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Andrew Painter Sure Didn’t Look Like the Same Guy Who Was Sent to Lehigh Valley in June With a 7.06 ERA
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What can you say about Andrew Painter’s Game 2 performance in Atlanta?
He was incredible out of the bullpen, throwing three clean innings in the 4-3 win. He tossed 37 pitches, 25 for strikes, and whiffed the side in the bottom of the tenth:
Painter threw the changeup 16 times with a 36.4% whiff rate. Averaged 92.6 mph. It’s been such a good pitch for him since he came back to the rotation on July 31st. And the four seamer was sitting at 98.8 for 15 pitches. He was throwing gas out of the bullpen.
This is a guy who had a 3.49 ERA in September and really rebounded as well you can from a demotion. He was sent down with a 7.06 ERA and a complete mess of a fastball, and in a little more than 90 days he recovered to make his playoff debut in a win-or-go home situation with nobody else in the bullpen to turn to. Nobody else that Don Mattingly trusted. That says a lot, doesn’t it? Going to a 23-year-old who had never pitched in the postseason.
I don’t know. I’m trying to think of more words to add this post. There aren’t more words. Painter was awesome. That’s a turning point kind of moment for him. If he carries this form into next season, or even this weekend / next week, we’re thinking of this particular game as a moment when it all clicked. The Phillies really needed that from him.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com