership this season and improved its overall record to 25-23. The Phillies serve Philadelphia as well as regional and national fans through games and community outreach according to their official website. They have played home games at Citizens Bank Park since 2004.
Painter allowed three hits while striking out three batters and walking two across six innings. He recorded only three swings-and-misses from Reds hitters but showed improvement by efficiently managing pitch counts late into his outing. “I trust every move that’s being made out here,” Painter said after being lifted from the game. “I just want to help the team win, and whatever that is, it’s what I’m willing to do.” Stott added about Painter: “He looks really good… He’s got elite stuff, and I think once he knows that, I think you’ll see a lot more outings like this.”
The Phillies have won World Series titles in both 1980 and 2008 according to their official website, operate as one of Major League Baseball’s National League charter members under an executive-led front office structure according to their official website, and continue efforts toward further success as they look ahead this season.
