Taijuan Walker left his start in the 4th inning Thursday after getting hit in the foot by a line drive.
Around The Horn: Division Leaders and MLBbros That Power Them
Divisional races don’t get hectic until we head down the stretch, but let’s take a quick look at the current division leaders across Major League Baseball and the MLBbros that play key roles in how successful these teams will ultimately be.
NL West – Los Angeles Dodgers
Nothing to see here, just the Dodgers doing what the Dodgers do (at least in the regular season). Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani have been the best duo in baseball since opening day, and the two have shown no signs of slowing down.
Betts is slashing .339/.441/.980 with six home runs, 27 RBI and 56 hits in 165 at-bats while continuing to settle in at shortstop. With division rivals San Diego, Arizona and San Fran battling to stay around .500, we could look up at the All-Star break and the LA Dodgers have yet again run away with the division.
NL Central – Milwaukee Brewers
After losing manager Craig Counsel to division rival Chicago and trading ace Corbin Burns to Baltimore, most of the baseball world expected the Milwaukee Brewers to take a step back this season. The loss of our MLBbro Devin ‘Airbender’ Williams only made calls for a full rebuild louder. The Brewers front office had other plans.
Led by catcher William Contreras, Milwaukee has begun to heat up while young teams like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have yet to find their footing. The Brewers Top 10 bullpen will get a boost with the return of Williams, but patience will be key as the original diagnosis in March had him sidelined for at least three months. Centerfielder Blake Perkins has also made some significant contributions.
NL East – Philadelphia Phillies
Fresh off of a disappointing NLCS loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies came into 2024 looking to build upon their recent success by preventing the Atlanta Braves from winning their seventh consecutive NL East Pennant. As we prepare for the summer to officially begin, the Phillies offense has already begun to heat things up en route to an early division lead.
Philly has the second-best run differential in the National League and recently got a boost from MLBbro Taijuan Walker’s return from the IL. Walker is 3-0 with a 4.82 ERA and gives the Phillies another innings eater to strengthen their rotation.
AL West – Seattle Mariners
Over the past two or three seasons, the Seattle Mariners are a team that has teased us with their potential. Notoriously slow starts, the Mariners have set a different tone this season and currently lead the top-heavy AL West. J.P Crawford is still searching for his rhythm at the plate, but the pitching staff has been the driving force behind their early success.
AL Central – Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians have been one of the best teams in baseball despite the loss of ace Shane Bieber. It’s been a blessing for them to have young gun Triston “Dr. Sticks” McKenzie back from injury.
The team that is traditionally known for great pitching and defense has begun to see sparks fly in the batter’s box as well.
Josh Naylor has cemented himself in the Guardians four spot and finally looks ready to live up the hype surrounding the 12th overall pick of the 2015 MLB draft. With Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis injured for Minnesota, the battle of bros at the top of this division may be over before it had a chance to truly begin.
AL East – Baltimore Orioles
After bursting onto the scene last season, Cedric Mullins and the Baltimore Orioles have let it be known that last season was no fluke. MLB’s number one prospect Jackson Holliday struggled before being sent back to Triple-A but that has not stopped the O’s from continuing to be a thorn in the Yankees side.
Taijuan Walker Has Won Last Three Starts Since Return From IL
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker has wasted no time making an impact on his team since returning from the injured list this season.
Walker’s 2024 season started with him on the IL due to right shoulder soreness and the Phillies wanted to make sure to take the necessary precautions with the 31-year-old.
Since returning from the IL back in April, Walker has won his last three starts, a positive sign for Philadelphia.
We are all anticipating the return of fly @tai_walker on the bump. The Phillies #MLBbro is nearing his first start! @KevMoore93 tells you What’s Poppin in Philly. pic.twitter.com/cUYRCE3vKh
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) April 3, 2024
In his last outing against the Miami Marlins on May 11, he went 6 1/3 innings, allowing only one run and one walk while striking out four.
Going into the game, Walker carried a 6.39 ERA and after the game, it lowered to 4.82.
“I felt my stuff was good. They were swinging it early and got some quick outs,” Walker said. “Our offense has been rolling one through nine. My job was to go out there and try to put up as many zeros as possible because I knew they were going to put up runs.”
The Phillies are one of the hottest teams in the league and Walker will look to continue to be consistent as a starter and put his team in position to win games.
Despite missing part of the first half of the season, Walker was ready to get back out there on the mound when his number was called.
He made his debut on April 28 against the San Diego Padres. Though he allowed six runs, he picked up the win while striking out four.
“Everything felt good,” Walker said about his debut start. “The splitter wasn’t very good today, but I threw the slider well. Had two walks, and those two walks extended the innings. I got hurt by it. I had good life; ball was coming out well.”
Philadelphia’s manager Rob Thomson liked what he saw out of Walker in his first start of the season.
“I thought he was good,” he said. “I was encouraged by the velocity. Threw strikes. For his first outing of the season, I thought it was fine.”
Walker 18-6 During Philly Stint
Walker has had a lot of success during his time in Philadelphia. Through 34 starts, he has an 18-6 record.
His 15 wins last season are the most in his career.
Did Philadelphia Phillies Disrespect 15-Game Winner Taijuan Walker By Benching Him All Postseason?
Though Walker led his teams in wins last season, he did not make a single appearance in the postseason.
This season, the Phillies have a strong chance to make it back to the postseason and Walker could add a lot of value to the starting rotation come postseason time.
But for now, he is going to focus on the regular season and look to remain healthy so he can continue to go out there and put together impressive performances.
The last two seasons, Walker has put together winning records, and he’ll look to keep that streak going.
If Walker can continue to win games and have performances like his recent outing, he may find himself being named to his second all-star team.
Philadelphia Phillies Getting a Gift Soon | The Return Of 15-Game Winner Taijuan Walker Is Near
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.
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