ST. LOUIS -- Dave Dombrowski won’t overanalyze one start in Clearwater, Fla., but by all accounts, Andrew Painter’s outing on Friday with Single-A Clearwater was a good one. He threw well. He felt great afterward. “He was a little amped up, which was understandable,” Dombrowski said before the Phillies' series finale against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Sunday. “He hadn’t been in a regular game for such a long time. But he threw the ball very well. His velocity was good. His pitches were good. I think he’ll only build from there.” |
Painter is baseball’s No. 7 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He is the organization’s most highly touted, homegrown pitching prospect since Cole Hamels. He could join the rotation this summer. Dombrowski continues to say “July-ish.” But first, Painter, 22, must pitch -- and pitch well -- following Tommy John surgery in July 2023. Friday was his first Minor League start since Sept. 16, 2022. He allowed two hits, two runs, one walk and struck out three in 1 1/3 innings. He touched 100 mph three times. The two hits he allowed were bloop singles just out of the reach of Threshers infielders. Both runs came in to score after he departed the game with runners on base. The Phillies are building up Painter slowly. So, it won’t necessarily be three innings this Friday in Clearwater, then four, then five, then six, etc. That said, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Painter could throw three innings and 50 pitches in his next start. |
“We could go quicker,” Dombrowski said. “I think all of us feel, from a health perspective, that he could go quicker than that. But we’re also trying to combine coming back [from his injury] with trying to preserve innings for later in the season. If you go too quickly then you’re going to burn the innings that you would want to use later. That’s why we’re going slower. “We hope that he’s capable of being added [to the big league roster] to help us. But we have a good pitching staff, too. So, he has to earn it. He has to go out and do it.” There are examples of highly touted pitching prospects beginning their MLB careers as relievers before rejoining the rotation. David Price and Garrett Crochet immediately come to mind. Is there any chance … “Painter is not going to pitch out of the bullpen,” Dombrowski said. “He’s not built to do that. He’s a young pitcher, a starting pitcher. There’s also an adjustment phase to doing something like that. We’re building him up. He’s just too good of a prospect.” |
The Phillies have had no conversations about moving left-hander Ranger Suárez to the bullpen either, although he has been a reliever in the past. Suárez pitched three scoreless innings in Thursday’s rehab start with Single-A Clearwater. He is scheduled to make his second rehab start on Tuesday, most likely in Clearwater. “Now, when you talk about Ranger, we haven’t talked about that,” Dombrowski said. “I’m not going to say never, because we’ve got six good starters, then you add Painter to there. [Suárez] has pitched out of the bullpen before. Could he do it again? We’re not even talking about it. But when you say could he ever? Well, that’s a long time.” But it shows the Phillies feel better about their starting pitching depth this year than last. Taijuan Walker is a big reason for that. He has pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings in his first two starts as Suárez’s replacement. |
Walker makes his next start Monday against the Giants. “We’re about as comfortable as you can be, but you also know how that can change very quickly in this game,” Dombrowski said. “You’re never overly comfortable. But I think we’re in the best spot we’ve been in since I’ve been here. We’ve got Ranger coming back. We’ve got Painter in the future. We’ve got three guys throwing in Triple-A in [Alan] Rangel, [Mick] Abel and [Seth] Johnson that have thrown well. We’ve got [Nabil] Crismatt and [Kyle] Tyler, too. We’ve got more depth than we’ve had, even at Double-A.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Phillies pitchers got five ground-ball double plays in Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the Cardinals, tying a franchise record. What is the franchise record for the most ground-ball double plays hit into by the Phillies’ offense? A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7 |
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The Phillies open a seven-game homestand on Monday night against the Giants. They play four against San Francisco, then three against Miami. There will be a Nick Castellanos wristband giveaway on Saturday. The Phillie Phanatic’s birthday is Sunday. |
• Alec Bohm has never struggled like this before. He spoke Saturday in St. Louis about his slow start, and being under a magnifying glass. • Jordan Romano’s velocity bounced back Thursday in Atlanta and again Saturday in St. Louis. His fastball averaged 94.6 mph in his first five appearances but a concerning 93.6 mph in two appearances last weekend against the Dodgers. Romano said last week the Phillies found a mechanical adjustment in his delivery. His velocity jumped to 95.6 mph in his past two appearances. Thomson thinks Romano’s velocity is sustainable moving forward. • Entering Sunday, Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott were batting a combined .146 (6-for-41) with zero home runs, zero RBIs, three walks and 16 strikeouts against left-handed pitchers. The Phillies need them to hit lefties, but in the meantime, it becomes an automatic start somewhere for Edmundo Sosa when facing a left-handed starter. He started at second base on Sunday. |
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C. 6 The Phillies grounded into six double plays in a 9-4 victory over the Astros on May 17, 2003, at Minute Maid Park. Bobby Abreu (2), Jim Thome, Jimmy Rollins, Brandon Duckworth and Ricky Ledee were the culprits. |
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