Five numbers that have defined Phillies a third of the way through the season

PHILADELPHIA — After four innings in control against the Cleveland Guardians, Andrew Painter struggled to command his pitches.Three reached base and one runner scored before Painter ended the fifth with two fly outs. It is a moment that might have spiraled just a few weeks ago, but he made the pitches he needed to after some misses, going on to pitch a career-high 6 1/3 innings in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 3-1 loss Sunday.“Probably as good as I’ve seen him,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “He got the ball where he wanted to. … The (fifth) inning there, he had 3-2 counts. Had good counts, but just couldn’t put them away. He was really good today.”Painter has delivered three strong outings in a row, reaching six innings for the first time last Monday and hitting another career high Sunday. His progression has been a bright spot for a rotation that continues to improve.The group has mostly settled in, and the wins have come as well. The Phillies rotation’s ERA in March and April was 5.33. It was 2.95 in 21 games in May before Sunday’s start — third best in baseball — even with some ups and downs from Aaron Nola.So much of the group’s success can be tied to Cristopher Sánchez, who has somehow ascended even further into acehood, and Zack Wheeler — both of whom own ERAs under 1.70 (though Wheeler is not yet qualified six starts into the year). Their dominance over the past month has given the Phillies a chance in each game they’ve pitched, though the offense has not always cooperated.That May ERA is one figure among many that have been meaningful a third of the way through the season. Here are four other numbers that have defined the Phillies’ season so far.RHB OPS against lefties: .586There have been some brutal at-bats from the Phillies’ right-handed regulars this season, particularly against lefties. The group has the worst right-handed OPS versus lefties in the majors by 8 points; 111 points separate them from the middle of the pack. There has been major regression from several Phillies right-handed hitters versus lefties, including: