Phillies receive good news for rookie pitcher following early exit

Phillies receive good news for rookie pitcher following early exit originally appeared on The Sporting News .

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Andrew Painter hasn't gotten off to the easiest start to the life in the MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies , posting a 1-8 record with an ERA of 6.72. A large spike in his ERA was seen in some of his recent starts, having not made it through the first inning without letting up a run in his last five starts.

This streak would continue when he took to the rubber on Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals , giving up one run in the opening frame. But following his rough opener, the 23-year-old would settle into the match, fanning four batters throughout his 63 pitches, which would be cut short after he was pulled from the game early in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Some of the initial reports regarding Painter's injury indicated that it was tightness in his left hamstring, with further evaluations to take place in the hours after the match.

The Phillies dodge a bullet with Painter's injury

The Phillies received good reports on Andrew Painter and Derek Hill. Don Mattingly said he expects Painter to make his next start and for Hill to be potentially available on bench tonight.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 6, 2026 As reported by The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the 23-year-old has appeared not to suffer from anything substantial, given that he is expected to be able to take to the mound in his coming start. This should be good news for Philadelphia, given that despite Painter’s rough starts, once he get’s going, he’s been fairly solid for a rookie at least.

It’d be anticipated that the rookie will become a bigger part of the Phillies’ rotation in the weeks to come, given that they didn’t add anything additional to it at the deadline. The other alternative that Don Mattingly has opted for is having some rather bullpen heavy games, usually with Tim Mayza as the starter, and shuffling through their relievers as the game goes on.

Out of his four starts, Mayza is posting a 1.42 ERA, having made it through 6.1 innings in that role.

It's worth pointing out that Painter wasn't the only positive injury update that Philadelphia received on Thursday, as it appears that Derek Hill has dodged a stint on the injury list. Hill collided with the center field wall late in Wednesday night's game, which prompted him to be taken off of the field.

While Gelb stated that he could've featured in the series finale against Washington, he was not used by Mattingly.

Hill has been a solid contributor for the Phillies since joining the team in June, slashing .268/.307/.507 with five home runs and 13 RBIs.

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