Tanner Banks Opens for Andrew Painter as Phillies Face Brewers
tanner banks will open for Andrew Painter on June 12, giving the Phillies a different look at the front of Friday’s series opener against the Brewers. After Banks works, Painter is expected to pitch as long as he can.
Phillies shift the first inning
The move came as Philadelphia prepared to begin the weekend series in Milwaukee with Jacob Misiorowski lined up to oppose them. The Phillies were 37-31 entering Friday and trailed the Braves in the NL East, so the decision changed the shape of the opener before the first pitch was thrown.
About three hours before first pitch, a posted lineup listed Banks as the starting pitcher and placed Andrew Painter behind him. The same lineup showed Garrett Rincones Jr. in right field after the Adolis Garcia news, a sign that the game-day card was still being adjusted late in the afternoon.
Painter’s season numbers
Painter reached the majors this season after the Phillies drafted him in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft, but the results have not matched the expectation around him yet. He was 1-7 with a 6.21 ERA across 11 starts and 58 innings, with 47 strikeouts and an ERA+ of 71.
That is the backdrop for the opener plan. Instead of handing Painter the full first-inning workload, the Phillies are asking Banks, a left-hander, to handle the start of the game and then turn it over to the 23-year-old for a longer relief stretch if the matchup allows it.
Milwaukee matchup pressure
The Brewers game gives Philadelphia a chance to protect Painter’s workload without removing him from the series opener altogether. The club’s 37-31 record leaves little margin in the division race, and the adjustment shows how carefully it is managing a pitcher who has already logged 11 starts in his first MLB season.
For fans tracking the rotation, the immediate read is simple: Banks gets the first assignment, Painter follows, and the Phillies are trying to get through Friday with a different setup than the standard starter-and-bullpen script.
