Painter throws 7 scoreless innings, but Phillies lose 1-0
Andrew Painter fired 7 shutout innings against Arizona, but the bullpen surrendered the only run of the night in a 1-0 loss that still closed out a series win for Philadelphia.
James McCann's homer spoils a series win in Arizona
The Phillies took two of three from the Diamondbacks on the road, opening with a 2-1 win on August 31 and following it with a 7-1 win on September 1 before Arizona salvaged the finale, beating Philadelphia 1-0 on September 2.
Diamondbacks2-1Diamondbacks7-1Diamondbacks0-1The split kept Philadelphia at 4-1 over its last five games and atop the NL Wild Card field at 79-61, 5.5 games up with an elimination number of 19. The Chicago Cubs (78-62) are the closest pursuers, 4.5 games back with an elimination number of 14.
Painter's first career scoreless start
Andrew Painter turned in the first scoreless start of his career on September 2, working 7 innings with 6 strikeouts, no walks and just 2 hits allowed against Arizona — a performance Barstool Bush covered in "Andrew Painter Throws First Career Scoreless Start For Phillies."
None of it showed up in the final score. Per @TalkinBaseball_, the Phillies' win streak was put in jeopardy the moment the bullpen took over, and James McCann connected immediately for what stood as the only run of the game in the 1-0 loss.
The club's own account called it "another strong start" from Painter, the kind of outing that has made his climb through the rotation one of the more closely watched stories on this roster.
Upcoming
Chris Sale (13-9, 2.06 ERA) opposes Cristopher Sánchez (16-4, 2.52 ERA) as the Phillies host the Braves Friday night. Sale was dominant in his last outing, throwing a complete-game shutout against the Dodgers on August 27 — 9 innings, no runs, 11 strikeouts and no walks on 109 pitches. Sánchez was similarly sharp his last time out, working 7 shutout innings against the Angels on August 29 with 8 strikeouts against a single walk, though he left with a no-decision.
With both starters a matter of days removed from scoreless work, this reads like a pitchers' duel on paper — expect a game defined by length and command rather than a slugfest, given the form both aces carry into it.