Phillies SP drops stunning admission after blowout loss to Athletics

The Philadelphia Phillies’ No. 2 prospect (and MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall), Andrew Painter, gave a no-frills assessment of his struggles after a 12-1 loss to the Athletics on Thursday at at Citizens Bank Park. The rookie right-hander admitted hitters are recognizing his pitch patterns too easily after another difficult outing that dropped his record to 1-4 with a 6.89 ERA through seven major league appearances.

“I think I’m throwing pretty predictable pitches and they’re obviously seeing it well,” said Painter.

"I think I'm throwing pretty predictable pitches and they're obviously seeing it well."

Andrew Painter on his recent struggles. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/CutWHMNCqi

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 8, 2026

The 23-year-old allowed eight earned runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings as the Athletics avoided a three-game sweep. He surrendered three home runs, all on two-strike fastballs, while also issuing three walks. During the third inning, interim manager Don Mattingly approached Painter in the dugout and told him he could end his outing if he wanted, but he chose to continue pitching.

The Athletics attacked Painter immediately. After Nick Kurtz opened the game with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 31 games, Shea Langeliers crushed a 412-foot two-run homer. Later in the inning, Tyler Soderstrom walked before Brent Rooker added another two-run shot. In the third, Carlos Cortes drove in an RBI single before Jacob Wilson launched a two-run homer that stretched the lead to 7-0. Wilson extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Painter’s fastball problems continued throughout the game. His four-seam and sinker average a combined 96.2 mph, nearly two mph above the league average, but opposing hitters entered Thursday batting .348 against those pitches. He has generated only 15 whiffs on 160 swings against his fastballs this season, producing a 9.4% whiff rate that ranks near the bottom among qualified pitchers. Against the Athletics, hitters produced five hard-hit balls on fastballs with an average exit velocity of 99 mph.

Statcast data has also shown below-average movement on Painter’s fastballs compared to pitchers with similar velocity and release points. The lack of movement has contributed to hitters consistently squaring him up despite his premium velocity.

Philadelphia’s offense offered little support outside of Kyle Schwarber, who homered for the 12th time this season. Athletics starter JT Ginn dominated across eight innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight. Every Athletics starter recorded a hit in the victory as the AL West leaders finished with 13 hits overall.

The Phillies dropped to 17-21 following the defeat, though it’s just their second loss in the last 10 games under Mattingly. They return home Friday to open a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies.

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