PHILADELPHIA — When Andrew Painter, his eight teammates sharing the field and the 37,000-plus fans watching wanted nothing more than a nightmare second inning to end, Xavier Edwards would not stop fouling off pitches.They traveled above the Phillies’ dugout, into the netting behind home plate and into the stands behind the visitors dugout before Edwards spun the 11th pitch of the at-bat softly along the third-base line to bring home the Miami Marlins’ sixth run en route to a 12-4 win at Citizens Bank Park. Painter threw all six of his offerings to Edwards, but it was the lone four-seam fastball that was dribbled over third base.“The fastball’s just getting hit right now,” Painter said. “So, I think we’ve just got to evaluate and just try to find out who I am as a pitcher right now.”He will continue that quest while at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies demoted Painter, one of their best pitching prospects in decades, to the minors a few hours after Wednesday’s game ended. They will replace him on Thursday with an extra reliever, then try something different next week with the fifth spot in the rotation.Who he is as a pitcher is a chase consuming Painter and the Phillies after four straight starts that can be described as painful at best, a disaster at worst.His command had been spotty. His fastball had little movement and fooled few batters. He had struggled to find a put-away pitch. He had looked overmatched, especially during Wednesday’s two-inning, six-run, 56-pitch affair. He had given up 21 earned runs while striking out just 10 across his last 15 innings (four starts) and owned a 7.06 ERA over 65 innings.It was a brutal beginning to a much-anticipated major-league career.Opponents were batting .404 off Painter’s four-seamer — the second-worst mark in the league — and slugging .660 against it. (Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)Painter’s latest outing taxed the Phillies’ relief depth, and the club will need an arm before Thursday’s game against the New York Mets. Going forward, the Phillies have starting options, though unideal, to replace Painter. Alan Rangel has pitched better at Triple A; maybe he’s the next man up. The Phillies also could carry an extra reliever and go with a bullpen game every fifth day.Bryse Wilson, according to a league source, recently triggered an upward mobility clause in his minor-league contract. Wilson may be able to secure a job with another team if the Phillies do not add him to their roster. He has a 12-inning scoreless streak at Triple A with 14 strikeouts and seven walks, but he has produced a 6.29 ERA in 54 1/3 innings this season. The Phillies have an open spot on the 40-man roster.Much of the current issue can be traced back to the offseason, when the Phillies failed to obtain usable rotation depth. They signed Wilson and Tucker Davidson to minor-league deals. Both have struggled at Triple A. Jean Cabrera is on the 40-man roster but was demoted to Double-A Reading because he was so ineffective at Triple A.The Phillies, according to multiple league sources, have engaged teams in recent weeks about the availability of certain starting pitchers — think swingman types who could be a fifth starter or pitch as long relievers in the bullpen. It’s June, and no team is looking to shed viable starting pitching at this time of year, so any outside acquisition right now would be difficult.It’s not a straightforward problem. The Phillies would not want to commit quality prospect capital toward acquiring a starting pitcher who would not slot into a hypothetical postseason rotation. They were banking on Painter being competent enough as a fifth starter. Bringing in a swingman-type pitcher would allow the Phillies to shield their rookie from further damage while also securing some rotation insurance in case of injury.The damage has accumulated in little and big ways across Painter’s last 15 innings and, really, over the course of his first 65 in the major leagues. His fastball has emerged as a major problem. It simply is not what it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023; Painter’s recent struggles with command have made that even more clear. It is a pitch he can get away with on the corners, but not when it is mislocated, like it was on Wednesday.“The (two) home runs (Painter allowed) were on center-cut fastballs,” Mattingly said. “Usually, don’t like to throw anything center-cut.”Opponents are batting .404 off Painter’s four-seamer — a rate second to only Aaron Nola across the league — and slugging .660 against it. They are searching for ways to get more movement, Painter said, trying to see what fosters success.The lack of an effective fastball has complicated everything else.“You can have the best secondary stuff in the world,” Painter said, “but everything kind of plays off the fastball. When you’re locating the fastball and can work both sides of the plate and put it where you want it, everything just gets a lot easier from there.”It sounds obvious and simple, but nothing about this has been. Without a strong fastball, Painter has been left to rely heavily on spin. He has liked his slider and sweeper, but said the splitter has been inconsistent recently. None of these pitches were his bread and butter when he was coming up nor have they become so. He could rely on an excellent fastball before Tommy John surgery and spent time in Triple A last season trying to figure out how to truly pitch. He has a better feel for his secondaries now but is still figuring plenty out.It is fair to wonder about Painter’s confidence amid all of this. He is 23 years old and had struggled little in his baseball life until last season. His time last season in Triple A taught him how to pitch through hardship, but the past few weeks have perhaps been just as, if not more, challenging.“It’s about as good as it can be,” Painter said of his confidence level, “under the circumstances. Just going out there and being convicted with every pitch. Trying to stay aggressive in the zone. When I give up runs, I’d rather get hit around than walk the guy. So just continue to stay aggressive in the zone.”Painter has said all of this before. These ideas have been his north stars with which he’s found some success. He was better about being aggressive during his previous start in Milwaukee, where he threw more first-pitch strikes, but also gave up five runs while grinding through five innings.From start to start over 14 outings, nothing has been linear or straightforward. A sizable gut punch has followed seemingly every little victory. And the Phillies, back on track after a dismal start, could only grant so much leeway every five days.“When you’re in a situation like we are, fighting to not only get in the playoffs but have a chance to win it all,” Mattingly said, “ you probably don’t have the same amount of patience (as other clubs).”The Phillies decided their patience had run out. And now, Painter, will make the long drive back to Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, where he will sort through serious question marks once more.