Phillies' Taijuan Walker has become this generation's Adam Eaton

We've seen this story before.

Philadelphia Phillies starter Taijuan Walker was battered once again on Wednesday, this time by the Houston Astros, and he was essentially left to die on the hill in a 10-0 loss. It was a historically bad start for Walker, and it's highly likely that it's his last in Phillies pinstripes. In year two since signing a four-year contract to come to Philadelphia, it's painfully obvious that this should be the end of the line entirely, although the team's temporary solution at the moment is to move him to the bullpen, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

Sounds a lot like our old pal, Adam Eaton.

Eaton, as you may recall, was a relatively important free agent signing by the Phillies, as they brought home a pitcher whom they had originally drafted but had traded away to San Diego to acquire Andy Ashby. It was a mistake to begin with, but the Phillies looked to be righting that wrong several years later when they gave Eaton a three-year deal at $8 million per season. Instead, it was as much of a disaster as the time that Eaton tried to open a DVD package with a pocket knife.

Phillies starter Taijuan Walker has become this generation's Adam Eaton

In 2007, his first year as a Phil, Eaton took the mound 30 times, finishing with a 10-10 record despite a ghastly 6.29 ERA. He even managed to take the "L" in the Phillies' 10,000th loss in their franchise history. It seemed like quite the outlier for a guy who had managed a 4.40 mark in 861 career MLB innings to that point, and the Phillies still qualified for the playoffs to snap their drought, so the worry level wasn't at a critical point just yet. He was left off the playoff roster, but the club would need him in the following season. Eaton would surely get back on track in 2008, right?

Eaton took the ball every fifth day for over three months to begin the 2008 season, and the results weren't pretty. Over 19 starts, Eaton was sporting a 3-8 record with a 5.71 ERA. The club finally decided that they had had enough, and they announced that he was out of a starting gig. They acquired Joe Blanton and plugged him into Eaton's spot, and Blanton produced a 4.20 ERA for the club the rest of the way and then went on to gain hero status in the World Series as the Phillies ultimately paraded down Broad Street.

Eaton, the forgotten man, made just two bullpen appearances in late July before being sent to the minors. He was recalled in September but didn't see any action, and then he was left out of the playoff equation.

The Phillies cut their losses the following spring before enduring the third and final year of Eaton's contract. Eaton was scooped up by the Orioles, at which point he had the audacity to say: "I helped them (the Phillies) get to the playoffs two years in a row, and obviously we won the World Series last year."

Unsurprisingly, he only lasted until May in Baltimore when he was released. He signed with the Rockies in June, made a handful of relief appearances, and then he was out of the majors for good.

But the final cherry on top with Eaton, and the thing that all Phillies fans have entrenched in their memories about him, is that he dared to show up to accept his World Series ring in person the following season. What followed was perhaps the only time in recorded history that a fanbase booed someone for accepting a championship memento for their club. It was definitely a bold move by Eaton, so let's at least give him that.

There are some comparables between Eaton and the current situation with Taijuan Walker, although there are also several notable differences. For one, given how late in the season we are, the Phillies can't pull off a trade to fill Walker's spot and must find an internal solution. Walker is also owed two more years and a lot more money than what they had to swallow when they released Eaton. But, for a club with serious asperations to win right now, there can be no hesitation.

Walker has been a costly mistake, but there seem to be no viable alternatives in order to "get him right" so that he can be of some use. The bullpen experiment isn't likely to work, as almost everyone is in agreement that it's time for him to go. One can only hope that his two-year trainwreck of a tenure will end in the same team result that Adam Eaton's did in 2008.