MIAMI — Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native Andrew Painter likely hoped that his first career start in Miami would be a special one. Instead, it was a struggle, as the Phillies fell to the Marlins 4-0, snapping their four-game winning streak.
Painter was able to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the second, but wasn't as fortunate when he worked himself into the same mess in the third inning. He walked in Agustín Ramírez and Connor Norby, before getting Graham Pauley to fly out to right field to limit the damage.
In the bottom of the fifth, Painter allowed a solo shot to Xavier Edwards, increasing Miami's lead to 3-0:
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While Painter didn't pitch the Phillies out of the game, it felt like it was a struggle for him to get through five innings, as he allowed seven hits and walked three batters. Granted, he did strike out seven. The rookie's ERA now sits at 5.28. It feels like he's been better than that over his first six appearances, but the Phillies obviously hope for some more consistency — particularly in terms of throwing strikes — moving forward from the 23-year-old.
Miami starter Max Meyer — the No. 3 overall starter in the 2020 MLB Draft — made his debut against the Phillies in in July of 2022, and then blew out his elbow in his next outing. Four years later, Meyer is starting to round into form again. He was dominant Saturday afternoon, pitching a career-high seven innings, and limiting the Phillies to just one hit while striking out seven.
Garrett Stubbs, who made the unexpected start in left field, provided the only hit of the day for the Phillies in the form of a third-inning single.
With the loss — their first since Don Mattingly became the interim manager — the Phillies are now 13-20. It's a reminder, even after they began the Mattingly Era with four wins in a row, how much of a hole the Phillies have to dig themselves out of.
The Phillies and Marlins will continue their four-game wraparound series Sunday afternoon, with former Marlin Jesús Luzardo set to face off against Chris Paddack.
