PHILADELPHIA — For the first time in his young major-league career, Andrew Painter looked like a pitcher learning just how unforgiving the big leagues can be.
Every mistake felt loud Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Every missed location seemed to end up 15 rows deep.
And before the Phillies could even settle into the game, the Athletics had already turned Painter’s night into survival mode.
The 23-year-old right-hander endured the roughest outing of his rookie season in a 12-1 loss to the Athletics, surrendering eight earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings as the Phillies failed to complete a series sweep.
“First time he’s kind of really gotten punched early in the face, as far as I’ve seen this year, where the game got out of hand early,” interim manager Don Mattingly said afterward. “But that’s a tough spot. But again, I think he’s a mature kid. He’s going to keep working, and he’ll be better.”
The warning signs appeared immediately.
Nick Kurtz opened the game with a walk before Shea Langeliers demolished an inside fastball into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. Moments later, Tyler Soderstrom worked another walk and Brent Rooker followed by launching a second two-run shot to left-center.
Just like that, the Phillies were staring at a 4-0 deficit before Painter could escape the first inning.
And the inning itself felt exhausting.
Painter needed 37 pitches to survive the opening frame, struggled to consistently command his fastball, and repeatedly found himself in dangerous counts against an aggressive Athletics lineup that punished nearly every mistake left in the middle of the plate.
Two innings later, things unraveled further.
Carlos Cortes lined an RBI single before Jacob Wilson crushed a two-run homer to left field, the third long ball Painter allowed in less than three innings. By the middle innings, hard contact was no longer occasional — it had become constant.
Mattingly actually offered Painter a chance to leave the game after the third inning.
The rookie refused.
“I think you have to learn how to deal with that stuff,” Painter said. “Obviously in a hole, stuff wasn’t going my way. But I think just being a competitor, you want to go out there and just compete until you can’t anymore.”
That answer probably explains why the Phillies remain so convinced Painter will eventually become a frontline starter, even while the results remain uneven.
Because Thursday night was ugly.
But it also revealed something about the competitor underneath the talent.
Painter returned for the fourth inning but exited with two outs and two runners aboard after another stressful frame. Left-hander Tanner Banks later allowed one of Painter’s inherited runners to score, pushing the final damage to eight earned runs.
By night’s end, Painter’s ERA climbed to 6.89 through seven major-league starts.
The flashes remain obvious. So do the growing pains.
There are moments when Painter looks overpowering — when the fastball explodes through the zone and the breaking ball flashes ace-level movement. But there are also innings like Thursday, where missed locations become batting practice against major-league hitters.
And lately, the inconsistency has started to pile up.
Last weekend in Miami, Painter struggled to throw strikes consistently. Thursday was different. This time, the Athletics simply squared up nearly everything.
Meanwhile, the Phillies had almost no answer offensively against Athletics starter J.T. Ginn, who carved through the lineup for eight innings while allowing just one run on four hits.
The lone offensive bright spot came from Kyle Schwarber, who launched his 12th home run of the season in the fourth inning. By then, though, the game already felt decided.
The Athletics continued adding on late.
Zack Gelof tripled home a run in the fifth after Justin Crawford lost a fly ball in the stadium lights, then later scored on a Nick Kurtz single. Gelof added a two-run homer in the seventh as the game drifted completely out of reach.
Even with the loss, the Phillies are still 8-2 over their last 10 games under Mattingly and continue to show signs of stabilizing after a miserable start to the season.
But Thursday served as a reminder of one uncomfortable reality hovering over the organization:
The Phillies need Andrew Painter to figure this out.
Not eventually.
Soon.
With organizational pitching depth already thin behind the current rotation, the Phillies are relying heavily on Painter becoming a dependable major-league starter during the second half of the season.
And nights like Thursday are part of that education process.
“I think he’s been fine,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, you want him to keep getting better and keep improving. I think as the season goes, he just continues to gain confidence and command and things like that.”
Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »