It’s one start, only one start. Andrew Painter will make many more this season and over his big league career and hopefully, most of them end better than this. This start is probably an outlier in the grand scheme of things for a young pitcher who has to learn the sport.
However, there was a trend that was bubbling and this start saw it burst like it was the housing crisis in 2008. Going into this start, Painter had thrown 63 total four-seam fastballs to right handed hitters and it was getting crushed.
Those right-handed hitters that saw it hit .364 with a 92.5 mph average exit velocity.
In the 34 pitches Painter threw to right-handed hitters in Thursday night’s powder blue outing against the Sacramento Oakland Athletics of Las Vegas, only six of them were four-seam fastballs. Two of them landed in the seats that made it 4-0 early.
His sinker joined in on the fun of getting demolished by Jacob Wilson and there was another run allowed in the middle of that because Carlos Cortes is the best left-handed hitter the Bay Area has ever seen.
Painter allowed eight earned runs through less than four innings of work, Tanner Banks allowed two more right after, and Chase Shugart looked mortal in low-leverage time. Kyle Schwarber had two of their four total hits through the first eight innings of work against Athletics right-hander JT Ginn. The Schwarbinator socked a middle-middle sinker for a solo home run but the offense didn’t generate much otherwise.
Garrett Stubbs eventually played third base and then came into the game to pitch the ninth inning. He has now played catcher, left field, third base, and pitched for them this season. It’s easy to wonder if Stubbs should be considered a utility player. What’s the definition of a utility player? Usually, those guys don’t catch. Did Danny Santana or Marwin Gonzalez ever get behind the dish?
Neither have but Gonzalez did pitch so you be the judge.
Just so this game recap is not just about Andrew Painter’s fastball or if Garrett Stubbs should be considered a utility player, here are some other notable lowlights:
Felix Reyes came into the game to play first base for Bryce Harper to start the sixth inning and he got two at bats. JT Ginn struck him out on a sinker that landed in the dirt, and he hit a single off former New York Yankee Brooks Kriske. Rafael Marchán caught this game and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He is hitting .074 with a .253 OPS.
Lee Goldsmith recommended that I write this recap like a Jerry Seinfeld stand up routine. Here you go:
Jerry Seinfeld voice GARRETT STUBBS! IS HE A UTILITY PLAYER? WHAT IS A UTILITY PLAYER?
Despite what tonight is going to do to their run differential, they are 8-2 in the Don Mattingly era and play the Colorado Rockies next. It could be worse.
