The Phillies are searching for an answer to their fifth starter woes on the mound

The Phillies have three more regular-season games, including Saturday, in which they’ll need a fifth starter to take the mound. They won’t need one in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the role isn’t important.

Manager Rob Thomson will rely on his bullpen more in the playoffs, and over the past few weeks, that bullpen has been taxed every fifth day. On Sept. 8, Seth Johnson made his big league debut in the fifth position, and gave up nine earned runs in 2 ⅓ innings in his major league debut.

Tyler Phillips, who started on Sept. 3, lasted just two-thirds of an inning while allowing six earned runs against Toronto. Taijuan Walker pitched six innings on Aug. 28 but gave up six earned runs and has since been moved to the bullpen.

They have tried just about everything and are hoping that left-hander Kolby Allard will be the answer. Unfortunately for the Phillies, it’s not clear that Allard is.

The 27-year-old, who was recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, got his shot against the Mets on Saturday afternoon in the Phillies’ eventual 6-4 win. He allowed a leadoff single in the first inning, and three straight two-out walks, one that forced in a run. He finished his day after just three innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits with three strikeouts.

Entering Saturday’s start, Allard had pitched to a 3.50 ERA across four big league games (three starts). He has spent most of this year in triple A, where he’s been used both out of the rotation and in relief. He has a 5.38 ERA across 82 innings with the IronPigs, with 74 strikeouts and 34 walks.

He doesn’t have overpowering stuff and doesn’t induce a ton of whiffs, but he had been keeping walks to a minimum before Saturday afternoon.

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As a corresponding move, reliever Max Lazar was sent to triple A. Lazar has pitched well for the Phillies, but has minor league options remaining, which made him a clear choice to be optioned.

“I really like him,” Thomson said of Lazar. “He pitched great for us, and he saved the bullpen a couple of times for us. We told him to keep going. The last time we sent him out he was back in two days, I think because it was [Wes] Wilson’s paternity leave. It’s a funny game. Things happen in a hurry. So you’ve got to stay ready.”

Taijuan Walker gave the Phillies his first scoreless outing of the season on Saturday afternoon. It was not the way he imagined he would go back in spring training. After struggling to find his command and velocity out of the rotation, he moved to the bullpen last week. His first two outings in relief were solid — but his third was by far his best.

Walker allowed just three hits over three innings against the Mets. He threw only 37 pitches (of which 22 were strikes) and saw his velocity tick up. He averaged 92.4 mph on his sinker, and 92.6 mph on his four-seam fastball. The bump on his sinker was a 1.4 mph increase from his yearly average; the bump on his fastball was a 1.2 mph increase.

“Today was the best I’ve felt all year, probably,” Walker said.

The transition to the bullpen was never going to be an easy one for Walker, but he feels he is getting there. Before Saturday outing against the Mets, he had only pitched out of the bullpen in two games — one in Toronto and one in Miami last week — and had a 7.20 ERA across five innings pitched.

The sample size is small, which means the numbers will get inflated a bit. He felt far better pitching on Sept. 3 in Toronto because he had more of a heads up to get ready. Walker allowed only three hits across three innings, but one of those hits was costly — a two-run home run hit by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

He didn’t feel quite as good on Sept. 7 in Miami. Walker began warming up in the top of the seventh, which ended up being a seven-pitch inning. He wasn’t ready, which showed in his results. He allowed three runs (two earned) and two walks with one home run over two innings.

It’s a learning process. The biggest part will be figuring out what his new routine should look like.

“I think the biggest thing is getting ready a couple of times a day,” Walker said. “Getting ready to play catch early and then getting ready again for the game. Making sure I stay loose throughout the game.”

Walker has leaned on his bullpen mates for this. The game can speed up on you in the bullpen, so he’s tried to find ways to lock in more quickly. It’s something the Phillies relievers are adept at.

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“It’s different to see how it’s done down there,” Walker said. “These guys — [Jeff] Hoffman, [Matt] Strahm, they go from laughing and talking and their name gets called and it’s just serious. They lock in.”

The good news, for the Phillies, is that he is feeling confident and comfortable in his new role.

“It feels good,” Walker said. “Anyway I can help the team... I feel like I haven’t done a good job of helping the team this year. Anyway little way I can help.”

Austin Hays (kidney infection) is getting closer to rejoining the team, but whether that happens during the remainder of the season or during the postseason is unclear.

“He’s getting better, but it’s not — my sense is that one day he’s going to wake up and it’s going to be gone,” Thomson said. “The antibiotics work and it’s out of the system. But it hasn’t happened yet.

“He’s been feeling a little bit better every day but there’s still some fatigue there, and he hasn’t really done anything for a couple of weeks. So, he’s probably lost some weight and some strength, and you’ve got to get that back, too.”

If Hays goes on a rehab assignment, it’s possible he will do so in Clearwater, Fla., as the minor league season will soon come to an end. Hays has been on the injured list since Sept. 5 (retroactive to Sept. 2).