Andrew Painter allowed seven hits, three walks and eight earned runs — including three round-trippers — across 3.2 innings in the Philadelphia Phillies‘ blowout loss to the A’s on Thursday afternoon. Through eight MLB appearances (seven starts), he has a 6.89 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.

Philadelphia’s former top prospect simply does not have it. It’d be silly to write him off at 23 years old, but Painter’s fastball was his signature weapon before Tommy John surgery. Right now, it’s his greatest weakness, with opponents slugging .576 against his most-used pitch. Painter needs to sharpen his command, which could mean more developmental reps in the minors.

In the meantime, here are some potential upgrades the Phillies need to look at as they look to sustain their recent turnaround under interim manager Don Mattingly:

Alan Rangel

Among the most egregious missteps from Dave Dombrowski last offseason was Philadelphia’s lack of investment in pitching depth. Bryse Wilson and Tucker Davidson, two journeyman vets who joined the Phils for spring training, are getting knocked around in Triple-A right now. Other top prospects on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster, such as Jean Cabrera and Moisés Chace, are probably still a year out from MLB viability.

And thus, the Phillies are short on internal options. The best bet right now would be 28-year-old Alan Rangel, who has given Philly some decent innings in long relief over the past couple seasons. He has a 2.86 ERA across six starts in Triple-A, so the Phillies needn’t worry about stretching him out.

Rangel has 14.0 innings under his belt in the Majors, so there’s not much top-level data to go on. But if the Phillies want to demote Painter without shelling out assets in a trade, Rangel is their man. He has a workable four-pitch mix and tends to generate plenty of soft contact.

Sandy Alcántara

Sandy Alcántara has cooled off dramatically after a torrid start to the campaign, now with a 4.01 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across eight starts. He’s a former Cy Young winner, however, with a healthy groundball rate and occasional flashes of the stardom that once was. He’s also on an expiring contract and a trade is long overdue.

If the Phillies want to take a gamble without completely bankrupting their farm system, Alcántara is probably their strongest bet. He’s miscast as Miami’s primary ace, but as the No. 5 starter on a deeper Phillies staff that’s starting to settle into a groove (Painter notwithstanding), Alcántara will face less immediate pressure.

There is obviously more of a spotlight in Philly compared to Miami, but Alcántara’s ability to eat up innings — combined with the potential for sharper stuff in a more competitive ecosystem — makes this at least worth considering.

Robbie Ray

The Giants are a profound disappointment yet again, but Robbie Ray is another former Cy Young winner on an expiring contract. Unlike Alcántara, however, he’s the best weapon on his staff at the moment. The veteran southpaw still exhibits impressive command over his fastball, even as his velocity curtails. Ray has a 2.95 ERA through seven starts and figures to be a real prize on the trade front.

Philadelphia already has two of the best lefties in the business in Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo. Ray can fill the void left by Ranger Suárez’s departure. He’s overperforming his metrics (3.93 xERA), but Ray is a dependable workhorse who’d provide a much higher floor than Painter over the next few months.

Of note: Ray is on the books for $23 million this season, which is no small sum. After whiffing on Bo Bichette in free agency, however, Dombrowski ought to have money to burn.

Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray was one of several high-profile pitching additions in Boston over the winter, but the Red Sox neglected their lineup and are paying for it in the loss column. There’s a decent chance Gray is rerouted halfway through his final season under contract, with a team like Philadelphia — in active turnaround, with momentum in their favor — making a ton of sense.

Gray is another older pitcher with a lofty price tag ($25 million), but if the Phillies aren’t going to hit their way to wins on a consistent basis, they need to go back to the run prevention well. Sánchez and Luzardo have settled in an ace-level groove, and Zack Wheeler looks an awful lot like himself. Gray would be their No. 4 in a playoff series and allow Philly to bump Aaron Nola out of meaningful starts in October. That’s a World Series-caliber rotation, even if the rest of the roster leaves something to be desired.

The Phillies might want to win a few games and get firmly back into the playoff race before considering any of these higher-profile trades, but Gray comes with a ton of experience and he’s generally very reliable, even if the stuff isn’t quite as sharp as it was in his prime.

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