As fans and media alike await the arrival of the Phillies pitching savior Andrew Painter, this might be the time to start accepting a different reality.
The Samuel Beckett play is about what happens during the waiting, and not really about the fact that (spoiler) Godot never arrives. So here it is: Andrew Painter might not pitch for the Phillies this season. Last night, he had a lot of difficulty commanding his fastball, and his lack of command followed through to his other pitches. He was missing high and arm-side most times. He was very inefficient, got little help from his fielders, and generally looked a lot like 2024 Mick Abel. To my untrained pitching eye, I think perhaps his release was off–that they should break down some video and see if his landing foot was in the wrong spot or his arm-slot was altered in some way, and make some corrections for his bull-pen session this week for his next start, which should come on Sunday. This should be the focus, not any kind of call-up date.
But this is not to say that he’s not talented, or that it’s not in there, or that he won’t get there. And, development is non-linear, so perhaps it happens more quickly than I’m projecting. But if he has to pitch the entire season at Triple-A, get shut down when he reaches his innings limit, that’s not a failure. It’s not a “bust” or a failed opportunity to trade him. In fact, if they would have traded him, I think to a certain degree they would have been selling a bit low. He’ll get there. It might just take some time, and the way the talk comes out of Philadelphia might need to be corrected. He’s young and coming off major surgery. The Phillies have enough starting pitching right now. Asking him to be a reliever or opener would be a huge mistake. Our thoughts, dialogues and encounters about the Phillies, during the waiting, should center around what’s in Philadelphia right now, as well as the injured players who will be returning.
About Last Night
The IronPigs lost to the RailRiders. Painter surrendered four runs in the first and the Yankees affiliate never looked back. Their Stanford-educated pitcher Beck kept the Pigs off balance at the plate, and some fielding woes didn’t help matters. Justin Crawford badly mis-played a fly ball to center, giving up two runs. Over in left field, Johan Rojas nonchalantly tracked down a ball that had hit off the wall. And, a relay and play at the plate was dropped by catcher Payton Henry, who looked like he was breaking in a new glove all night. A solo homer by Gabriel Rincones Jr and some nice clean innings by a few of the relievers (Law Firm of Padilla, Schulfer, Bickford and Sims) were the lone bright spots.
Transactions Update
In addition to the known moves which we detailed in yesterday’s column, here are the corresponding and latest transactions:
- RHP Lou Trivino has been added to the roster
- RHP Jacob Waguespack returns to the organization. He’s immediately placed on the injured list with a bad back.
- RHP Austin Schulfer (see above) was activated from the Injured List.
- INF Rob Moore was promoted from Reading. He’s a gritty middle-infield type.
- INF Keaton Anthony was added to the Injured List. He was injured in Worcester; the nature of the injury is not known.
- Confirmed that Mercado and Crismatt had requested their release.
- RHP Seth Johnson optioned to IronPigs from Philadelphia
- RHP Joe Ross returned to Philadelphia, rehab concluded.
Upcoming: We’re expecting LHP Jose Alvarado to arrive for rehab, probably not today. There were some rumblings yesterday about the possibility of 3B Alec Bohm being ready for rehab assignment by the end of the week. If not, perhaps he’ll show up in Reading next week.
Crawford Watch: He didn’t have a great night, going 0-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts and costing the team two runs with his mis-play in center field. Meanwhile Kepler had himself a night, in Philadelphia. The Dombrowski words, “Painter and Crawford can still continue developing in Triple-A” rang true on the evening.
Printable Roster: 080525 LHV Roster
Photo: Jack Mitroka
Game Day!
Let’s play two!
One admission double-header today. Two seven inning contests. First pitch of game one is 5:05PM. All gates open at 4:00PM. Game two will likely start right around the original start time of 7:05PM. Your ticket should be dated 8/6/25. Aaron Nola starts game 1.
Tickets: Widely available as we battle MusikFest
Promotions:
- Tacos and Tallboys specials throughout the evening
- Paranormal Patrol Night
- Slime Cap Giveaway (Kids)
- Pre-game baseball camp parade
Weather: 76° and overcast at the start of the first game. There is a 23% chance of rain in that hour.
Pitching:
IronPigs Game 1: RHP Aaron Nola (MLB Rehab) (0-0, 0.00) on one Triple-A start
Game 2: RHP Gabe Mosser (3-3, 6.08)
Railriders Game 1: RHP Erik Leal (7-7, 5.09) in 20G/19GS for Scranton. 30yo from Venezuela who pitched in Mexico last season.
Game 2: TBD
See you at the park,
@Kram207
Featured Image by Jack Mitroka, heavily cropped to fit the space.