Phillies rookie Andrew Painter gets rocked for eight runs in blowout loss to A’s

PHILADELPHIA — Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers was just early on a hanging Andrew Painter sweeper in the top of the first on Thursday night, hooking a line drive only three seats wide of the left-field foul pole. The very next pitch, he kept it fair and cashed in.

Langeliers squared up an inside fastball to hit a towering two-run home run off Painter, one of two the starter surrendered in the first inning and three he surrendered in the game. The rookie gave up plenty of loud contact in a 12-1 Phillies loss at Citizens Bank Park. He was charged with eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, raising his ERA to 6.89 through seven outings.

“First time he’s kind of really gotten punched early in the face, as far as I’ve seen this year, where the game got out of hand early,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “But that’s a tough spot. But again, I think he’s a mature kid. He’s going to keep working, and he’ll be better.”

It was ugly from the get-go for Painter, who went walk-homer-walk-homer to begin the night. After Langeliers went deep in his first at-bat off the paternity list, Brent Rooker soon followed with another two-run shot to put the A’s up, 4-0. Painter did not have his best control and needed 37 pitches to escape the first inning.

Two frames later, the young right-hander gave up an RBI single to Carlos Cortes and two-run homer to Jacob Wilson. Mattingly offered to take Painter out after the third inning, but he insisted on staying in the game.

“I think you have to learn how to deal with that stuff,” Painter said. “Obviously in a hole, stuff wasn’t going my way. But I think just being a competitor, you want to go out there and just compete until you can’t anymore.”

Painter went back out for the fourth, but he was removed with two outs and two men on base; Tanner Banks allowed an inherited runner score the eighth run on Painter’s line.

While a Kyle Schwarber homer was the lone bright spot for the Phillies, the A’s tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Zack Gelof hit an RBI triple into deep center field as Justin Crawford lost the ball in the lights, and the Athletics third baseman came around to score on a Nick Kurtz single. Gelof then hit a two-run homer off Chase Shugart in the seventh.

After a rough season for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, Painter’s first taste of the big leagues has been fairly rocky so far. He’s had impressive flashes, but the results have been inconsistent, with Thursday as his worst showing yet.

“I think he’s been fine,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, you want him to keep getting better and keep improving. I think as the season goes, he just continues to gain confidence and command and things like that.”