The Philadelphia Phillies were defeated by the Washington Nationals in the first meeting of their three-game set, 4-1, on June 22nd.
It was certainly not the outcome the Phillies were looking for after a victory over the New York Mets capped another series win over the weekend. However, it was an encouraging night for their newest starting pitcher, Alan Rangel .
He was promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley ahead of the game to take the place of Andrew Painter in the rotation. Because of his ineffectiveness, Painter was sent down to Triple-A , along with left-handed relief pitcher Tanner Banks , last week.
Rangel followed opener Tim Mayza , who was saddled with the loss after allowing a run in the bottom of the first inning. The Phillies fell behind 2-0 when Luis Garcia hit a home run off Rangel in the bottom of the second, but he was able to settle in after that.
Jun 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) fields some ball during batting practice before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
"That was good to see," Mattingly said of Rangel's performance, via Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation . "He had a little bit of traffic, but he seemed to work out of it, and it didn't rattle him at all. He kept throwing strikes, so we like that."
He lived in the strike zone throughout the game. Rangel threw 72 pitches, 51 of which went for strikes. One batter was hit with a pitch, but not a single batter was walked, and only four hits were recorded against him over his final four innings of work.
Dylan Crews , who hit a double in the bottom of the fifth inning, was the only player to get past first base against Rangel after Garcia's home run. He was able to limit what has been the most potent offense in baseball to a few singles, otherwise, making an incredible first impression.
"I'm really thankful," Rangel said. "I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity, and I'm thankful to God for being here. I'll just focus on pitching the way I've been pitching now and focus on keeping it going from tonight."
Apr 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alan Rangel (57) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Rangel recorded four strikeouts, leaning heavily on his changeup to keep batters off balance. He used that offering 40% of the time, and it will be interesting to see if that remains consistent as he is looking at an extended opportunity in the Big League rotation.
"It played today," Mattingly said of Rangel's arsenal. "It's a guy that, if you're throwing strikes, you're able to go up and down, you got a breaking ball and a changeup, it gives you some weapons. So we'll see where it goes from here."
Of course, Philadelphia doesn't need him performing like an ace. Should he throw that well, the team will be thrilled, but they just need him to be competitive and keep them in the game. It wasn't something Painter was able to do, as the Phillies weren't competitive most of his outings.
Rangel will be back on the mound June 27 against the Mets. Whether it is behind an opener or as a traditional starter has yet to be determined.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Phillies Manager Offers Assessment on Alan Rangel's Rotation Debut .
