Phillies offense continues to protect Taijuan Walker whenever he takes the mound originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
If it’s sunny during the week, it will certainly rain all weekend.
Choose the shortest queue and the longer queue will definitely move faster.
If Taijuan Walker starts for the Phillies, they will certainly score a lot of runs.
These are the things we know in our bones. Articles of faith, even if they cannot be proven. Well, except maybe the one about Walker.
His turn came on Tuesday night. The Phillies defeated the Rangers 11-4. Before 39,995 at Citizens Bank Park. Of course. This is such a safe bet you could almost set your watch based on it. Well, you could if people still wore watches that needed to be adjusted.
He has made 36 appearances in a Phillies uniform since signing his four-year, $72 million free agent contract ahead of the 2023 season. In 28 of them – 77.8 percent – the lineup produced four or more runs. The numbers have been even more astonishing up to this point in 2024. Reading from left to right, his teammates have scored 8, 5, 8, 5 and now 11 times in their matches.
The crucial blow was a three-run home run by Edmundo Sosa in the fourth that increased the Phillies’ lead. Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto both hit solo home runs. Realmuto added a two-run single in the sixth and has now hit in 12 consecutive games.
The Phils won their fifth straight, benefiting both from flexing their offensive muscles and taking advantage of four defenseless world champion-like mistakes made by the defending world champions.
Most impressively, from an 8-8 start, they went 28-6. That’s an almost unfathomable .824 winning percentage, maintained for over five weeks. There are 22 games above .500. Yes, it’s not even June yet. But as unimaginable as it seems at this point, if they only played .500 the rest of the way, they would still win 92 games.
They’re off to a flying start after 50 games in the 142-year history of this National League franchise. The last team at 36-14 at this point was the 2001 Seattle Mariners, which led to this postgame exchange with coach Rob Thomson.
“This is the best 50-game start since the 2001 Mariners.”
“What they did?”
“They won 116 games.”
“But what did they do in the end?”
“They didn’t win the championship.”
“That’s right. So you have to keep going. You have to keep pushing until the end.”
He was speaking to the media but left the clear impression that he was actually addressing the club, warning against complacency and overconfidence.
The only difficulty on this summer night in South Philadelphia was that Walker didn’t get the win. He didn’t get the win because he didn’t pitch the five innings required to qualify. Despite a 6-3 lead, needing just one more out in the bottom of the fifth, he was replaced by lefty Matt Strahm.
Your final line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 W, 5 SO. He threw 86 pitches, 52 for strikes.
The fast start allows the manager to be patient with the veteran right-hander, but Walker’s 5.06 earned run average is by far the highest among the starters. If the race gets closer, which is always a possibility, this could become a problem unless he improves his game.
It’s not out of the question that Thomson was also sending a message to the pitcher, taking him out of the game at that moment and saying pointedly, “He had a win right there in front of him, but I felt like that was exactly the time we needed to stop.” it.”
Said Realmuto: “Your command is a little off. He’s not throwing the ball where he wants all the time. He’s getting behind some hitters. Lots of 2-0, 2-1 counts. If you can’t reverse this, it can make a huge difference. For me it’s just being a little more aggressive with your pitches in the zone and getting ahead of the guys.”
Walker, who had been literally knocked out in his previous start when he was hit by a line drive on the big toe of his left foot, did not mention this as a factor in his performance.
“I feel like I didn’t do my job,” he said. “Four walks won’t do it. It was a very good victory for the team, but I am frustrated with my performance.”
He added that it’s comforting to have one of the best offenses in baseball behind him. “I think the biggest thing is trying to limit how many runs you give up early,” he said. “If you give up two or three runs, at any moment our team will blow up. As a starting pitcher, it’s good.
“I’ll be better next time.”
NOTABLE: Left-handed reliever Matt Strahm extended his scoreless streak to 20.1 innings on Wednesday night. “He’s been a godsend,” Thomson said. . .Reliever Yunior Marte (shoulder inflammation) took live batting practice on Thursday. Rangers LHP Andrew Heaney (0-5, 4.43) will face RHP Zack Wheeler (5-3, 2.52) in the series finale Thursday at 1:05 p.m. . .The Phillies will leave immediately after the game to play a three-game series in Colorado and San Francisco. “He located himself very well,” Rob Thomson said. “The ball was jumping out of his hand. We need to map this out, but I think he’s ready (for a rehabilitation task).
