Painter Throws a Gem, Stott Powers Comeback Win Over Reds For Fifth Straight Win
May 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) reacts with infielder Edmundo Sosa (33) after hitting a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Phillies took Game 1 of the series over the Reds, winning in a manner that playoff teams win games. Spectacular starting pitching and late-game heroics from a different hero, taking home a 5-4 win.
The Phillies returned home Monday from a successful road trip without Kyle Schwarber, who was out with an illness, and the Phils’ offense needed to get started early, especially against Nick Lodolo, who has had success against the Phils.
The Phillies did just this in the first inning when they loaded the bases, before Lodolo could even record an out. They scored two when Edmundo Sosa and Adolis Garcia hit back-to-back sacrifice flies to make the score 2-0. In the next half inning, the Reds scored two against Andrew Painter, who struggled a bit early, but tightened up the release point and was much more efficient. Alec Bohm gave the Phils the lead in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run off of Lodolo, extending his hitting streak to nine games.
Sal Stewart tied the game at three with a home run to the opposite field off of Brad Keller in the seventh. In the eighth, Spencer Steer doubled off Jose Alvarado, scoring Matt McLain, giving the Reds a 4-3 lead. In the eighth, Bohm singled in front of Bryson Stott, who hit a towering home run to give the Phils a 5-4 lead going into the ninth.
Jhoan Duran came in to close out the game at 5-4 without raising a pulse, other than him throwing his fastest pitch of the season at 102.2 mph. This save makes him a perfect 8-8 in save situations.
Painting the Edges
Painter pitched much better in this game. The second inning wasn’t kind to him, but this began with his command of the strike zone and getting too deep into counts. This has been a bit of a pattern for the rookie pitcher. When he is reliant on the fastball, he tends to elevate his pitches, and in the second inning, this is what happened, as he seemed to struggle with control of his breaking pitches. He threw 36% fastballs in the inning, and for him to be successful, he needs to throw that pitch no more than 25%, allowing his breaking arsenal to keep the Reds hitters off balance.
When he came back out for the third inning, his control of his breaking pitches was much better, and allowed him to drop his usage of the fastball under the 25% mark. He was pitching effectively on the corners and using the fastball to go up above the zone, making his fastball, which topped out at 97 mph, look even faster, especially when it’s thrown from the same tunnel as his sinker, giving him an added layer of deception. This all led to him having the longest outing of his young career, going six full innings, only giving up three hits, walking two, and striking out three.
Bohm Continues Mashing
It doesn’t matter where Bohm plays in the field; he just keeps hitting. He started this game at first base so that Harper could take over the DH duties with Schwarber out. But his bat stayed hot, giving the Phils the lead in the sixth with a long home run into the left-centerfield seats. This not only gave the Phils the lead at the time but also extended his hitting streak to nine games.
From an outside perspective, the only thing that can be seen is how well he is diagnosing pitches and not swinging at bad pitches, and working counts to get a pitch that he wants. In the first part of the season, he wasn’t doing these things, and that led to pitchers being able to dictate the terms of the at-bat.
During this nine-game streak his has brought his season average up over .210, which goes to show how cold he started the season. Over the last nine games, he has 15 hits, with his second hit in the eighth inning, which ended up being the tying run on Stott’s two-run bomb.
Bohm is on a heater and seems to have figured it out just when the Phils needed it most. Credit has to go to Bohm and hitting coach Kevin Long for saving Bohm’s early season and getting him back on track.
Phillies Clutch Offense Stays Hot
The Phils are 16-4 since Don Mattingly took over, and during that time, they are 6-0 in one-run games with this win. This game is a perfect example of what the Phils banked on this off-season: they built a roster that was reliant on dominant starting pitching keeping them in games, but also an offense that can put up runs in bunches. They can survive if one of those elements doesn’t show up, but early on, they did neither, and at one point were tied for the worst record in baseball, but with this fifth win in a row, they are now two games over .500 in the span of a month.
The Phils have become the hottest team in all of baseball over the last few weeks, and this is not only because of one player, but that is what has made this stretch so impressive. While Schwarber has been crushing the ball at a historic pace, there is a new offensive hero every night, and that is what makes the Phils’ recent stretch feel so special, and what the Phils have needed. Good teams do struggle, but great teams figure out what they need to do and correct course. With the Phils winning seven of their last eight, it appears that they have indeed figured it out.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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