Andrew Painter delivered another glimpse Tuesday of the pitcher the Phillies still believe he can become.
It was encouraging. It was not enough to change what Dave Dombrowski must do before the trade deadline.
Painter struck out eight over five innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk in a 2-1 loss at Indianapolis. He kept the Indians scoreless through four innings before surrendering both runs in the fifth, producing his best strikeout total since the Phillies returned him to the minors in June.
The outing represented progress after a difficult month, but Painter’s Triple-A reset has been too uneven for Philadelphia to treat him as an immediate answer.
In his first start after being optioned, Painter allowed one run on two hits over four innings. He struck out four and walked three while requiring 80 pitches, only 44 of them strikes. The performance offered a fresh beginning but also reflected the command problems that followed him out of the majors.
His next start was considerably sharper.
Painter held Rochester to one run over six innings July 4, allowing four hits while striking out six without issuing a walk. He threw 48 of 69 pitches for strikes, generated 10 swings and misses and averaged 97.4 mph with his fastball, which reached 98.4. It was the cleanest evidence yet that his delivery and arsenal could begin moving in the right direction.
Then came another collapse.
Painter was removed in the third inning July 10 after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits and four walks against Columbus. He struck out one, threw only 38 of 70 pitches for strikes and generated two swinging strikes against an entirely left-handed lineup.
Tuesday’s rebound improved his Triple-A line to a 5.60 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 17⅔ innings across four starts. Those numbers are better understood as part of an ongoing repair project than evidence that he is ready to rejoin a contender’s rotation.
That distinction has placed the Phillies in a difficult position.
They entered the season expecting Painter to hold the fifth spot behind Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola. He made the Opening Day roster and arrived with the talent to become much more than a back-end starter.
Instead, Painter went 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA, 53 strikeouts and a 1.66 WHIP over 65 innings in his first 14 major-league appearances. The Phillies optioned him to Lehigh Valley on June 18 after his struggles became too severe to carry through a playoff race.
His demotion did more than interrupt the development of a prized 23-year-old pitcher.
It eliminated Philadelphia’s preferred internal solution.
The Phillies are 5-20 when the fifth rotation spot has taken the ball this season, a group that includes Painter, Alan Rangel and several opener combinations. The difference between those games and the ones started by the established four has turned one rotation vacancy into a recurring competitive disadvantage.
That failure also affects the bullpen.
A fifth starter does not need to resemble Wheeler or Sánchez. He must complete enough innings to prevent every fifth game from becoming a relay race for an already vulnerable relief corps. Short outings create consequences beyond one loss, limiting which relievers are available during the following series and forcing the Phillies to use important arms in games already slipping away.
The Phillies have told other teams that they are searching for a fifth starter, according to recent reporting cited by CBS Sports. More significantly, Philadelphia has reportedly become willing to discuss higher-caliber pitchers capable of starting a postseason game rather than limiting its search to a basic innings-eater.
Painter’s season helps explain that shift.
Had he established himself, Dombrowski could have concentrated his resources on the bullpen and a right-handed hitter. Instead, the Phillies must divide their attention across several weaknesses while operating in a competitive starting-pitching market.
Painter can still influence the second half. Another stretch of efficient outings could rebuild confidence and create a path back to Philadelphia later this summer.
But hope cannot be the deadline plan.
The Phillies cannot assume that one encouraging start will erase four months of inconsistency. Painter needs time to regain command, sharpen his secondary pitches and prove that his latest performance was the beginning of a trend rather than another isolated flash.
Philadelphia expected Painter to solve its fifth-starter question.
His difficult rookie season has instead turned that spot into one more problem Dombrowski must solve from outside the organization.
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