Andrew Painter enhances Phillies' rotation in Wild Card chase

ATLANTA -- The Phillies played seven games in the last 10 days against the Braves, including Sunday afternoon’s 9-4 victory at Truist Park. Philadelphia (83-67) finished with a 3-4 record, falling five games behind Atlanta (88-62) in the National League East standings with just 12 regular-season games remaining. It would take a miracle for the Phillies to clinch a third consecutive division title at this point, which means that to secure a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason, they must earn a Wild Card spot.

A lot can happen between now and the final game of the regular season on September 27, but the Phillies currently find themselves in a promising position. They entered Sunday just one game behind the Cubs for the NL’s top Wild Card spot, holding a 1.5-game lead over the Padres for the No. 2 Wild Card and a three-game advantage over the Diamondbacks for the No. 3.

Phillies rookie Andrew Painter took the mound on Sunday. He allowed one run on six hits and four walks in five innings, adding three strikeouts to his performance. Painter overpowered Ronald Acuña Jr. with a 97.4 mph fastball early in the game. However, he also walked Ha-Seong Kim twice, a player who entered the game with a .359 OPS, marking it as one of the lowest among players this decade (minimum 100 plate appearances). Still, Painter has solidified the No. 5 spot in the rotation since his return on July 31.