Andy Painter added three more innings to his consecutive scoreless innings streak (now up to 10 IP) in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday. He threw 39 pitches (22 strikes), allowed no hits, walked one and struck out two.
Another stellar start for Andrew Painter last night 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GmwWKiL6m4
Despite the excellent results, Painter said that he struggled with his fastball command. "Obviously not where I want it to be with it, but it’s all part of it," said the 21-year-old. "I had to make up for it. I relied on the curveball a little bit to do that. At the end of the day, I got it done.
"Any time the fastball isn’t working, you have to lean on that stuff and to be able to have a pitch I can get in the zone. Obviously, with the heater, the big thing is getting ahead. I fell behind early, threw a lot of balls. I relied on the offspeed stuff to get me ahead, and get 0-2, 1-2, to give me the chance to expand with the fastball and gain that confidence."
The young righthander's max velocity (99 mph) was consistent with his previous outings. He also featured an 87 mph slider and an 80 mph curveball.
Painter is expected to throw 20 total innings in the AFL before the Phillies organization decides on his next steps. Now through 13 innings, his AFL ERA is 2.08 and his WHIP is 0.88. He has struck out 12 batters and walked just two.