Taijuan Walker shelled, as contrast with Spencer Turnbull on full display in Phillies loss
Just before Taijuan Walker was ready to rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation in late April, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered a fairly blunt assessment.
“Now it’s up to him to go out and pitch well,” Dombrowski said to MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki. “Nothing comes in perpetuity, right? He’s earned the ability to do that. But now he has to go out and perform. We think he will. If he doesn’t, then we’ll tackle it at that time.”
With audible “We want Turnbull!” chants at Citizens Bank Park during a nightmarish third inning for Walker, it’s fair to wonder just how much longer the leash will be for the veteran righty.
Walker allowed five hits and four earned runs over just four inning of work Friday. Across 10 starts this season, Walker has a 5.60 ERA, 5.76 FIP and -0.1 WAR, per FanGraphs.
For as much as he struggled at times in 2023, Walker finished the season with a 4.38 ERA and 4.53 FIP over 172 2/3 innings. There’s value in that type of pitchers during the regular season. There isn’t in what Walker has given the Phillies to this point in 2024.
“He struggled,” manager Rob Thomson acknowledged postgame. “Command was off … up in the zone … threw a few more splits, just percentage wise … just seemed everything was hanging … he was getting behind in the count and having to come after people, and everything was up in the zone and hittable.
“But I know he’s working at it, and I know he cares. And that’s why I have patience with him,” Thomson continued. “I’ll probably sit down with him tomorrow, just to make sure he’s healthy. So, we’ll see.”
Walker seemed exasperated postgame about not being able to find the feel for his splitter, which he called his “bread and butter”. He said he feels healthy, though. Still, he knows better results need to come.
“[I’m] busting my butt, but I know I know I’ve gotta clean my shit up,” Walker admitted.
It would be one thing if the Phillies didn’t have another option capable of starting. But Spencer Turnbull — he of the aforementioned “we want” chants fame — offered the perfect contrast in relief of Walker. Even if he wasn’t at his sharpest, Turnbull limited the Diamondbacks to just two hits over three scoreless innings. His ERA on the season is now 2.63. He had a 1.67 ERA over six starts in Walker’s absence.
Thomson was asked postgame whether he feels like the Phillies are getting to a point with Walker where his spot in the rotation might be in jeopardy.
“Well even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,” Thomson said. “That’s an inside-the-clubhouse conversation.”
There, of course, are other considerations here. Walker is in the second year of a four-year/$72 million deal. The Phillies struck gold on Turnbull, who they signed for one year and just $2 million guaranteed in February. Contractually, though, it’s Walker that the Phillies will still be paying in 2025. And 2026.
Still, Dombrowski’s comments from April made clear that Walker didn’t have unlimited runway. And pretty soon, Walker is going to need to take off, or else the Phillies will be forced to consider other arrangements.
Highlights
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. got the scoring started with a solo home run in the top of the second inning:
- Catcher Gabriel Moreno extended the lead with a two-run home run in the top of the third. A batter later, Joc Pedrson — who was *not* almost a Phillie in the offseason — hit the second consecutive home run for the Snakes:
- Trea Turner cut the Arizona lead in half in the bottom of the third inning, hitting a two-run home run that left the bat at 110.6 mph. It was his first home run since coming off of the injured list.
- Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double that narrowly missed being a home run. But while Alec Bohm drove a pitch to the right-field warning track later in the inning, the Phillies ultimately stranded Harper at second base.
- With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh, Turner grounded a ball that second baseman Blaze Alexander made a diving stop on, but was unable to get up and throw anyone out. That allowed David Dahl to score.
- The Phillies missed out on the chance to do further damage in the seventh, though, as Harper grounded the ball back to Arizona reliever Joe Mantiply, who fired the ball home, beginning an inning-ending double play.
- Geraldo Perdomo extended the lead for the Diamondbacks by driving in an insurance run with an RBI single against Seranthony Domínguez in the top of the eighth inning.
- Nick Castellanos quickly got that one run back for the Phillies, though, taking Ryan Thompson deep in the home half of the eighth.
- David Dahl just missed a home run to lead off the ninth inning against Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald, with the ball dying at the right-center field warning track.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, June 22 vs. Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park
- 4:05 p.m. ET
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- SportsRadio 94 WIP
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