ST. LOUIS – A little nominative determinism can go a long way, and for the bulk of Monday’s series opener at Busch Stadium, the Phillies were the beneficiaries. In need of some length to protect a bruised bullpen and wanting to see one of their most tantalizing prospects turn in a top-notch performance, a 23-year-old righty climbed the mound and carried with him a no-hit bid that he took into the sixth inning.
Andrew Painter was, well, painting, and Philadelphia scratched and clawed a 6-5 victory.
In one of the best starts of his young career, Painter allowed just two hits – one to each of the last two hitters he faced – and struck out six, allowing two earned runs. The victory was his second of the season and first since March 31, his first start. It was the fifth time in 15 starts that he recorded as many as six strikeouts, and the two hits allowed were the smallest total of his young career to date.
“It’s three in a row that he’s thrown the ball well since he came back [from the Minors], so that’s obviously a positive for us,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “That was something that the team needed right there, and for him to come through in that spot is really good for him and good for our club.”
That the Phillies needed Painter’s performance so badly was a function of the tax tolled on their bullpen over the last week. Both Jhoan Duran and Orion Kerkering had pitched in four of the last five games entering Monday’s contest, and Brooks Raley had pitched in each of the last two. Caleb Kilian’s placement on the injured list with an oblique strain left Chase Shugart, who threw 39 pitches two days ago, making a U-turn from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
“There is a little bit of a mentality shift,” said Painter. “Nothing huge, but you do know that you have to be in the zone a lot, especially in those early outs.”
Alan Rangel, who was recalled Sunday, toughed out 55 pitches en route to getting through 2 2/3 innings. Jonathan Bowlan handled the ninth inning to record his first career save. Behind the two of them, Mattingly quipped that catcher Garrett Stubbs would’ve been asked to take the mound if the game reached extra innings.
There’s short, and then there’s two-man bullpen short, and that left Rangel and Bowlan to get the game across the finish line.
“I think it’s the first time that they’ve given me such an important task,” Rangel said through team Spanish interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I feel proud of myself, and I feel good with what we did today.”
“I was prepared,” said Bowlan. “You’ve always got to be prepared down there [in the bullpen]. They asked me earlier how I was feeling. I said I was feeling good, I’m good, ready to go, and whatever they need, I’ll be ready for.”
The Phillies' offense broke through early against Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins, with some assistance from the St. Louis defense. What should have been a harmless chopper back to the mound by Derek Hill in the second inning became a run-scoring play after Dobbins airmailed a routine throw to first base, allowing Brandon Marsh to race around from first and leaving Hill on third.
Kyle Schwarber reached base safely four times for the Phils, scoring in the fifth after Jordan Walker committed a fielding error in right field and contributing a sharp RBI double in the seventh. Former Cardinal Edmundo Sosa reached base three times and drove in three, including a two-run double in the eighth to put the game fully out of reach.
“When I was younger, way younger, I dreamed of playing in this stadium,” Sosa said through D’Aniello. “[The Cardinals], this is the team that formed me as a player. So it’s always nice to come back and enjoy the game overall.”
Over the course of a long season, there are lines in a box score that do not jump off the page and do not sufficiently highlight the importance of a performance. Rangel, a 28-year-old rookie making his 12th appearance in the big leagues, ultimately allowed three earned runs on six hits along his path to recording eight outs, absorbing a hit to his stat line while absorbing a blow for his teammates.
If the Phillies are to be competitive on Tuesday, or Wednesday, or later this week, it will be in no small part because Monday offered a breather at a time when the season starts to feel long, and that will be to Rangel’s credit.
“He competed his tail off,” Bowlan said. “He’s a competitor, and we’re thankful for it, and we’re glad that he was able to come out there and get us there so we can go out and win that thing.”