Just when things were starting to feel normal again, Taijuan Walker turned in another forgettable outing on Wednesday. It gives you the kind of nauseating feeling that exemplifies that nothing comes without a price in this league.
The Philadelphia Phillies lost the series finale and a chance to sweep out their recent American League foe with a final score of 10-0. Walker, in a second consecutive outing, gave up six runs. His final line was six innings pitched, 13 hits, six earned runs, one walk and no strikeouts. Walker's 2024 season balloons to 3-6 with a 6.50 ERA in 70 2/3 innings pitched to go along with 53 strikeouts.
Per MLB.com's Paul Casella, Walker's start was historically bad. The last Phillies pitcher to allow 13 hits without recording a strikeout was Blix Donnelly in 1948. Before that it was Boom-Boom Beck in 1943.
Taijuan Walker: 6 IP, 6 ER, 13 H, 0 K's
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) August 28, 2024
Prior to Walker, the 2 most recent Phillies pitchers to allow 13+ hits and not record a single strikeout:
- Blix Donnelly (1948)
- Boom-Boom Beck (1943)
Walker is not trending in the right direction when it comes to his reputation on the mound. Fresh off his disastrous outing against the Royals, this start didn't give fans any time to forget just how bad a stretch he is in right now. Fans are growing anxious and increasingly frustrated with their being no immediate solution from the front office.
Taijuan Walker's historically bad start comes with a silver lining
It feels that we're in the same situation as last Friday in Kansas City, with Walker sucking the life out of the team and allowing opposing hitters to put up crooked numbers early on in the game. It's almost as if it's a scheduled loss, with there being some credence to that, as Philadelphia has now lost nine consecutive games with Walker taking the mound.
There is a silver lining to what has happened on Wednesday. Aside from the team dropping game after game with his name as the probable starter, this could be the end of the road for him, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
When asked about Walker's future in the rotation, manager Rob Thomson left much to be determined.
“Now, we’ve got to talk about it,” Thomson said, per Zolecki.
Thomson also commented on the lack of swing-and-miss that Walker has been generating in his outings this year.
“There was not much swing-and-miss,” Thomson said. “And he needs to be swing and miss.”
No swing and miss, not commanding pitches the way you want to. Eventually, the excuses turn into a reality check that things just won't turn around and get better just because you want them to.
The Phillies do have the ultimate option of designating Walker for assignment if they can't justify the roster space for him, even taking into account his salary (subscription required), per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The Phillies could announce a change as soon as Thursday if needed. He could serve as a bullpen arm, but that would depend on if he's ever given another chance in Philadelphia.