Walker’s return proved challenging as the Phillies’ pitching struggles continue to stand out.
In Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park, a statue of Richie Ashburn serves as a reminder of his influence as both a player and broadcaster. However, in his final season, Ashburn played for the expansion Mets, a team that set a record with 120 losses. He liked to recount how manager Casey Stengel, after their last game, assured the team that no one player could be blamed, emphasizing that everyone contributed to the outcome.
Earlier this season, when the Phillies had the best record in baseball, there were many reasons for their success. Now, during their extended rough patch, there are just as many reasons for their struggles. But to simplify:
After defeating the Athletics on July 13, the Phillies were 29 games over .500 with a record of 62-33. Their starting pitchers had a combined ERA of 3.23. Since then, they’ve gone 7-17, with the rotation’s ERA ballooning to 4.66. In their first 82 games, their starters pitched at least seven innings 26 times (31.7%). In the last 37 games, that’s only happened three times (8.1%), putting more pressure on the bullpen.
All of this added significance to Taijuan Walker’s first start in over seven weeks against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night, as well as the two-inning simulated game left-hander Ranger Suárez threw before an empty stadium earlier in the day.
Manager Rob Thomson, speaking before the game, said it would be “huge” to have Walker back for the stretch run, noting that “he can be a force when he’s on.” But that didn’t happen this time.
Working on a pitch limit, Walker threw 76 pitches (44 for strikes) over four innings, further taxing the bullpen. He allowed three runs on four hits, including a loud home run by Marlins third baseman Jake Burger in the third inning, and walked three batters while striking out five.
His performance wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t enough on a night when the Phillies’ offense managed to get only one runner past second base. The last-place Marlins coasted to a 5-0 victory. Walker’s split-fingered fastball, which was supposed to improve after his inflamed right index finger healed, was used 27 times (35.5%), double his usage in the 10 starts before his IL stint, according to Baseball Savant.
Thomson, as usual, took a positive view of the outing, saying, “The problem in the first inning was two walks. I thought he was really good in the second. He gave up a home run to a guy who’s hit (13) homers since the break. And I thought he was better in the fourth. His velocity was up. He touched 93. I thought the split had a lot of bottom to it, and he threw it a lot, which was good to see.”
Walker was pleased with his splitter, noting that it had so much movement that it might have contributed to the first-inning walks to Burger and designated hitter Jesus Sanchez, both of whom scored. “I thought the split was moving really well,” he said. “In the first inning, it was moving a lot, and my sights were just too far down. I want it to be down, but after the first inning, I was able to throw more strikes. Besides the first inning, I thought I was pretty solid.”
He also admitted that he might have been too amped up in the first inning. Now, he’ll focus on building on this performance in his next start against the Nationals.
The other key piece is Suárez, who was one of the league’s best starters before being sidelined by back problems before the All-Star break. Thomson gave an optimistic update on Suárez’s progress, with the next step being another simulated game or a rehab start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. “The benefit of Lehigh is the competition. The benefit of doing it here is we can control the ups and the pitch counts. We can get his pitch count up so potentially the next one is with us,” Thomson said, emphasizing the word “potentially.”
Once both Walker and Suárez return to the rotation, Thomson hinted that he might move to a six-man rotation, including Tyler Phillips, to give each starter an extra day of rest and, theoretically, keep them fresher for the postseason. This is especially important this year, as Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez have carried heavier workloads than usual.
Taijuan Walker
Walker knows how crucial it is for him to contribute in the final seven weeks of the regular season. “We’ve built ourselves a pretty good cushion, but we definitely need to start playing better baseball,” he said. “Usually, I’m pretty efficient. I can get into the sixth or seventh inning. That’s our job as starters: to go six, seven, eight innings and save the bullpen as much as possible.”
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