Right-hander Andrew Painter cruised through five innings against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, May 13, but the game flipped when the Philadelphia Phillies opted to pull him after 62 pitches, leading some to question interim manager Don Mattingly’s decision to go to the bullpen.
“Thought it was a good spot for Banksy, and we get Kirk in the game at the right spot, too,” Mattingly told reporters, including Paul Casella of MLB.com. “I felt like [Kerkering] just kind of missed his spot.”
Philadelphia Phillies Game Recap: Don Mattingly Explains Decision to Pull Andrew Painter Against Boston Red Sox
Painter was on track for his best start of the season since his first appearance of the campaign. The righty tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in his season debut against the Washington Nationals. Painter has never completed six innings as a big leaguer. With just 62 pitches through five innings against Boston, there was a strong chance he’d earn the first quality start of his career, if it weren’t for Mattingly’s decision to remove him.
The Red Sox managed just four hits off Painter. He struck out four and didn’t issue a walk. Boston scored in the second inning on a solo homer by Trevor Story. Painter ran into a bit of trouble in the third inning, hitting Gasper and ceding a single to Abreu, but wiggled out of the jam by coaxing a double play grounder from Contreras.
Painter was showing no signs of slowing down after five innings. He struck out the side in the fifth frame, capping off the inning by blowing a 98 mph four-seamer past Jarren Duran. The Red Sox are dead last in wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season. That advantage made ditching the righty in favor of the left-handed Banks an interesting one. Painter was unfazed, though.
“I mean, I don’t make those decisions,” Painter said, relayed by Casella. “So my job is to just go out there and pitch until they tell me not to go anymore.”
Will Painter Face an Innings Limit?
The Phillies took Painter with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was tremendous in his first full year of pro ball, delivering a 1.56 ERA over 22 starts split between three minor league levels. Injuries derailed Painter from there. He didn’t pitch in 2023 or 2024 due to various health problems.
Despite the injuries, Painter entered 2025 as the organization’s top prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He struggled last season, posting a 5.26 ERA between Single-A and Triple-A. Painter reached 118 innings in his first year back from the injury troubles. He’s likely on some type of workload cap in his debut MLB campaign.
Phillies Defend Game-Changing Andrew Painter Decision Against Red Sox