Painter struck out seven and allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk across five innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Slated to make his third start of the season heading into Sunday, Painter ended up being scratched less than an hour before opening pitch after developing a migraine. Any headache Painter might have been experiencing wasn't enough to keep him from pitching, as the Phillies instead opted to have him come on in bulk relief behind Zach Pop, who started and worked the first two innings of the game. Painter proceeded to deliver a solid performance out of the bullpen, and the strong effort could help his case for remaining in the rotation on a longer-term basis. The Phillies could get Zack Wheeler (shoulder) back from the injured list as soon as next Sunday, but Painter appears likely to retain the No. 5 starter's role over Taijuan Walker, who has struggled to a 7.36 ERA and 1.91 WHIP through his first three outings.