The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, clinching the series despite the Phillies' multiple scoring opportunities. Rookie pitcher Andrew Painter overcame a migraine to pitch five strong relief innings after being scratched from his start. Phillies baserunners committed key mistakes that ended rallies.
Philadelphia Phillies rookie Andrew Painter woke up with a migraine on Sunday morning but still contributed significantly in relief during the team's 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m., Painter was scratched about 45 minutes before first pitch, with reliever Zach Pop taking the mound instead. Pop allowed one run over two innings, and Painter then entered in the third, pitching five innings with three hits, one run, one walk, and seven strikeouts. He left with a 3-2 lead, but the Phillies' bullpen faltered in the eighth as Arizona rallied for the win, now holding a 9-7 record after winning nine of their last 13 games amid several injuries. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Painter, noting the tough situation when a starter is scratched. Painter remarked, “I wasn’t going to go out if I didn’t feel good. Especially for the bullpen, I wanted to eat some innings for these guys. I know it’s a tough thing when you come out here and a starter doesn’t make a start they’re expected to.” The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on Trea Turner's two-run homer and back-to-back doubles from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, followed by Brandon Marsh's single. However, they stranded runners at the corners with no outs. In the eighth, Harper walked and Marsh singled, but Bryson Stott struck out and Adolis García popped up to Ketel Marte. Marsh, running on the pitch, failed to return to first in time, resulting in an inning-ending double play. Thomson noted Marsh should have peeked at the batter on his third step. Harper added his own miscue earlier, stretching a single into a double but getting thrown out by Arizona's Alek Thomas. Harper said, “Yeah, just bad baseball.” Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen praised the team win, saying, “We're just trying to keep the momentum up... guys are playing free and not playing scared.” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo called his team gritty, adding, “We play a lot of one-run games.”
