Philadelphia Phillies Getting a Gift Soon | The Return Of 15-Game Winner Taijuan Walker Is Near

Philadelphia Phillies Getting a Gift Soon | The Return Of 15-Game Winner Taijuan Walker Is Near

by | Apr 20, 2024 | 5TH SLOT

The Philadelphia Phillies have been without their starting right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker who’s on the 15-day injured reserve list due to a right shoulder impingement he suffered at the start of the season.

 

Since then, the Phillies have struggled to find any consistency going 11-8  overall, good for second in the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves. Walker has been rehabbing in the minor leagues to ramp up and gain rhythm for his eventual return to the majors.

 

Walker wasn’t expected to be ready this soon; many predicted another week or two before his actual return to major league action. 

 

He has pitched well while rehabbing his shoulder in the minor league. His fastball hit 91.9 mph on Tuesday, significantly lower than the 92.9 mph he averaged a year ago when he went 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 31 starts.

 

The Philadelphia Phillies have been without their starting right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker who’s on the 15-day injured reserve list due to a right shoulder impingement he suffered at the start of the season.

 

 

Since then, the Phillies have struggled to find any consistency going 11-8 overall, good for second in the NL East behind the Atlanta Braves. Walker has been rehabbing in the minor leagues to ramp up and gain rhythm for his eventual return to the majors.

 

Walker wasn’t expected to be ready this soon; many predicted another week or two before his actual return to major league action. 

 

He has pitched well while rehabbing his shoulder in the minor league. His fastball hit 91.9 mph on Tuesday, significantly lower than the 92.9 mph he averaged a year ago when he went 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 31 starts.

 

 

Walker met with Phillies manager Rob Thomson Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park after pitching 78 times in 4 ⅔ innings with Triple-A Lehigh and expressed how he felt:

 

 “I told them I felt good, Yeah, I told them we built up enough. I thought my stuff was pretty sharp yesterday. Got outs, you know. I mean, I believe that in a different environment, a little more adrenaline, stuff just plays up a little bit more.”

 

Walker’s return will bring an interesting dilemma to the Phillies. Spencer Turnbull, who’s done a phenomenal job as a starter in place of Walker after signing a one-year, $2 million deal in the offseason with the club, has been solid, posting a 1.80 ERA in his three starts, with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 15 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .164 against him, with a 48.7% ground ball rate.

 

The Phillies are 7-3 in their last 10 games and currently riding a three-game winning streak. With Walker set to return off the IP list, the Phillies hope to continue the momentum they’ve been building the last 10 games.

 

 

Walker met with Phillies manager Rob Thomson Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park after pitching 78 times in 4 ⅔ innings with Triple-A Lehigh and expressed how he felt:

 

 “I told them I felt good, Yeah, I told them we built up enough. I thought my stuff was pretty sharp yesterday. Got outs, you know. I mean, I believe that in a different environment, a little more adrenaline, stuff just plays up a little bit more.”

 

Walker’s return will bring an interesting dilemma to the Phillies. Spencer Turnbull, who’s done a phenomenal job as a starter in place of Walker after signing a one-year, $2 million deal in the offseason with the club, has been solid, posting a 1.80 ERA in his three starts, with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 15 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .164 against him, with a 48.7% ground ball rate.

 

The Phillies are 7-3 in their last 10 games and currently riding a three-game winning streak. With Walker set to return off the IP list, the Phillies hope to continue the momentum they’ve been building the last 10 games.

Melanated Mound Marauder Taijuan Walker Keeps Shining With MLB-Leading 12th Win

Melanated Mound Marauder Taijuan Walker Keeps Shining With MLB-Leading 12th Win

by | Aug 2, 2023 | THE LEAD OFF

If you had a chance to watch Taijuan Walker pitch this season, the word quality comes to mind.

 

And Walker has continued to show why he’s been one of the best starting pitchers this season. On Monday, he became the first pitcher to reach 12 wins on the season after another quality start as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 4-2.

 

Walker went 6 ⅔ innings allowing two runs and six hits while striking out four.

 

After his performance against Miami, Walker talked about how he felt. 

 

“My body — everything feels good,” Walker said in an mlb.com article. “I was able to finish strong and come out good.”

 

Walker knows how to make adjustments during games. He gave up a two-run homer to Jorge Soler in the first inning, and after that, Miami was not able to push across any runs.

 

Using the four-seam and two-seam fastball, Walker does a good job with commanding the zone with those pitches and then he can come at you with the offspeed. 

Taijuan Walker Silences The Mets | Fly Tai’s Fourth Win In A Row Was Ace Stuff

The veteran has won eight games dating back to June 6. There’s no question that Walker is the Phillies top pitcher in their starting rotation and he’s been very impressive as of late.

 

This is the time of the season where teams are making moves and acquiring players. The Phillies are a team in the hunt to compete for a wild card spot and possibly a division title.

 

Walker talked briefly about the trade deadline and if he thinks any of his teammates expect to be traded.

 

“I think so, I don’t know,” Walker said. “It’s been kind of quiet. But we know we have a good team with what we have right now. If we add, we’re just going to get even better.”

 

Philadelphia has been playing well since the beginning of June, and Walker has played a vital role in his team’s success.

 

On the season, he’s carrying a 12-4 record with a 3.99 ERA. 

 

He’s already tied his career high for wins that he set last season and will surely surpass that this season.

 

“We know we can play better baseball and tonight showed it,” Walker told NBC Sports Philadelphia about his team after the win over Miami. “Hopefully, this is the start of some good baseball we’re going to play down the stretch.”

 

And Walker’s teammates know how much of a competitor he is and that he does his best to keep his team in games when he’s on the mound.

 

“He’s always like that,” Alec Bohm said. “If he gives up a couple early, he finds a way to get into the seventh inning, save the bullpen and you look up and we’re tied or winning. He’s been really good about that, even if it’s not a good start or he gives up a homer early, he just gets right back to it and keeps things where they are.”

 

There’s no question the Phillies want to get back to the World Series and they have the team to do so. 

And with Walker making noise like this in his first year with the team, it’ll will be exciting to see how he finishes out the remainder of the season.