Rob Thomson remembers. Of course he does. The Phillies manager will never forget the one who got away last October. How his team only needed one win in two games against the Diamondbacks to return to the World Series. A victory from two tries at home, where they had been almost invincible throughout the playoffs. A stinking victory.
Of course, they didn’t understand it. The starting pitching (Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez had a combined 7.00 ERA) and bats (.175 average and just 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position) went cold at the wrong time . It happens. Thomson had no control over it, but he still questions himself on some of his in-game decisions. It’s like letting a struggling Johan Rojas strike out – and strike out – with the bases loaded and two down during of the fourth inning of Game 7.
The Diamondbacks returned to Citizens Bank Park Friday night for the first time since they splashed champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse. This provided an easy, if lazy, revenge angle, but Thomson wasn’t at all concerned about outcomes he couldn’t change.
Which is good because he has enough worries here and now. Like the enigma that is right-hander Taijuan Walker, who was heartily booed by the packed crowd of 44,436 at Citizens Bank Park after allowing four runs on five hits – including three home runs – in four losing innings. 5-4 against the Diamondbacks.
That pushed the rotation’s combined earned run average to 3.02, the highest level since it stood at 3.09 after an April 14 loss to the Pirates.
Walker is now 3-3 with a 5.60 ERA.
“He struggled,” Thomson said plainly. “It seemed like everything was on hold. He was late in the count and had to attack people. And everything was in the area and accessible.
“But I know he’s working on it. And I know he cares. That’s why I have patience with him.
The good thing is. But the manager said earlier this season, when asked about Walker, that whatever decision was made on him would be based on performance.
The hesitation is that there is no clear alternative at the moment. There is currently no pitcher in the system who pitches so well that his success requires only promotion.
And the obvious solution — putting Spencer Turnbull back in the rotation, a role he excelled in early in the season while Walker was on injured reserve — also has drawbacks. Turnbull pitched a total of 57 innings, less than half in the majors, last year and not at all in 2022. The team will have to balance that risk with the fact that even with sporadic work since being sent to the bullpen, his ERA is 2.63 after three shutout innings Friday night.
The Phillies have made it clear they don’t want to risk breaking him with a heavy workload, and he’s already at 51.1 innings this year.
The first step, the manager said, will be to sit down with Walker to ask if he’s healthy.
Walker said: “I feel healthy, so that will probably be my answer. I felt 100 percent good. My arm felt really good (Friday).
He thinks the biggest problem remains that he doesn’t master his splitter, his best weapon for the last two years.
“The problem right now is that it’s not there,” he said. “It’s sort of my livelihood, my go-to argument in difficult situations. And right now, it’s just not there. Obviously, I do everything I can to find it. But it’s really not there.
“It’s extremely frustrating. I’m busting my butt but I know I have to clean my (stuff).
Only nine of his 77 pitches Friday night were splitters. “Should he throw more? » Thomson asked rhetorically. “Yeah. But if it’s going to happen in the strike zone, he probably shouldn’t do it.”
If the manager is satisfied that Walker has no physical issues, all bets are off after that. Thomson said that even if he considered removing the 31-year-old, who is in the second season of a four-year contract worth $72 million, from the rotation, he would not admit to it publicly.
Walker’s speed declined for the second straight game, reaching 91.7 miles per hour according to baseballsavant.com. When that happened last year, he couldn’t make the start to see if the extra rest would help.
“I don’t know if we’re there yet,” Thomson said. “I’m sure he’ll make his next start. But again, there will be a lot of conversations. That’s why I want to ask the question (about his health). Because it looks like he’s trying to create speed. It seems like he’s just grinding and trying to throw as hard as he can instead of staying within himself and focusing on command and control. That is exactly what I feel. And that’s when he misfires.
There is no need to panic. The season still hasn’t reached its midpoint and the Phillies continue to hold a comfortable lead in the NL East. At the same time, they are just 12-12 since May 24 and have seen their lead over the Braves shrink from 10 games to six in less than two weeks.
Walker gave up a solo homer to left fielder Lourdes Guriel Jr. in the second half. With one out in the third, he walked centerfielder Corbin Carroll, who stole second. Catcher Gabriel Moreno and designated hitter Joc Pederson followed with back-to-back home runs to center and Arizona never relinquished the lead.
Trea Turner drove in all but one of the Phillies’ runs with a two-run homer in the third and a bases-loaded infield single in the seventh. Nick Castellanos completed the scoring with a solo home run in the eighth.
That brought up Bryce Harper with the bases still loaded and just one out, but, as the crowd roared in anticipation, the National League All-Star voting leader found himself in a 1-2-3 double play .
“We had our chances,” Thomson said.
It remains to be seen how many more Walker will have.
NEXT: Games remaining for Diamondbacks series: LHP Tommy Henry (2-2, 6.23) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (8-4, 2.84) Saturday at 4:05 p.m. and RHP Slade Cecconi (2-5, 5.90) against . LHP Cristopher Sanchez in a special brunch from 11:35 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.
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