WASHINGTON — It had been 721 days since Alan Rangel was a minor-league release by the Los Angeles Angels, the kind of transaction that ends careers, especially for a 26-year-old righty who had barely pitched in Triple A. He is the diametric opposite of Andrew Painter, the hyped prospect who Rangel replaced Monday in the Philadelphia Phillies’ rotation.He is just happy to be here.“I’m really thankful,” Rangel said through a team interpreter, “and I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity.”The Phillies, a difficult team to beat whenever Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo start, are looking for mere competence from their fifth starter. They still lost Monday night, 4-1, to an upstart Washington Nationals team.Rangel, who entered in the second inning after opener Tim Mayza allowed a first-inning run, looked playable. He held the Washington offense, which leads the majors in runs scored per game and is third in slugging percentage, to one run over five innings.He’s earned a longer look, and the Phillies are willing to provide it out of sheer necessity. There are not many other alternatives.“I mean, at this point, I think we’ve kind of made a commitment to that spot,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “I’m not saying we’re making a commitment to a full start every time. It could be openers, it could be starting.”It’s not just Rangel, the Phillies have created opportunities in late June for various pitchers with less experience. Jonathan Bowlan, with a total of 60 games in the majors, is sliding into bigger spots. Kyle Backhus, a veteran of 42 games in the majors, will have a chance to become a trusted left-handed option.Mattingly turned to Seth Johnson, pitching in his 16th career game, with a one-run deficit in Monday’s game. Johnson allowed a two-run homer to Curtis Mead.“Just out of the guys that we had available tonight,” Mattingly said, “we felt like he was the best guy for that spot.”They might as well find out. It’s that time of year.Seth Johnson’s ERA ballooned to 7.94 after his appearance in Monday’s game. (Jess Rapfogel / Getty Images)Rangel, now 28, has spent more than a decade in the minors. The Phillies signed him to a minor-league deal on July 24, 2024, three weeks after the Angels released him. He earned a spot on the 40-man roster after that season, an unexpected inclusion.The Phillies liked Rangel because he was different. He threw more changeups than fastballs in his five-inning outing Monday night, many of which were elevated in the zone, an unusual place to live with that pitch. But Rangel throws from a higher arm slot. He is deceptive.Maybe it’s something.“It’s a tough look for righties and lefties,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “That over-the-top high slot with a good carry on the fastball. Then that changeup he was throwing, he was throwing a lot. He had a lot of success on it. Even when hitters are recognizing it out of the hand, it’s just a funky look. It’s slower than you think, even if you see it, and a lot of them continue to ride, and you think they’re going to drop. … It’s just a tough at-bat, no matter if you’re right-handed or left-handed.”Rangel said there is a method to his attack. He struck out James Wood, one of the best lefty hitters in the sport, with a changeup up and in.“I just wanted to show the pitch at the same eye level for the hitter,” Rangel said. “So if I did that in the same spot, with the difference in the pitch shape and the way it moves, I think that would be creative.”He did not walk a batter in five innings, which qualifies as a major success. He did what Painter could only do once in his 14 starts: go five innings, allowing one run and zero walks.Those within the Phillies organization see this as a temporary solution. They believe Painter will factor into the equation again at some point this summer. He will almost have to; if the Phillies suffer an injury to anyone in the rotation, the next man up is not obvious. The Phillies could have retained veteran Bryse Wilson and tried Painter, while keeping Rangel at Triple A to maximize depth, but they jettisoned Wilson instead.“It was the fact that Rangel was the guy throwing the best, they felt like, down there,” Mattingly said. “He was going to be the best guy long-term for us.”The Phillies are tinkering with their pitching pool. Two relievers in the initial bullpen upon whom the Phillies expected to rely — Brad Keller and Tanner Banks — are not active. Keller, sidelined with elbow inflammation, is playing catch. Banks is at Triple A after grinding to a 5.86 ERA in 27 2/3 innings.This team has weathered various injuries and bullpen ineffectiveness. Backhus, who was primed to earn a bigger role before an elbow injury cost him two months, returned to the bullpen Monday essentially as Banks’ replacement.The Phillies opted to keep Johnson over Max Lazar, who was more integral to the bullpen last season. There are more choices in 2026.Chase Shugart, a waiver claim, has a firm hold on a job as a middle reliever. Mayza returned on a minor-league deal and has been solid. The Bowlan-for-Matt Strahm trade looks like a win.“Probably one of the strengths of the staff and the org right now,” Mattingly said. “It seems like there are a number of guys. Like, Max is a perfect example. Max didn’t do anything wrong. … And Max said he understood just because he knows we’ve got a bunch of guys out there right now that are throwing the ball well. And he also understands there’s going to be a time in the year that we’re probably going to need him.”So Johnson stayed. He hummed at 99 mph in his outing last week, pitching in a higher-leverage spot. On Monday, though, his velocity was down, and Mead homered on a hanging slider.These are not the fringe players the Phillies expect to need in October. But to reach October, they need contributions beyond the stars.— Spencer Nusbaum contributed to this report