Andrew Abbott has quietly built a case as one of the National League’s best left-handers, but he’ll be tested Friday afternoon in one of baseball’s most unforgiving environments: Citizens Bank Park, where the Philly faithful can smell October from Broad Street.
Abbott (7-1, 1.79 ERA) toes the slab for the visiting Reds in the opener of a three-game set against a Phillies team that’s won three of four and is once again riding a wave of stellar starting pitching. His last outing? Solid — one run over five innings against the Padres — but the pitch count ballooned to 102, and he walked two batters for the first time in over a month.
"You want to stay around 15 pitches an inning," Abbott said. "But you’ve just got to keep your foot down and grind."
Grinding is a familiar concept in this part of the country. It’s practically a civic duty. So is good pitching, which the Phillies have in abundance these days. Cristopher Sánchez added to the rotation’s recent dominance on Wednesday night, carving up the Padres over seven innings in a 5-1 win. His performance followed a familiar script: minimal walks, soft contact, and quiet confidence.
"He's been just like the rest of them," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "Just wonderful."
Now it’s Jesus Luzardo’s turn. The southpaw gets the ball for Philadelphia and enters with a 7-4 record and a 4.06 ERA. His last time out against the Braves was a mixed bag — seven hits and three walks over five innings — but he limited Atlanta to just two runs.
Luzardo’s history against Cincinnati suggests he could settle in quickly. In two career starts against the Reds, he’s posted a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only one walk across 11 innings.
The Reds, though, aren’t limping into town. They arrive fresh off an 8-4 comeback win in Boston, a game where Christian Encarnacion-Strand clubbed his first career grand slam and Matt McLain collected five hits in a day that spanned two ballgames — including a suspended game makeup.
"We did some good things," Reds skipper Terry Francona said. "That comeback's going to make the plane ride a heckuva lot better."
Friday marks the first meeting between the clubs this season.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: LHP Jesus Luzardo (7-4. 4.06) vs. LHP Andrew Abbot (7-1, 1.79)
Saturday: LHP Ranger Suarez (7-2, 2.00) vs. LHP Nick Lodolo (5-5, 3.52)
Sunday: RHP Zack Wheeler (8-3, 2.26) vs. RHP Chase Burns (0-1, 13.50)
Painter Update
Back in Clearwater this spring, the Phillies made it clear: If everything broke right, Andrew Painter could find his way to the big-league rotation right around the All-Star break. Well, we’re almost there.
But the picture isn’t quite as clear anymore.
With Aaron Nola still on the injured list and Mick Abel struggling to find consistency, attention has naturally shifted back to Painter — the 6-foot-7 flamethrower who still carries the highest ceiling of any arm in the Phillies' system. But his latest outing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley served as a reminder that even prodigies hit speed bumps.
Facing Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, Painter allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked just one and struck out seven, generating an eye-popping 16 whiffs on 52 swings. But all four runs came in a rough fourth inning — the kind of inning that still stands between him and Citizens Bank Park.
There are encouraging signs. Painter threw 65 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He’s challenging hitters. He’s filling the zone. But Triple-A hasn’t come as easily to him as the lower levels. Through 45 1/3 innings with the IronPigs, he's sporting a 4.57 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and a 52-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Is the stuff big-league caliber? No question. But the consistency still needs to catch up.
So while the All-Star break may have looked like a realistic target back in March, the Phillies now find themselves walking the tightrope between need and patience. Painter’s day is coming — and it still may be soon — but for now, it’s not quite today.
