Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- Taijuan Walker faced boos as he exited the mound in the fourth inning on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. After a brief discussion with Phillies manager Rob Thomson, Walker pitched two more innings in a 10-0 loss to the Astros.

“I wanted to go as deep as possible and just kind of wear that one,” Walker said.

Walker’s future with the Phillies remains uncertain. Despite his past success and being in the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract, his current performance has raised questions. Walker is 3-6 with a 6.50 ERA in 14 starts this season, including 0-4 with a 9.17 ERA since returning from the injured list. Philadelphia has lost each of his past nine starts.

For the first time this year, the Phillies were noncommittal about Walker’s future in the rotation.

“Now, we’ve got to talk about it,” manager Rob Thomson stated.

In six innings against the Astros, Walker allowed 13 hits, six runs, one walk, and one home run without striking out a batter. This performance marked him as the first Phillies pitcher since Blix Donnelly in 1948 to allow 13 or more hits without a strikeout. The last time a Phillies pitcher allowed this many hits was Aaron Harang in July 2015.

“It’s obviously not the best times,” Walker commented. “I feel like I’ve never really struggled like this, so it’s a little tough right now.”

Walker acknowledged that his velocity has not rebounded as hoped and hitters are not chasing his splitter like before.

“I feel like … the shape is back on the splitter,” he said. “It’s tough... Not a lot of things going my way right now.”

The Phillies emphasized throwing more first-pitch strikes during Walker's last bullpen session; he managed to throw 20 first-pitch strikes to 28 Astros hitters.

“There was not much swing-and-miss,” Thomson noted. “And he needs to be swing and miss.”

If Walker doesn’t make his next scheduled start, options include moving him to the bullpen or recalling right-hander Tyler Phillips on Sunday when rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. Left-hander Kolby Allard could also be considered but is not eligible until Sept. 10 unless there is an injury.

Designating Walker for assignment remains an option despite its financial implications; similar moves have been made by other teams such as when Pablo Sandoval was DFA’d by the Red Sox and Robinson Canó by the Mets.

Walker is owed $36 million after this season.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski previously supported giving Walker another chance upon returning from injury but emphasized performance: “Now it’s up to him to go out and pitch well.”

With only 29 games left in their season, decisions regarding their No.5 starter could impact their playoff positioning significantly.

“We’ve got to discuss it,” Thomson reiterated. "I feel bad for him... He works extremely hard."