Andrew Painter keeps turning the Phillies’ rotation conversation in a new direction, and Saturday night gave JT Realmuto plenty to rave about.
J.T. Realmuto said the ceiling is so high for Andrew Painter and he can be whatever he wants in this game if he has that demeanor and confidence on the mound. pic.twitter.com/bu463LqISm
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) August 23, 2026
Philadelphia rolled past the St. Louis Cardinals 12-3, with Painter delivering one of the sharpest outings of his young MLB career. Afterward, Realmuto didn’t just offer praise - he struggled to put a hard limit on what the rookie might become.
“I could tell that was really important to him. The whole outing today, it looked like he was a dog on the mound.
He wanted to get guys out; he wanted to attack the strike zone. He just looked really confident out there,” Realmuto said via Dave Uram of SPORTSRADIO 94WIP.
Realmuto kept going, pointing to how much Painter has already grown while still reminding everyone how early this is in the right-hander’s career.
“It’s easy to forget how young he still is. So just the growth that we've seen out of him recently, and the guy we saw today - the ceiling is so high for him. When he has that demeanor and that much confidence on the mound, he can be whatever he wants in this game,” Realmuto added.
That kind of night was a sharp turn from where things stood earlier this season. Philadelphia demoted Painter in June after he was tagged in two innings for six runs, and the club was even considering moving him at the beginning of this month. But since returning to the rotation, he has steadied himself in a big way, allowing more than two runs only once in five starts.
Against St. Louis, Painter looked nothing like a pitcher searching for confidence.
He worked a career-high seven innings, gave up just one run and five hits, and didn’t issue a walk. He also struck out eight.
There was already a hint of this kind of upside earlier in the month against the Cardinals, when Painter matched Cole Hamels' 2006 mark for being “the youngest pitcher to have a no-hitter through five innings.”
The Phillies will face the Cardinals again on Sunday, August 23, at Citizens Bank Park.
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