Phillies Snapping Lengthy Streak Against Cardinals Came at Perfect Time

Andrew Painter delivered exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping for against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Aug 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) looks on during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 season has not gone how anyone was hoping it would for Philadelphia Phillies rookie pitcher Andrew Painter.

One of the top-ranked prospects in the organization coming into the year, he struggled mightily out of the gate. So much so, the Phillies demoted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after a disastrous outing against the Miami Marlins on June 17.

About six weeks later, he was surprisingly back with the Major League club, called up to start against the Baltimore Orioles on Jul 31. His performance with Lehigh Valley had been much more encouraging, so the team was giving him a shot to see if he could successfully fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Now three starts into his return stint, Painter is showing the kind of ability the team knew he had all along. And in his most recent outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, he helped the team snap a lengthy losing streak.

Phillies win game started by No. 5 pitcher for first time since May

Jul 8, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Alan Rangel (57) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A 6-5 win on Aug. 10 was the first time since May 18 that Philadelphia won a game started by the No. 5 pitcher in their starting rotation. They had suffered 13 consecutive losses, including the first two starts of Painter’s return to the Big Leagues against the Orioles and Washington Nationals.

Against the Cardinals, he got his second career win. It was the first time he was in the win column since his Major League debut on March 31 against the Nationals. 4.5 months between wins, but the young hurler showed why the team has such high expectations for him.

“That’s who I think he is,” Edmundo Sosa said via interpreter Diego D’Aniello, as shared by Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “That’s the Painter that I’ve seen while he’s here. I think that showed a little more of who he is, and who I think he is.”

Painter threw 93 pitches in his 5.1 innings of work. He didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning, which is when St. Louis scored both of the runs against him. Painter exited with a 3-2 lead, which Alan Rangel was able to maintain, striking out Jordan Walker, giving up a single to Nathan Church and striking out Masyn Winn to end the threat.

The Fightin' Phillies in St. Louie #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/Gw3bXS5euJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 11, 2026

It was a gutsy performance from those two, as they knew the pressure was on to eat as many innings as possible. Rangel ran into trouble in the eighth inning, but was able to escape with the team still holding a 6-5 lead.

At that point, Jonathan Bowlan was the last bullet left for interim manager Don Mattingly. He got through the ninth inning in 10 pitches, and had he not closed the game out, and it went to extra innings again, backup catcher Garrett Stubbs would have been called upon to pitch.

That is how dire a situation the Phillies are in with their bullpen, and why getting eight innings out of Painter and Rangel was so important. The fact they pulled out a win was the cherry on top.

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