As his former squad comes into town this weekend, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker appears to have gotten back on track.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
ABOVE PHOTO: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker throws against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Friday, June 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Taijuan Walker is starting to feel like himself again.
The 30-year-old right-hander who came to the Philadelphia Phillies from the New York Mets during the offseason had been feeling stiff his first few starts, including one against his old team on June 1. He lasted only four innings, giving up three runs on two hits.
But since that bad outing against the Mets. Walker has been one of the best pitchers in the Phillies’ starting rotation. In his last three starts, a total of 20 innings, Walker has allowed just earned one run, has a 1.50 earned run average (ERA), and has dropped his overall ERA from 5.65 to 4.31.
Even the velocity on his split-fingered fastball has picked up.
“I think the biggest thing for me might be a little uptick. I think when I’m sitting at 94 or 96 (mph) everything plays a little bit better,” Walker said. “Those foul balls I was getting at 92, and 93 are now swings and misses or takes.”
During his bullpen session between starts, Walker said he began to find his groove and start feeling like himself again.
“The body just feels a lot better,” Walker said after a win over the Detroit Tigers earlier this month. “I was pretty stiff the last time (against the Mets) …I was moving around a little bit more in the outfield, simulating some ground balls to get my body moving more. Just trying to be more athletic.”
Walker’s current record is 7-3 with three wins in a row coming against the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland A’s.
“He’s changed a couple of things, especially between starts where he’s moving around getting some rhythm in his body, he’s getting movement, he’s staying loose and now his velocity has jumped and obviously his splitter is better, his cutter is better,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said during a pregame press conference earlier this week. “Everything has sort of come up and he’s really pitching tremendously.”
In those three starts, Walker has gone beyond the requisite six innings that count for a quality start. In Sunday’s win over Oakland, Walker pitched eight innings and seven innings against the Detroit Tigers.
“I know the bullpen wants to get in and get work, but if we can go seven-plus innings every time out, it saves them for the long run and when they get late into the season,” Walker said.
Since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (43rd pick overall) of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft as a high schooler from Yucaipa, California, Walker has played for four different teams.
When Walker landed with the New York Mets in 2021, he jumped off to the best start of his career. He had a 7-3 record with a 2.66 before the All-Star Break. That record was good enough for Walker to be selected for the 2021 National League All-Star team. But in the second half of that year, he lost his last eight starts and finished the season with a 7-11 record with a 4.47 ERA.
In 2022, Walker had the best season of his career with the Mets with career-highs in wins (12), starts (29) and had a 3.49 ERA, the best in his career. He signed a four-year, $72 million free-agent deal with Phillies.
Despite the ups and downs of his time in the majors, seems to be on the upside of his career this season. His goal is to contribute to the Phillies’ run for the playoffs.
“I have had a slow start, and the goal for me is to finish strong when it really counts in September when I go out there with five or six starts and give us the best chance to get to the postseason,” Walker said.
Walker will face his old team once more when the Mets come to town on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. You can catch the action on Apple TV or, if you don’t have a subscription, on 94WIP radio.
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