Painter and Abel Gems Give Philadelphia Phillies Glimpse of Future Rotation

The Philadelphia Phillies saw the future a bit clearer thanks to Mick Abel and Andrew Painter

Author:
Alex Carr
Aug 22, 2022 4:00 PM EDT

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The Philadelphia Phillies were given a glimpse at their future rotation this past weekend, as their top prospects in Mick Abel and Andrew Painter both twirled gems for the Double-A Reading Phillies.

On Saturday, Abel took the bump, and debuted in fine fashion. He tossed six innings of two-run ball, striking out eight batters in the process. Both of Abel’s allowed runs came via solo home runs, which gave fans a bit of a peek into how hitter-friendly a park Baseballtown can be.

Then, it was Andrew Painter’s turn. He cruised through six innings of shutout baseball, striking out eight and allowing just three hits. He didn’t walk a batter.

The pair of young aces had a heck of a weekend premiere, and proved exactly why the Phillies have so much confidence in them. At this rate, it would certainly not serve as a surprise to see one, if not both of these arms debut in 2023, alongside their rotation-mate, Griff McGarry.

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Triple-A - With Slew of Bullpen Injuries, All Eyes on Morales

The Phillies have seen a rash of injuries to some important bullpen members over the last few weeks. Corey Knebel was dubbed out for the season after his lat strain turned out to be a tear in his shoulder capsule, and Seranthony Domínguez was recently placed on the injured list with triceps tightness.

Thus, all eyes shift to Francisco Morales, who has been solid with Lehigh Valley since his re-promotion.

Across his last five appearances, the right-hander has tossed six innings of one-run ball. He’s logged a 1.50 ERA, allowing seven hits and walking just one batter, while striking out four in that same span.

Morales is one of the Phillies few remaining pieces of bullpen depth already on the 40-man roster, and is easily one of the team’s most promising relief arms. That said, he is certainly not yet ready for an every-day major league role, though his recent progress has been encouraging.

Alongside teammates Mark Appel and Erik Miller, Morales is among the most-likely-to-be-called-upon arms should the Phillies incur more injuries to their revamped bullpen.

Double-A - Ortiz’s Grand Slam Puts Exclamation Point on Reading’s Big Weekend

Abel and Painter’s debuts weren’t the only exciting thing to happen in Reading this past weekend!

Jhailyn Ortiz made sure to leave his mark on Sunday too, as he launched a fifth-inning grand slam, which aided the Reading Phils in their 8-0 win over Portland.

The outfielder entered another one of his signature slumps following an incredible July, but may have busted out of it thanks to Sunday’s dramatics. His August has been disappointing so far, as showcased by a weak .204/.278/.367 slash line. However, his season as a whole has been encouraging, as he’s posted a .762 OPS with some solid power totals.

High-A - BlueClaws Narrowly Avoid No-Hitter Thanks to Garcia’s Solo Shot

The Jersey Shore BlueClaws were on the verge of being no-hit on Sunday, but thankfully dodged the bullet, thanks to Luis Garcia’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Jersey Shore’s offense has left a lot to be desired this season. Big names like Ethan Wilson, Casey Martin, and Baron Radcliff have all seen disappointing seasons, and have done severe damage to their prospect stock.

They will all be candidates for a bounce back next season, but it has been a discouraging 2022 for the lot of them.

Single-A - A Big Weekend for a Phillies Recent Draftee

The Phillies drafted Cade Fergus because of his exciting upside, which was somehow still available in the 13th round.

The outfielder is a project. His swing-happy approach needs a lot of work, and he’s already struck out 24 times across his first 16 professional appearances. He’s showcased his other tools with Clearwater as well, getting on base at a .365 clip, and logging three home runs and stolen bases in that same span.

Fergus tallied a three-game hit streak across the weekend, which included a grand slam in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs. Buffalo Bisons: W 5-3, L 10-1

UTIL Dalton Guthrie - 3-for-9, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 K

RHP Nick Duron - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Reading Fightin Phils vs. Portland Sea Dogs: W 8-0, W 4-3

OF Johan Rojas - 2-for-8, R, 4 K

LHP Taylor Lehman - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Jersey Shore BlueClaws vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks: W 2-0, L 2-1

SS Luis Garcia - 2-for-6, HR, R, RBI, BB

LHP Erubiel Armenta - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Clearwater Threshers vs. Daytona Tortugas: W 9-6, W 6-4, L 5-4

INF Hao-Yu Lee - 2-for-9, 3 R, BB, RBI, K