Andrew Painter Struggles Again as Phillies Blown Out in Finale Against Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies' Andrew Painter throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Andrew Painter‘s rough stretch continues.
After picking up the first two games of the series against the Athletics, the Philadelphia Phillies were unable to secure the series sweep, losing the finale 12-1. The sole run for the Phillies came on a Kyle Schwarber solo bomb, while the A’s belted four two-run home runs in the win.
Painter was once again a liability in the loss, allowing three of the four homers while also allowing eight of the 12 runs. It’s now the sixth straight game that the Phillies have lost where Painter has started, and his record moves to 1-4 on the season.
Right away, things didn’t start the way Painter hoped they would, as after walking Nick Kurtz to lead off the game, Shea Langeliers drilled an 0-2 heater deep into the left field seats for a two-run bomb. Following the bomb, Tyler Soderstrom walked, and Brent Rooker dug in, and he ripped a ball into the left-field seats for another two-run shot, doubling the A’s lead to 4-0.
So instantly in a hole, the Phillies’ top three decided to take just eight pitches to get through the bottom half of the first, going down 1-2-3. Both teams went scoreless in the second, but in the third, the Athletics added on with the long ball once again.
Another walk to Soderstrom eventually led to him scoring as Carlos Cortes smoked a single up the middle. Jacob Wilson dug in next and smoked a ball down the left-field line, clearing the wall for another two-run home run, making it 7-0 Athletics.
Following three consecutive singles by the A’s in the fourth, Painter was finally pulled after 88 pitches and eight runs allowed. The eight earned runs were the most Painter has allowed in a start in his career, increasing his ERA on the season to 6.89. While he was throwing strikes all night, too many pitches were left over the middle of the plate, allowing the A’s to take advantage early and stockpile multiple runs.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Phillies finally got on the board thanks to a bomb of their own, this one coming off the bat of Schwarber, his 199th homer as a Phil.
Despite finally scoring a run, the offense couldn’t muster up any more runs in the fourth, and back in the field, the pitching staff continued to allow runs. With one out in the fifth, Zack Gelof smoked a ball to deep center that was lost in the twilight by Justin Crawford, leading to an RBI, and two batters later, Kurtz brought him in with a single to make it 10-1 A’s.
Following a 1-2-3 fifth inning from Philadelphia, Bryce Harper was pinch-hit for, essentially waiving the white flag with 12 outs to play with. Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, but in the seventh, the A’s tacked on again thanks to another two-run bomb, this one coming off the bat of Gelof. extending their lead to 11.
More lineup moves came in the seventh, with Trea Turner coming out and Garrett Stubbs getting his first action at third base in the majors. Philadelphia smacked early singles in both the seventh and the eighth; however, the Phillies were unable to capitalize on either of those opportunities, continuing the long night of unsuccessful offense.
The highlight of the night ended up being Stubbs going out to pitch and tossing a five-pitch, 1-2-3 top of the ninth, making it the most efficient inning of the night for the Phillies. In the bottom half of the inning, despite back-to-back two-out singles from Felix Reyes and Adolis Garcia, Brandon Marsh grounded out to first, ending the game with the A’s winning 12-1.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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