Overview
- Painter’s latest start, a Thursday loss to the A’s with eight earned runs in 3.2 innings, left him at 1–4 with a 6.89 ERA through eight appearances.
- Despite a 96.2 mph average on his four-seam and sinker, Statcast shows only 15 whiffs on 160 swings for a 9.4% whiff rate that ranks near the bottom of MLB.
- MLB.com’s data show reduced fastball movement, with the four-seam averaging 0.7 inches less vertical break and 3.2 inches less horizontal break, and the sinker down 4.0 inches vertical and 2.6 inches horizontal.
- Commentary from The Sporting News highlights Sandy Alcántara as a logical trade target, with FanSided noting he is viewed as a likely deadline candidate as Miami slips in the NL East and he carries a 2027 club option.
- FanSided reports the Phillies lack ready internal arms on the 40-man and floats Alan Rangel as a short-term fill-in, while some suggest Painter could use minor-league reps to rebuild his fastball shape and command.