The Phillies did not get the clean start they wanted from Andrew Painter on Sunday, but they still found a way to ride his recovery and a late offensive burst to a comeback win over the Twins.
Philadelphia came into the series already worn down after 13 straight days of games, a stretch that included multiple extra-inning contests and put real pressure on an overworked bullpen. The first two games went the Phillies’ way because their starters held up. Aaron Nola delivered five strong innings in the Field of Dreams Game and helped secure a 7-1 win, then Jesus Luzardo followed after the off day with 6.2 sharp innings in a 9-1 victory at Target Field.
That set up Painter with a chance to finish the sweep, and the opening inning was rough. He allowed three hits, issued two walks and hit a batter in the bottom of the first, and Brooks Lee’s grand slam made the early damage feel severe.
Philadelphia could have been forced into emergency bullpen work right away, but Painter steadied himself. He settled in after that nightmare first inning and kept grinding through five innings overall.
The only other run he gave up came on a solo homer by Kody Clemens in the bottom of the third. From there, Painter allowed just three more hits and one more walk across his final four innings.
That mattered because the offense finally found its footing later. In the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber opened the frame with a walk, Bryson Stott singled and Bryce Harper walked to load the bases against Dean Kramer. Luis Arraez didn’t deliver a hit, but he got Philadelphia on the board with an RBI groundout.
Then Alec Bohm took over. Coming off a 5-for-5 night, he kept rolling with a three-run homer that cut the Twins’ lead to one.
After a scoreless seventh, the Phillies kept pressing in the eighth. Bohm drove in another run with a single that scored Harper, and later in the inning Bryan De La Cruz delivered the big swing with two outs. After the Twins intentionally walked Brandon Marsh, De La Cruz singled to right and brought home Bohm and Derek Hill.
Jonathan Bowlan handled the bottom of the eighth and handed a two-run lead to Jhoan Duran in the ninth. Duran shut it down for his 26th save of the season.
Philadelphia’s bullpen finished the job after Painter left, throwing four shutout innings to seal the comeback. The win sends the Phillies into a seven-game homestand against the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals with plenty of momentum and a lot on the line in the NL Wild Card race.
In Other News...
Alec Bohm Just Reopened A Phillies Question Fans Had Given Up On
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The bigger question now is whether this is simply a hot stretch or the start of something more meaningful for a hitter the Phillies still need to keep developing. Bohm has put together a hitting streak and shown more consistent contact, which is enough to reopen a debate that had gone quiet among the fan base. For a team still weighing every answer it can get from the lineup, his bat suddenly feels worth watching again. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing matters because the Phillies have built so much of their confidence around Wheeler being the arm they can trust in any spot, especially as the schedule tightens and every series starts to carry more weight. His next turn comes August 18 against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, and for a pitcher of his stature, a cleaner outing would do more than calm nerves. It would help remind the team that one rough run has not changed the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Farm System Concern Just Got More Complicated Fast
The Phillies minor league depth has been taking on more wear and tear for a while, and the latest rankings only sharpened the concern. After trading away prospects and promoting a pair of top 100 talents, Philadelphias system has slid from No. 20 to No. 26, a reminder that the organization has been willing to pay a farm-system price in its push to keep the big league club in contention under Dave Dombrowski.
There is still some talent worth tracking, with Gage Wood, Aidan Miller and Francisco Renteria among the names that matter most in the pipeline. Millers back injury has added a frustrating layer of uncertainty, though, because his development path is now less straightforward than it was a few months ago, and for a club already leaning hard into the present, every setback in the system makes the future a little harder to map. [Read more 🡒]