The Philadelphia Phillies welcomed back Taijuan Walker on Tuesday after he had been sidelined with a finger injury since June 22.
Walker, who turned 32 the same day, will start against the Miami Marlins. To make room for him, the Phillies sent Yunior Marte to Triple-A.
This season hasn’t been great for Walker, with a 5.60 ERA and a 5.80 FIP in just ten starts. Last year was better, as he managed a 98 ERA+ over 31 starts. Now that he’s healthy again, there’s hope he’ll perform well at the end of the rotation. Lochlahn March from the Philadelphia Inquirer mentioned that Walker has adjusted his splitter grip to avoid blisters and improve control . The Marlins’ weak offense might give him an easier return game.
Phillies’ Struggles Continue:
The Phillies are having a tough time lately. They’ve fallen half a game behind the Dodgers for the top seed in the National League and have lost three games in a row coming into their series against Miami. Fans might be worried about this downward trend.
One positive note is that despite their struggles, they remain ahead of the Braves by seven games in their division race. With around six weeks left in the regular season, SportsLine gives them a strong chance—93.1%—to end Atlanta’s streak of six straight division titles.
However, these recent issues could cost them later on. The top two seeds in each league get a first-round bye in the playoffs—a big advantage! Right now, they’re only two games ahead of Milwaukee Brewers for one of those spots. If they fall behind both Milwaukee and Los Angeles Dodgers (assuming both win their divisions), they’ll face a risky Wild Card series instead.
Let’s not exaggerate Walker’s return as some magical fix for all these problems; however, any solid innings from him will certainly help Philly’s cause moving forward.
What do you think? Can Walker turn things around for the Phillies?
