What to do about Walker's woes? Phils have options, but hitting would also help

PHILADELPHIA -- Nothing Taijuan Walker tries is working.

He tried something new before Friday night’s start against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park because he had a 27.00 ERA in the first inning, and he couldn’t bury the Phillies' offense again. So, he changed his pre-start routine. He picked up the intensity toward the end of his warmup pitches in the bullpen, then decreased the time between his final bullpen toss and his first pitch on the mound.

But Walker loaded the bases with no outs and allowed two runs in the first inning of a 9-0 loss. He allowed seven runs in four innings, hearing boos throughout the night. Walker has a 9.16 ERA in four starts, which is the highest ERA by a Phillies starter to begin the season in the rotation since Paul Byrd’s 10.19 ERA in his first four starts in 2000.

“Obviously, it hasn’t been going the way I wanted it to go,” Walker said.

But this isn’t just a Walker problem. It’s a team problem. The Phillies are 8-11. It’s the first time they’re three games under .500 since June 6, 2023 (29-32). They have lost their last three games at home by scores of 10-4, 11-2 and 9-0.

“It’s frustrating,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’re not used to doing that, especially in this ballpark.”

The Phillies have been shut out three times in nine games for the first time since April 2023.

They’re hitting .179 with a .555 OPS against left-handers. They are 2-7 vs. lefty starters. Only the Twins have faced more left-handed starters (12). It’s troubling, especially when you know they face Braves left-hander Chris Sale on Saturday.

“Everything can’t always be great, awesome,” Kyle Schwarber said. “We have to fight through things.”

So, now what?

The Phillies need to start hitting, and hitting soon. They know it. But the worst thing they can do is put more pressure on themselves. However, it’s also not easy looking up at the scoreboard and seeing that you’re down 2-0 in the first inning, 6-0 in the second inning and 7-0 in the third inning.

Walker is scheduled to make his next start on Wednesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. For now, Thomson said Walker will make it.

Why?

“We haven’t discussed anything else,” Thomson said.

Here are some of their options:

1. They start Walker one more time and hope he keeps them in the game. It’s a risk as the team struggles to find its footing. Even a two-run deficit feels insurmountable.

2. The Phillies use an opener and bring Walker in for the second or third inning. There are two schools of thought here. One, Walker’s first inning is his first inning, whether it’s the first inning of the game or the second or third inning of the game. In other words, would an opener really solve his first-inning woes? Two, by using an opener, Walker can start the game against hitters lower in the lineup.

3. The Phillies skip Walker and choose one of their two remaining starters on the 40-man roster: Triple-A Lehigh Valley right-handers Jean Cabrera (0-1, 8.03 ERA) or Alan Rangel (2-1, 1.66 ERA).

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to make his fifth rehab start on Sunday with Double-A Reading. Thomson said Wheeler isn’t a consideration for Wednesday.

“Oh, he’s still pitching Sunday,” he said.

What happens after Wednesday remains to be seen. Walker is in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract. He is 24-24 with a 5.08 ERA in 88 appearances (71 starts) with the Phils.

It hasn’t been what the Phillies or Walker wanted, but they still need him. The fact that the Phillies’ only two options on the 40-man roster to replace him (besides Wheeler) are Cabrera (Philadelphia's No. 15 prospect) and Rangel speaks to the organization’s lack of starting pitching depth.

It is something the Phils have tried to address the past few months, but have not found.

For that reason, Walker is likely to move to the bullpen as a long man once Wheeler returns.

But this team’s fate doesn’t hinge on Walker’s future role or spot on the roster. It hinges on so many other things, including an offense that hasn’t hit.

“That’s the journey of the year,” Schwarber said. “You could start off blazing hot, or you could start off scuffling. You could start off not hitting on all cylinders, whatever it is. We have to be able to keep finding ways to adjust, and keep trying to find a way to go out there and feel like we're gonna be the best versions of ourselves.”