Dave Dombrowski: Phillies pitching ‘razor-thin’ as Andrew Painter, Ranger Suárez face long roads

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In his corner office at BayCare Ballpark, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski took a deep breath on the last morning of spring training, looked out of the banks of windows that afford a magnificent view of the field, and exhaled.

The embarrassment of riches that was his pitching staff a few weeks ago had turned into his biggest opening-day worry.

“Our starting pitching has taken a hit,” Dombrowski said less than an hour before the spring finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. “We’re razor-thin, really, because of the injuries that we’ve had.”

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Ranger Suárez, his left-handed No. 4 starter, didn’t pitch in a single spring game. Andrew Painter, the 19-year-old, 99-mph phenom they’d hoped would win the No. 5 spot, hasn’t thrown a baseball since his two-inning Grapefruit League debut March 1. He showed up the next day with a tender elbow that turned out to be a sprained UCL.

Both will be handled with a great deal of care. Suárez won’t pitch for the Phillies any time soon. Could he miss a month?

“He might,” Dombrowski said. “He’ll miss the first two weeks, for sure.”

Suárez threw hard from 90 feet on flat ground Monday, the first time he’s ramped up his arm since being shut down March 8 while with the Venezuelan team at the World Baseball Classic. Suárez reported no ill effects Tuesday morning after his Monday exertions. His next step: throwing off the mound in the next few days.

“We’re going to just take our time,” Dombrowski said.

They’ll be even more cautious with Painter, who is the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, according to mlb.com. Painter will start playing soft, light catch from 30 feet within the next week for a couple of days, then progress to 60 feet, then 90 feet, assuming no setbacks.

They’d hoped Bailey Falter, Matt Strahm, and Michael Plassmeyer would be the type of luxuriant depth the franchise hasn’t enjoyed in more than a decade.

Instead, Falter and Strahm will start Games 3 and 5 of the season. Plassmeyer, who had two relief appearances for the Phillies as a rookie last season, was optioned to triple A on Monday and will start the season opener for Lehigh Valley at Rochester on Friday. He’s the franchise’s insurance policy, an on-call sixth starter.

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“We just feel we need to keep the option of him starting open,” Dombrowski said.

Not all of the starters finished spring particularly sharp.

On Sunday, the Phillies pulled No. 3 starter Taijuan Walker in the second inning after his pitch count rose due to two walks. He reentered and settled down.

The same thing happened Tuesday with Falter, who exited the first inning with two outs after 30 pitches. He walked the second, third, and fourth hitters on 13 pitches before he got a second out, then gave up a two-out, two-run single after a questionable ball-three call. He re-entered in the second inning, got two outs, then gave up a single to George Springer, a two-run homer to Bo Bichette, and a single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before Daulton Varsho flied out.

“Just a little bit out of whack,” Falter said. “Timing wasn’t right. Got squeezed a little bit. I’ll throw a bullpen Thursday, get right back on track.”

Well, it’s a plan, anyway.

The next time he pitches, the world will be watching. Falter will start the Phillies’ Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN at Texas.

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Opening-day starter Aaron Nola gave up five runs on six hits, two of them homers, in a five-out spring finale Saturday against the Yankees. Cy Young Award candidate Zack Wheeler finished the spring with a 9.28 ERA in four starts.

Darick Hall put a bow on a fantastic spring training with an opposite-field, walk-off double to left-center field that beat the Blue Jays, 6-5, in the teams’ Grapefruit League finale. The win put the Phillies at 16-15-1, but, more significantly, it sent Hall into his first full big-league season in full sail.

Hall finished with a .316 average, a 1.041 OPS, 13 RBIs, and a team-best five home runs. Hall hit .250 with nine homers as a rookie in 2022, largely as the DH and Harper’s midseason injury replacement.

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As Hall exited the field, the 6-foot-4, 232-pound slugger spiked his helmet at the third-base line, where 5-10, 170-pound backup catcher Garrett Stubbs met him and leaped into his arms.

Hall’s production portends well for the Phillies, who lost first baseman Rhys Hoskins to a season-ending knee injury Thursday. Hoskins will have his left ACL reconstructed Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas by Dr. Steve Singleton.

After Hoskins tore his ACL, the Phillies considered pursuing 32-year-old first baseman Luke Voit, who opted out of his minor league contract with the Brewers on Saturday. Voit, a right-handed hitter, batted .226 with the Padres and Nationals last season, but had 22 home runs.

The Phillies preferred to stick with Plan A. Hall will be the regular first baseman. He occasionally will be spelled by third baseman Alec Bohm, which will allow utility infielder Edmundo Sosa, a superior defender, to replace Bohm, a less-than-superior defender, at third base.

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“His name came up. We decided the way we’re situated we’d rather create more playing time for Sosa,” Dombrowski said. “We think our defense becomes much better” with Trea Turner at shortstop and Bryson Stott at second base.

The offense might be better, too. Sosa put together another excellent spring, with a .364 average, four home runs, and a 1.126 OPS.

Left-handed swingman Cristopher Sanchez, who was shut down with triceps soreness after a March 14 start, threw an inning on the back field Tuesday. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he liked what he saw. ... Right-handed reliever Nick Nelson is close to returning from his left hamstring strain. ... Rosters are due at noon Thursday, by which time the Phillies will move Hoskins to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster for 25-year-old right-hander Noah Song, a Rule 5 pick out of the Naval Academy who spent the last two years fulfilling his military obligations. As a Rule 5 pick, Song, currently on the restricted list, must either be on the 26-man active roster or on the IL. Song has been dealing with back issues for three weeks, so he will start the year on the IL. ... The Phillies also optioned versatile right-handed newcomers Luis Ortiz and Erich Uelmen to triple A on Monday. They retained left-handed reliever Andrew Vasquez, a November waiver claim from the Giants, his sixth team change since Aug. 31, 2021, which also included an Aug. 2 claim last year by the Phils. Vasquez, 29, is out of options.