Why Taijuan Walker won’t start for the Phillies on this week’s five-game road trip
Walker is dealing with a dead arm, so the Phillies will give him extra rest before his next start.
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When the Phillies placed a four-year, $72 million wager on Taijuan Walker, they cited his performance over the last two seasons with the Mets as a reason for believing it was a sound investment.
So far, it mostly has been.
But the Phillies also were aware of Walker’s tendency to cliff-dive in the second half. He had a 2.55 ERA in 91⅔ innings before the All-Star break last year compared with a 4.80 mark in 65⅔ innings after. In 2021, the dropoff was even more pronounced: a 2.66 ERA in 94⅔ innings before the break; 7.13 ERA in 64⅓ innings after.
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So, after Walker’s average velocity on every pitch fell nearly 2 mph from his season average in Saturday’s loss to the Twins, the Phillies will give him extra rest in the hopes that they can curb another late-season slide.
Walker won’t pitch this week on a five-game road trip, manager Rob Thomson said Sunday. Instead, they will leave lefty Cristopher Sánchez in a rotation that was deepened by the deadline trade for Michael Lorenzen.
The Phillies hope the extra rest will help Walker get through what they believe is a dead-arm phase that many pitchers encounter at this point in the season. Thomson said he “would think” Walker’s next start will come during an Aug. 21-23 series at home against the Giants.
“Once we get him rest and get him in the pen and see where his stuff is at, I think we’ll have a pretty good indication at that point,” Thomson said. “We’ll see how he recoups in the next couple of days, and put the rotation together after that.”
Walker’s fastball topped out at 93.1 mph and averaged 91.2 in five innings against the Twins; his season average is 93.1 mph. His signature splitter, almost always his best pitch, maxed out at 88.6 mph and averaged 86.4; his season average is 88.2.
The decline has been a trend early in Walker’s recent starts, but it has come back in the late innings. It didn’t rebound Saturday night. Walker had command problems, too. He allowed three runs on three hits and a season-high six walks in the Phillies’ 8-1 loss.
After the game, Thomson asked Walker if he felt healthy.
“He said it’s August and he’s kind of hit a wall,” Thomson said. “So maybe he’s had that before.”
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Walker has a 4.08 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break. He had a 4.02 mark in the first half, including a nine-start stretch in which he went 7-1 with a 2.13 ERA.
The Phillies can take it easier on Walker because of the addition of Lorenzen, who threw the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history last week, and Sánchez’s emergence as a reliable starter. Sánchez has a 3.17 ERA in 10 starts since getting called up from triple A.
It isn’t dissimilar to the depth provided last season by lefty Bailey Falter, which enabled the Phillies to give Zack Wheeler a stint on the injured list with elbow inflammation. At this point, Thomson said the Phillies haven’t discussed shutting down Walker for an extended period.
“I think the rest [this week] will do him some good,” Thomson said. “We want him with us. We want him pitching. He’s got 13 wins under his belt with a really good ERA. When he’s right, he’s one of our guys.”
Scenes from Alumni Day
The Phillies marked their annual Alumni Day by saluting pennant-winning teams from 1983 and 1993. Players from both clubs, including Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton, and former ace Curt Schilling, were on hand.
A few scenes from the day:
Larry Andersen, the popular longtime radio analyst who pitched for both the ‘83 and ‘93 clubs, threw a ceremonial first pitch to 1983 catcher Ozzie Virgil.
» READ MORE: What the Phillies’ change in plans at the trade deadline could mean this season and beyond
Former second baseman Mariano Duncan (’93) caught up with Kyle Schwarber, whom he coached in the minors with the Cubs. “He’s a great player,” Duncan said. “Even though a lot of you guys may be a little bit impatient because he’s hitting .180, listen, if he goes 40 [homers] and 120 [RBI] and be in the postseason and win a World Series, it doesn’t matter.”
Ricky Jordan (’93) took a picture on the field with Weston Wilson. Jordan and Wilson homered in their first major league at-bat, the former in 1988 and the latter on Wednesday night. “I said, ‘Man, how did you feel running around the bases?’” Jordan said. “He goes, ‘I don’t even remember it.’ I said, ‘That was me.’ It was like a dream come true, just floating around the bases.’ All I remember was the batboy giving me a high-five when I got to the bench. I sat down, and Mike Schmidt tapped me on the shoulder like a proud papa. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m here.’”
Extra bases
Lefty reliever José Alvarado (elbow inflammation) is scheduled to pitch Tuesday and Friday at Lehigh Valley, then could rejoin the Phillies. He hasn’t pitched since July 6. ... Center fielder Cristian Pache (elbow surgery) will likely remain on assignment at Lehigh Valley for “a few more days,” according to Thomson, to get additional time in the outfield. ... In need of a fresh arm in the bullpen, the Phillies recalled righty Luis Ortiz from triple A and optioned Yunior Marte. ... Thomson, proud Canadian, will celebrate his 60th birthday Wednesday in Toronto. ... Pitching matchups for the Phillies’ two games against the Blue Jays: Zack Wheeler (9-5, 3.74 ERA) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (9-4, 3.53) on Tuesday, and a showdown between former LSU teammates Aaron Nola (9-8, 4.49) and Kevin Gausman (9-6, 3.04) on Wednesday.