Game 140 - Sluggers Slumber in Loss to Snakes

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Arizona Diamondbacks	1

2026 Topps Chrome #160

Wednesday Afternoon, September 2nd

Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ
79-61, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies had just three hits against seven Diamondbacks' relievers, wasting Andrew Painter's seven shutout innings in this 1-0 loss.

What It Means:  It was still an incredibly solid road trip, as the Phillies went 6-3.  They lost the first two and the last game, but won six in a row in the middle.  A crucial N.L. East showdown with the Braves starts Friday night at home.

What Happened:  Painter allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out six.  In his last three starts, he's got a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings with three walks and 20 strikeouts.  Jonathan Bowlan relieved Painter in the eighth and allowed a solo home run to James McCann on the very first pitch he threw.  Bryan De La Cruz had two singles and Bryce Harper stayed hot with a single and a pair of walks for the offense.

Featured Card:  It's incredibly encouraging to witness Painter completely turn his season around.  He hasn't appeared on a Topps flagship set base card yet, but Topps did give him a card in its Topps Chrome set, released in July.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 130 - Painter Paints a Gem Against Cards

St. Louis Cardinals	3
Philadelphia Phillies	12

2026 Choice Clearwater Threshers
Rise to the Show Gold #4

Saturday Night, August 22nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
72-58, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Painter pitched the best game of his rookie season and the bats came alive once more in this 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

What It Means:  The Phillies would go for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon.  (Spoiler alert: It tuned out to be one of their most thrilling wins in recent memory.)

What Happened:  Painter threw seven fantastic innings, allowing a run on five hits and no walks, while striking out eight.  He reaped the benefit of 15 Phillies hits, including a three-run inning in the first and four-run innings in the third and sixth.  Key hits from the offense included a two-run double from Edmundo Sosa in the first, a three-run home run from Bryce Harper in the sixth and a laser beam of a home run from Kyle Schwarber in the ninth off Cardinals' back-up catcher Pedro Pages.  It was Schwarber's league-leading 38th home run of the season.

Featured Card:  I'm thrilled to present a Painter card, especially after how dreadfully his season began.  The Phillies minor league affiliates seem to put out these "Rise to the Show" mini sets several times a season, and this was my limited edition (numbered to 100) gold variation found within a pack of the Clearwater Threshers' version of the set.

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Game 110 - Bullpen Fails Again in Loss to O's

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Baltimore Orioles	6

2026 Choice Reading Fightin
Phils Top 10 Prospects #4

Friday Night, July 31st

Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD
57-53, 2nd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Painter pitched well in his return to the majors, but Orion Kerkering's implosion in the seventh led to this 6-4 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies went from two games behind the Braves to eight games behind in less than two weeks.  They are 3-10 since the All-Star Break, the worst record in the majors.

What Happened:  Painter got off to a rocky start, giving up a double to Dylan Beavers and a two-run home run to Pete Alonso to start the game.  He'd settle in after that, allowing just one more hit and striking out six in six innings of work.  The Phillies led by a 4-2 score after six innings, thanks in part to solo home runs from Trea Turner in the third and J.T. Realmuto in the sixth.  In the bottom of the seventh, Kerkering allowed a single, walk, double to tie the game and hit a batter before being relieved by Tim Mayza.  Mayza promptly allowed a two-run triple to Gunnar Henderson to give the Orioles a 6-4 lead.

Featured Card:  At least Painter pitched well.  This start was either a showcase for a potential trade or an audition for his vacated fifth starter's spot . . . or a little bit of both.

Transaction:  Painter (rhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Brian Keller (rhp) was optioned back down.

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Game 74 - Fish Filet Painter

Miami Marlins	12
Philadelphia Phillies	4

2026 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Wednesday Afternoon, June 17th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
40-34, 2nd Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Painter suffered his latest rough outing as the Marlins easily defeated the Phillies, 12-4.

What It Means:  This game would result in demotions for both Painter and reliever Tanner Banks, who has also struggled all season.  Painter is 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA, and his ERA was 13.11 in his last three appearances.  He'll try to get back on track with the IronPigs, forcing the Phillies to figure out who the next fifth starter will be.  Banks was one of the club's top relievers in 2025, but he's 0-4 with a 5.86 ERA in 26 games so far this season.  Lefty Kyle Backhus is due to come off the injured list soon.

What Happened:  Painter labored through two innings, allowing six runs on six hits, including two home runs.  Banks allowed the other four runs, giving up a pair of two-run home runs, although all but one of the runs was unearned due to a Trea Turner error.  Turner did go 3 for 5 in this game, raising his season average to .223.  The offense overall had 10 hits and went 4 for 12 with runners in scoring position, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.  Garrett Stubbs came from behind the plate in the ninth to take the mound and record the final out.

Featured Card:  Here's hoping Painter can turn things around in Lehigh Valley, as it would be a huge boost if the organization's top pitching prospect could contribute down the stretch run.  This is his team-issued photo card, currently available for sale at the ballpark.

Transaction:  Shortly after the game ended, Painter (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley to hopefully figure some things out.

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Game 64 - Painter Shelled Again in Loss to White Sox

Chicago White Sox	6
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2026 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Saturday Afternoon, June 6th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
34-30, 2nd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Painter had yet another rough outing as the Phillies fell to the White Sox, 6-3.

What It Means:  With the series tied up, the Phillies go for a series win this afternoon with Aaron Nola on the mound.

What Happened:  Painter allowed four runs in the first inning after starting the game with a hit batter, a walk, RBI single and another walk.  He'd allow two more runs in the third and was pulled with two outs in the fifth with a final line of 4 2/3 innings pitched, eight hits, six runs and a pair of home runs.  Tanner Banks had his best outing of the year with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.  Brandon Marsh had two more hits, including a sixth inning home run.  Alec Bohm hit a solo home run in the fourth.

Featured Card:  Here's hoping Painter turns things around, as we need the rookie to help stabilize an otherwise fairly strong starting pitching rotation.  There doesn't appear to be a clear-cut replacement for him from within the organization, so he'll likely stay in the rotation for now.

Field Report:  It was scorching hot, so we avoided photo day and our seats in Section 315, opting instead for the comfort of Pass and Stow and the many locations throughout the ballpark with breezes blowing.

Transaction:  Zach Pop (rhp) cleared waivers and rather than accept an assignment to Lehigh Valley, he elected free agency.  Pop pitched in seven games for the Phillies with no record and a 3.68 ERA in 7 1/3 innings pitched.

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Game 5 - Painter Shines in MLB Debut

Washington Nationals	2
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2026 Topps Now #35

Tuesday Night, March 31st

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
2-3, 5th Place, 2 games behind the Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Painter made his much-anticipated big league debut, delivering with a solid performance and a win as the Phils downed the Nationals.

What It Means:  After splitting the first two games, the rubber match would be played on Wednesday afternoon.

What Happened:  Painter looked calm and collected on the mound, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing four hits and a run while striking out eight.  Jhoan Duran came on in the ninth, recording his second save of the season.  Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia both homered for the Phillies.  An important third run scored in the fifth when Bryce Harper reached on an error with the bases loaded, scoring Justin Crawford.  Harper collected a hit in the game, raising his five-game average to .100.

Featured Card:  As hoped, Painter received a Topps Now card for his debut.  As I did last year, rather than wait to have these cards in had, I'm going to try to use any Topps Now cards with the actual game featured.  (I ordered the card, but this is a screenshot from the Topps website.)

Field Report:  Three games in a  row for Jenna and me!  I redeemed a coupon for two free tickets for being a group leader, wanting to see Painter's debut.  Our seats were in Section 414, but we stood behind Section 315, enjoying the spring-like weather and a great night at the ballpark.  Pre-game dinner was from Uncle Charlie's steaks, quickly becoming a favorite of mine, but not quite as good (yet) as Bull's BBQ.

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Spring Training Game 10 - Painter Shines, but Phils Fall to Yanks

New York Yankees	5
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2025 Bowman Prospects #BP-116

Spring Training Game 10

Sunday Afternoon, March 1st

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 3-6-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Yankees scored four seventh inning runs off Zach Pop and Danyony Pulido, ruining the good vibes from earlier in the game following Andrew Painter's spring debut.

What It Means:  Top pitching prospect Painter has been cleared for take-off.  With Zack Wheeler likely starting the season on the injured list, Painter is all but guaranteed a spot in the starting pitching rotation, and he helped his cause in this game with two smooth, scoreless innings.

What Happened:  Painter was perfect and set down all six batters he faced.  The Phillies tied the game at 1-1 following Bryson Stott's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.  Stott is now batting .625 (5 for 8) for the spring with a double and two home runs.  The Yankees took a 5-1 lead in the long top of the seventh, with Pop getting charged with all four runs on three hits and a walk.  In the ninth, Pedro Leon walked and scored on Dylan Campbell's triple.  Campbell scored the final run of the game when Felix Reyes singled him home.

Featured Card:  He hasn't pitched in a big league game yet, but I've already accumulated 21 different Painter cards in my Phillies collection.  His Bowman Prospects card from last year shows off the mustache he has since sadly shaved.

Camp Head Count:  69

The Phillies Room: November Notes

2005 Bowman Prospects #BP-116

2025 Choice Jersey Shore BlueClaws #25

2025 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #12

2025 Topps #30

2025 Topps #582

 

November 4 - Bader Declines Option:  Harrison Bader (of) declined his mutual option, triggering a $3 million buyout, and making him a free agent.  Bader is apparently open to returning to the Phillies on a multi-year deal.

November 5 - Alvardo to Return in '26:  The Phillies exercised their $9 million club option on Jose Alvarado (lhp) bringing him back to the bullpen for 2026.  Alvarado had a disastrous year, missing significant time due to injury and suspension for the use of a banned substance.

November 6 - Lantigua Departs / De La Cruz Signed:  In a bit of roster maneuvering, the Phillies activated Zack Wheeler (rhp) and Daniel Robert (rhp) from the 60-day injured list.  Also, Rafael Lantigua (inf) was outrighted, cleared waivers and elected free agency.  Lantigua was on the Phillies' active roster for two games in mid-September, but did not get into a game.  There are currently 30 players on the 40-man roster.

The Phillies signed Bryan De La Cruz (of) to a minor league contract.  De La Cruz has played in parts of five seasons in the majors with the Marlins, Pirates and Braves.

November 11 - Coaching / Topper News:  Edwar Gonzalez was named the new Assistant Hitting Coach, replacing Dustin Lind, who took the Orioles' main hitting coach job.  (A position most recently held by Cody Asche.)  Gonzalez joined the Phillies' organization prior to the 2023 season, and he spent this past year as the minor league director of hitting development.  Gonzalez is one of two assistant hitting coaches, along with Rafael Pena, working with primary hitting coach Kevin Long.

Manager Rob Thomson finished third in the National League Manager of the Year voting, with the Brewers' Pat Murphy taking the honors.

November 12-13 - Awards Round-Up:  Cristopher Sanchez finished second in the National League Cy Young voting, receiving all 30 second place votes.  The Pirates' Paul Skenes was the unanimous winner.  Jhoan Duran was a first-team All-MLB selection, with Kyle Schwarber, Sanchez and Zack Wheeler all making the second team.  And Schwarber finished second in the MVP voting, behind the unanimous choice, Shohei Ohtani.

November 18 - 40-Man Roster Additions:  The Phillies added three prospects to their 40-man roster, protecting them from the upcoming rule 5 draft.  Andrew Painter (rhp), Alex McFarlane (rhp) and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. (of) all had their contracts selected.

November 19-21 - Offseason Moves:  Colin Peluse (rhp) was signed to a minor league contract on November 19th and Pedro Leon (of) was selected off waivers from the Orioles.  A former Wake Forest Demon Deacon, Peluse had pitched in six minor league seasons in the Athletics organization.  Leon appeared in seven games for the Astros in 2024, and spent much of last season recovering from a knee injury.

November 21 - Non-Tender Deadline:  Michael Mercado (rhp) and Daniel Robert (rhp) were both non-tendered, making them free agents.  All other arbitration eligible players were tendered contracts by the Phillies in advance of the filing deadline.  The Phillies 40-man roster now stands at 32 players.

2024-25 Offseason - Pre-Thanksgiving Notes

2024 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (3rd Edition) #37

2024 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #15

2022 Choice Delmarva Shorebirds #18

2024 Choice Jersey Shore BlueClaws #7

Here's a look at a few recent Phillies-related news items as we head towards one of the best holidays of the year - Thanksgiving.

Lowy Joins Coaching Staff:  It looks as if the only turnover on manager Rob Thomson's coaching staff will be the assistant pitching coach.  Brian Kaplan recently left that role, taking the primary pitching coach position with the Diamondbacks.  He appeared on a few hard to find Phillies team-issued photo cards in 2022 and 2023, and I don't believe there are too many of those in the wild.

Replacing Kaplan is Mark Lowy.  Lowy joined the Phillies' organization in 2021 and has served as a backroom pitching analyst since then.  He played college baseball at Gettysburg College and has no baseball cards (yet) to his name.

Painter Wins Award:  On the road to recovery following Tommy John surgery, Andrew Painter (rhp) was named as the Arizona Fall League's Pitcher of the Year.  He was 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in six starts, striking out 18 and walking four over 15 2/3 innings.  I would expect to see Painter hopefully pitching in Philly at some point in 2025.

40-Man Roster Moves:  On Tuesday, the Phillies added pitching prospects Mick Abel (rhp), Jean Cabrera (rhp) and Moises Chace (rhp) to their 40-man roster, protecting them from the upcoming rule 5 draft.  John McMillon, claimed off waivers from the Marlins on November 4th, cleared waivers and was outrighted to the IronPigs.  The Phillies currently have 39 spaces filled on their 40-man roster.

Spring Training Game 6 - Painter Impresses as Phils Tie Twins

2022 R-Phils Phillies
Top 25 Prospects #3

Phillies 4, Twins 4
Spring Training Game 6 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 1st in Fort Myers
Record - 4-1-1

One Sentence Summary:  Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter made his much-anticipated spring debut and the Phillies played to a tie against the Twins in Fort Myers.

What It Means:  I'm ready for the season to start.

What Happened:  Painter gave up a run on three hits in his two innings of work, touching 99 on the radar and striking out Max Kepler looking.  Not a bad start for the 19-year-old who could be the Phillies' fifth starter to start the season.  All the Phillies runs came on home runs.  Jake Cave hit a two-run homer in the second and Darick Hall hit a two-run homer that banged off the center field batter's eye in the fifth.  The Twins tied it up in the ninth on a wild pitch by Phillies pitcher Braden Zarbnisky followed by a throwing error from catcher Aramis Garcia.

Scott Kingery and Cave both had multiple hits for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I fully expect to be inundated with Painter baseball cards once he makes his debut, but for now I have a grand total of just six of his cards in my Phillies collection.  This is the first card of his I added, back in April 2022 from the Reading Fightin Phils Top 25 Prospects set.  Painter was #3 on that list last year, and he's since made the climb to #1.

Camp Head Count:  65

Phillies Add 21 Non-Roster Invitees to Spring Camp

2022 Topps Pro Debut #PD-8

2022 Choice Jersey Shore BlueClaws #5

2022 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Update #17

2022 Reading Fightin Phils Top 10 Prospects

2022  Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #35

I've faithfully tracked the Phillies' non-roster invitee announcements on this blog since 2010, and this is the latest year ever we've received news of the team's invitees.  Adding to the intrigue, the list came all at once instead of in dribs and drabs.  For comparison purposes, the fist seven invitees to 2022 spring training were announced on December 14, 2021.  Here's a look at the 21 players who will show up to Clearwater in a few weeks, along with their 2022 organization and last major baseball card appearance, if any.

Player (position) - 2022 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

1. Mick Abel (rhp) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Heritage Minor League #173 (Phillies)
2. Mark Appel (rhp) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Now #433 (Phillies)
3. Andrew Baker (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
4. Jon Duplantier (rhp) - Dodgers - 2021 Donruss Retro 1987 Signatures #87S-JO (Diamondbacks)
5. Louis Head (rhp) - Marlins / Orioles - N/A
6. Jake Jewell (rhp) - Guardians / Twins - N/A
7. Griff McGarry (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
8. Francisco Morales (rhp) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Update #US318 (Phillies)
9. McKinley Moore (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
10. Andrew Painter (rhp) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Pro Debut #PD-48 (Phillies)
11. Billy Sullivan (rhp) - Phillies - N/A
12. Jeremy Walker (rhp) - Giants / Rays - 2020 Topps Total #777 (Braves)
13. Ben Bowden (lhp) - Rockies / Rays / Giants - 2021 Topps Update #US298 (Rockies)
14. Jim Haley (inf) - Rays - N/A
15. Scott Kingery (inf) - Phillies - 2022 Topps Opening Day Luck of the Irish #LI-3 (Phillies)
16. Vimael Machin (inf) - Athletics - 2021 Topps Heritage #502 (Athletics)
17. Will Toffey (inf) - Phillies - 2020 Bowman Prospect Autographs #PA-WT (Mets)
18. Weston Wilson (inf) - Brewers - N/A
19. Vito Friscia (c) - Phillies - N/A
20. John Hicks (c) - Cubs - 2019 Topps #593 (Tigers)
21. Max McDowell (c) - Yankees - N/A

Phils Select High School Pitcher Painter as 13th Overall Pick

On the Sunday night before the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball held its annual amateur player draft, purposely moving the draft back to coincide with the All-Star festivities.  With the 13th overall pick in the draft, the Phillies selected right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter from Calvary Christian Academy in Florida.  The hope is that Painter and last year's top draft pick, Mick Abel, also a high schooler, rise through the Phillies minor league system together to form a formidable one-two punch in the Phillies pitching rotation for years to come.

The last time the Phillies selected back-to-back high school pitchers in the draft was 2001 and 2002 when they picked Gavin Floyd followed by Cole Hamels.  Former Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez had some high praise for Painter on draft night in the video embedded below.

That's some high praise from @45PedroMartinez on our No. 13 overall pick @Andypainterr! #MLBDraft | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/s3VBs4JI4z

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 12, 2021

As I've done every year since 2014, I wanted to create a card to commemorate Painter's selection and listed below are links to the prior seven Phillies top draft picks.

Memory Lane
2014 Draft - Aaron Nola (rhp)
2015 Draft - Cornelius Randolph (ss)
2016 Draft - Mickey Moniak (of)
2017 Draft - Adam Haseley (of)
2018 Draft - Alec Bohm (3b)
2019 Draft - Bryson Stott (ss)
2020 Draft - Mick Abel (rhp)

2021 Draft - Andrew Painter (rhp)