Another poor Taijuan Walker start emphasizes lack of options behind him
Final Score: Mets 10, Phillies 6
NEW YORK — The No. 5 starter spot comes up only one more time this year on Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs. Maybe the Phillies will need more since they will likely play some meaningless games next weekend in Washington.
It will probably be Taijuan Walker again starting one of those games. Many will be upset, but that’s where the Phillies, who are tied for the best record in baseball at 91-62, are at right now.
In his quick return to the rotation, Walker became the second Phillies starter this year — Zack Wheeler being the other — to give up four home runs in a game in a 10-6 loss in front of an amped up crowd at Citi Field.
The game was 4-3 Mets heading into the bottom of the fourth. Walker, after giving up three home runs in the previous three innings, began the fourth with a hit-by-pitch to J.D. Martinez and a walk to Tyrone Taylor. Jose Ruiz began warming after the hit batter and according to Rob Thomson, Francisco Alvarez was going to be Walker’s last batter no matter what.
Alvarez then crushed a 2-0 sinker that laid high in the zone to make it 7-3. Could Thomson had been a little more aggressive in that spot? The Phillies manager preferred not to burn through the higher leverage guys in the bullpen with the team in the midst of a 13-game stretch without a day off. Orion Kerkering and Carlos Estevez were the only relievers used on Wednesday and would have been unavailable on Friday if they had pitched today.
The usually even keeled Thomson was tense postgame when asked about his decisions regarding the bullpen usage.
“We’ve got a game for six days in a row,” Thomson said. “You start using all those guys up and what happens tomorrow if you get down? It just didn’t work out. My fault. I’ll wear it.”
Walker pitched three scoreless innings against the Mets on Sept. 14 to help propel the Phillies to a 6-4 comeback win. That was enough for Thomson to insert him back in the rotation, but that’s more of a reflection of the lack of options the Phillies have behind Walker.
Kolby Allard, who threw two scoreless innings in relief, struggled to throw strikes in his last start on Sept. 14 and gave up four runs. Tyler Phillips allowed 23 runs over his last four starts in the big leagues. Seth Johnson gave up nine earned runs in his only start on Sept. 8. Mick Abel, once the Phillies’ top prospect, has struggled so badly in Lehigh Valley that he’s not even in the discussion as an option.
The Phillies found magic in a bottle early in the year with an incredible month of Spencer Turnbull starts when Walker was injured and even a good three starts from Phillips in July, but the final two months of the season have exposed the Phillies’ lack of organizational starting depth.
Is it an issue to worry about this year? Yes and no. There’s no such thing as fifth starters in the postseason, but Thomson could use someone he can rely on to throw multiple innings in the postseason in a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency situation. That guy hasn’t emerged yet.
Top prospect Andrew Painter could take down the No. 5 role for most of the year in 2025, though the Phillies will likely need to cycle other guys in and out of the rotation to watch his innings after coming off Tommy John surgery.
Walker’s season ERA is at 6.91. He said Thursday was the best he has felt all season. That makes it more frustrating for him.
“It sucks. We’ve got a good team. I want to be a part of it and help the team as much as possible,” Walker said. “I’m just not doing my job right now.”
No matter what, the starting depth just has to be better moving forward.
But the Phillies have bigger goals in mind this year. The magic number to clinch the NL East remains at four. The magic number to clinch a first-round bye went down to six by virtue of the Arizona Diamondbacks defeating Brewers, who clinched the NL Central on Wednesday night against the Phillies.
Highlights
- The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the first on back-to-back home runs from Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso against Walker. After touching home, Alonso turned to the crowd and yelled. Pennant fever is alive in Queens.
- The Phillies responded quickly with a Trea Turner two-run bomb to the second deck.
- The Mets took the lead right back on a two-run home run from Brandon Nimmo.
- After Brandon Marsh made it 4-3 on an RBI single in the top of the fourth, Francisco Alvarez hit the fourth home run of the game in the bottom half of the inning to make it 7-3.
- The Phillies scored three in the seventh to get to within three on an RBI fielder’s choice by Kyle Schwarber and a two-run double by Bryce Harper. Luisangel Acuña gave the Mets a run back in the bottom half with an RBI triple.
Notes
- Walker’s second-inning strikeout of Taylor was the 1,000th of his career.
- The Mets used Edwin Diaz in the ninth to close out a four-run game.
- Marsh went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Friday, September 20 vs. New York Mets at Citi Field
- 7:10 p.m.
- Apple TV+
- 94 WIP
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