Painter shows promise in strong return as Phils search for No. 5 starter

BALTIMORE – Andrew Painter doesn’t know what will happen next.

But he hopes to be part of this.

“If there's any way I can do that, it's something I want to do,” Painter said, following Friday night’s 6-4 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards, the Phillies’ 10th loss in 13 games since the All-Star break.

But so much might change before Painter’s next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Nationals. Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline is fast approaching, and the Phillies have several holes to fill on the 26-man roster. They have been pursuing starting pitching help, bullpen help and bats for weeks.

Painter rejoined the rotation because the No. 5 starter has been a black hole. The Phillies haven’t won a game started by that spot since May 18. Painter said he was surprised on Thursday, when he was told he was returning to the big leagues. It wasn’t on his radar.

The Phillies optioned him to Triple-A in mid-June, when he was 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA in 14 appearances. He spent the past several weeks in Lehigh Valley, rebuilding himself.

“I was just staying present and going about my day,” Painter said.

He allowed two runs in six innings. After he allowed a double and two-run home run to start the game, he retired 17 of the final 21 batters he faced. He showed something. Now, is it enough to be the No. 5 starter moving forward? The front office has been searching for starting pitching help, scouting every starter available.

It would be risky to scrap those plans based on one start.

“If you thought you were getting that every time out, then you would like him in that spot,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “Obviously I don't know what's going to happen between now and Monday, but he did what we think he's capable of doing. It was really good to see.”

The Phillies have other pressing matters, too. They need bullpen help. Orion Kerkering allowed a career-high-tying four runs in the seventh inning to lose the game.

The bullpen has a 5.61 ERA since June 9. It has blown three saves in the last four games to contribute to the current skid.

“It hasn't been good lately, but it's really been pretty good up until this point,” Mattingly said. “So, this too shall pass.”

But the Phillies can’t just count on that happening.

“This is not the brand of baseball we want to be playing,” J.T. Realmuto said. “We’ve got the guys in this room to win, and we know that we just have to play better. We're just not doing enough things, particularly late in the game. I feel like when it really matters, we're just not making the pitches we need to make, and not getting ahead of guys and attacking them, and that's getting us in trouble.”

Kerkering issued a one-out walk to put runners on first and second in the seventh. Christian Encarnacion-Strand followed with a game-tying, two-run double. A hit-by-pitch and a triple later and the Orioles had the lead.

“It pisses me the [heck] off,” Kerkering said. “It’s frustrating because you can’t give this team a chance to win, and it pisses me off a lot. I just gotta figure it out.”

“Just the [expletive] walks. The hits will come. Walks you can control. It's just one of those things that it's been a struggle this year. It just pisses me off that I keep walking guys.”

The Phillies’ front office watched it all from a suite behind home plate on Friday night.

Maybe Friday’s happenings changed their thinking in one way or another. Maybe not. Bryce Harper acknowledged the need for trades earlier this week in Miami. Mattingly took umbrage at Harper’s candor, defending the front office and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Dombrowski’s relationship with Harper has been frosty since last fall, when he wondered if Harper would be elite again. Late Friday night, outside the clubhouse, they walked and talked together.

These are interesting times for the Phillies. Winning would fix a lot.