Phillies win fourth straight behind eight strong innings from Taijuan Walker

OAKLAND, Calif. — Everyone knew they were going to hit. Because Babe Schwarber (or is it Kyle Ruth?) always hits in June. Because Trea Turner fixed his stance. Because J.T. Realmuto is too good to be so ordinary.

Just because.

But if Phillies officials are honest, they would admit they had no idea if Taijuan Walker would pull it together on the mound. Not after that June 1 start in New York, when he barely cracked 92 mph in four laborious innings and oddly said he couldn’t get his body loose even though he wasn’t injured.

Walker was a mess, to put it kindly. And if Walker was a mess, the pitching staff was a mess. The Phillies already don’t have a No. 5 starter. Imagine if they had to replace their $72 million No. 4.

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For all the good things, then, that have happened to the Phillies over the last two weeks, the best may be Walker’s resurgence, capped by an eight-inning lockdown of the woeful Athletics in a homer-powered 6-1 victory Friday night at Oakland Coliseum.

“It felt good,” Walker said after completing the eighth inning of a start for the first time since April 27, 2017. “Got in a little bit of trouble the last couple innings but was able to work out of it. Some really good defensive plays behind me. Just overall a really good team win, honestly.”

Make it four consecutive wins — and 11 in 13 games — for the Phillies, two games over .500 for the first time since April 29. And make it three stellar starts in a row for Walker, who has allowed one run in 20 innings since his struggle against the Mets and slashed his ERA from 5.65 to 4.31.

As Walker explains it, the difference is a change to his between-starts routine. He has reverted to fielding grounders or taking throws at first base during pregame infield drills to keep his body limber, exercises he occasionally did earlier in his career.

Is it really that simple?

“I think so,” Walker said. “Going into every start, my body’s feeling better and better, feeling looser, more athletic. And I think it’s really translating to the mound.”

From Realmuto’s vantage point behind the plate, Walker looks “less robotic” on the mound. It shows up in everything from his peaking velocity to his improved command, which was precise against the A’s. He faced 30 batters and threw 20 first-pitch strikes.

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And rather than leaning on his signature splitter or even his four-seam fastball, Walker turned to his cutter to get five of his 11 swings and misses.

“It’s every pitch, honestly. Everything’s playing up,” said Realmuto, who followed Schwarber’s leadoff homer with a second-inning solo shot before Alec Bohm’s two-run dinger in the fourth. “The velo’s up a little bit; the cutter’s been sharper; the slider’s better; the split has a little more depth and it’s harder.

“That [physical] adjustment has made everything play up. Just his whole arsenal has more life on it.”

Walker is gaining manager Rob Thomson’s trust, too. Last Sunday, Thomson pulled Walker after five scoreless innings because he didn’t want him to face the Dodgers’ batting order for a third time. Against the A’s, the bullpen never stirred until Tony Kemp’s leadoff single in the eighth.

Even then, Walker got Esteury Ruiz to ground out before striking out Ryan Noda and Brent Rooker and clap, clap, clapping his mitt as he walked off the mound.

“He was so dominant tonight,” Thomson said. “I mean, the fastball had as much life as we’ve seen all year. He was filling up the strike zone. Getting ahead, no walks. Strikeouts, swings and misses. He was just flat-out dominant.”

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And if you’re seeking an explanation for the Phillies’ first sustained roll of the season, Walker and fellow mid-rotation starter Ranger Suárez (four earned runs in his last 26⅔ innings) are a good place to turn.

In the last 13 games, Phillies starters have allowed 17 earned runs in the last 78 innings for a 1.96 ERA.

“We have a really good offense, but the rotation that we’ve put together is a massive strength,” Realmuto said. “When they’re throwing the ball well, that’s the reason we can go out and win series and win multiple games in a row and go on a run like this.”

Cristian Pache returned from the injured list, started in center field, and made a full-extension diving catch to rob Aledmys Díaz of a hit in the seventh inning.

“He looks great,” Thomson said. “His defense is elite. That’s the new buzzword. And it is. It’s as good as it gets.”

Although center field won’t be a strict platoon position, Thomson said Pache is likely to start against left-handed pitching, while Brandon Marsh still sees the majority of the playing time against right-handers.

The Phillies’ defense was solid overall. Third baseman Edmundo Sosa stole a hit from Ruiz in the first inning. Walker picked off Seth Brown at first base in the second inning and threw out the lead runner at third after fielding a bunt in the third inning.

Schwarber led off the game with his sixth homer in June and team-leading 19th overall. It was his 23rd career leadoff homer. The Phillies hit at least three homers in a game for only the second time since April 23 and the fifth time all season.

But the long ball has been central to the offense’s turnaround in June. Through 56 games, the Phillies hit a total of 56 homers and slugged .407. In the last 14 games, they’ve hit 21 homers and slugged .492.