Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- Taijuan Walker, the No. 5 starter for the Philadelphia Phillies, allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings during Sunday afternoon’s 6-4 loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Despite a late rally, the Phillies fell short as Cal Stevenson grounded into a double play and Garrett Stubbs grounded out to end the game.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson had Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto on the bench but opted not to use them. “Absolutely,” Thomson said when asked if it was difficult not to use two of his best hitters. “But I’m thinking long-term as well.”

Thomson explained that Harper and Realmuto were given the day off due to their recent workloads. He emphasized that his “long-term” philosophy could change eventually but has remained consistent this year. The Phillies have only 63 pinch-hit at-bats, ranking 26th in baseball.

“It depends on the day and where we’re at and how many games they’ve played in a row, how their bodies are feeling,” Thomson said. “There are a lot of factors.”

The Phillies are currently 4-1 since holding a team meeting last Wednesday and hold a 7 1/2 game lead over the Braves in the NL East as of Sunday. They face upcoming road tests against the Braves and Royals.

The team’s starters have shown improvement recently, with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sánchez allowing a combined two earned runs over 21 2/3 innings in their last starts.

Walker has allowed six runs in 8 2/3 innings over two starts since rejoining the rotation, striking out eight and walking six. He gave up a two-run home run to Keibert Ruiz on an outside pitch that was high off the plate.

“Initially, I thought it was in the zone,” Walker said. “Then when I saw the replay I saw that it was way out of the zone. It's kind of what he does though... it's one of those where I've got to tip my cap I guess.”

Walker remains optimistic about improving his performance over time. His four-seam fastball averaged 92.2 mph on Sunday, with his hardest pitch clocking at 93.8 mph in the fifth inning.

He also threw a season-high number of splitters—41 out of his total 99 pitches—though he only achieved three whiffs on 17 swings (17.6 percent). Walker acknowledged needing to trust his splitter more for effectiveness.

“Just getting comfortable, throwing the splitter a lot more,” he said. “I want to throw it down; I want to throw it under the zone... But I just have to trust that... it’s good and I can throw it up in the zone and get weak contact with it.”