Andrew Painter continued his promising spring campaign this Friday afternoon for the Phillies, turning in a relatively sharp multi-inning performance that suggests the young right-hander is more than ready for Opening Day.
Barring one, tiny, little mistake, it was almost perfect, so we're breaking down the whole thing here.
The young right-hander’s arsenal was electric from the jump. Painter’s fastball touched 98 mph—a notable tick above his 96.5 mph average—which he paired with a disappearing slider that left several hitters, including Heston Kjerstad, searching for answers.
While Painter allowed a hard-hit single to former Met Pete Alonso in the first, he remained unfazed. He quickly regained his rhythm, inducing a pop-out from touted prospect Samuel Basallo and a subsequent ground-out from Bryan Ramos to escape the frame on 19 pitches.
If the first inning was efficient, the second was a masterclass. Painter opened the frame by carving through the lineup with two strikeouts on just seven pitches. After a relatively soft single by Thairo Estrada, Painter shut the door, striking out José Barrero to end his day.
A couple of quick outs left fans wanting a little more time from Chase Utley, who joined the team in the booth, as the Phillies' latest Wall of Famer. Alonso and Basallo must have heard too.
Painter's seemingly perfect day came to an end with Alonso's second single and a Basallo two-run homer to spoil the young man's day. Another single had him lifted from action.
Either way, with Opening Day inching closer, Painter’s performance is almost exactly what fans wanted to see. He looks poised, powerful, and—most importantly—healthy.
The Final Line:
Not to be outdone by the pitching, Alec Bohm provided the early fireworks. Bohm launched his second home run of the spring, a towering shot that gave Painter an early lead to work with.
As the Phillies finalize their roster, Bohm’s ‘Spring-tease’ power provides a compelling argument for him to permanently slot into the cleanup spot in a deep Philadelphia lineup. P.S. He would go on to homer again in the 5th.
