Four important players will return to starting rotation for Phillies ahead of their clash with Mets which pave way for….
Taijuan Walker is slated to start for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, marking his return to the rotation less than a month after many believed he had made his final outing in red pinstripes. He’ll do so on a day where the Phillies may be trying to clinch their first NL East title since 2011.
Rob Thomson told the media in Milwaukee Monday — including MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki — that Walker will start for the Phillies on Thursday against the New York Mets. The announcement comes a couple days after Walker tossed three scoreless innings in relief, allowing the Phillies to come back and defeat the Mets.
Walker’s most recent start came on Aug. 28 against the Houston Astros, a game where he allowed 13 hits and six earned runs over six innings in an eventual 10-0 loss. It was a game that was over early, and Walker was kept in an attempt to keep the bullpen fresh. That followed a start in Kansas City where Walker allowed eight hits and six earned runs over just three innings.
But while many thought the Phillies might just rip the band-aid off and designate Walker for assignment, they instead decided to move him to the bullpen. Obviously, being in just the second season of a four-year/$72 million deal impacted that decision. Walker has made three relief appearances since being moved to the bullpen, and has a 4.50 ERA to show across eight innings of work.
Really what this comes down to is the Phillies having exhausted all alternatives to Walker. Three pitchers have toed the rubber for the Phillies in the No. 5 spot since Walker was removed, and they’ve all struggled mightily.
Certainly, there’s a case to be made that the Phillies should have given Allard another opportunity, given that he has a 4.29 ERA across 21 innings pitched for the team this season. That’s not particularly good, but it’s better than the 6.29 ERA over 78 2/3 innings pitched that Walker has.
Ultimately, the fifth starter will be a moot point when the postseason rolls around. The Phillies better hope that in the meantime, a lack of a capable option at the back of the rotation doesn’t hurt their chances to earn the No. 1 seed in the NL playoffs.
Manager Rob Thomson made the decision as the Phillies began a seven-game road trip to Milwaukee and New York. He liked what he saw Saturday from Walker, who pitched three scoreless innings of relief to keep the Phils’ deficit right where it was ahead of an eventual comeback win over the Mets.
The Phillies tried Tyler Phillips, Seth Johnson and Allard in that rotation spot the last three weeks as Walker transitioned to the bullpen for the first time in his 12-year big-league career. Phillips had pitched very well in July, Johnson had dealt at Triple A since being acquired at the trade deadline from Baltimore for Gregory Soto, and Allard had a 3.50 ERA in his first four appearances (three starts). But all three faltered, with Phillips getting knocked out in the first inning in Toronto and Johnson allowing nine runs over 2⅓ innings in Miami.
