Philadelphia Phillies to Consider Skipping Next Start for Taijuan Walker

Should the Philadelphia Phillies skip Taijuan Walker's next start due to his struggles this season?

Aug 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies were handled easily by the Houston Astros in the final game of their three-game series. 

The Phillies were embarrassed in the loss on Wednesday, as the Astros defeated them by a score of 10-0. While Philadelphia did win the series, the loss in the series finale will certainly leave a bad taste in their mouths heading home for a big series with the Atlanta Braves. 

In the loss, it was once again Taijuan Walker being the losing pitcher on record. The horrible season for Walker has continued, and with the Phillies battling for the National League East Title, they can’t afford to continue to give him opportunities. 

Philadelphia will have a few days to think about what’s next for Walker, but skipping his next start appears to be on the table. 

"We've gotta talk about it," and "we've gotta discuss it," were Thomson's responses to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia when asked whether Walker would make his next start.

"I feel bad for him, I really do," Thomson said of Walker. "All of you know how much I respect and love the players and he works extremely hard. He took the time on the IL to try different things to gain velocity, to gain action on his split. There's no lack of effort there. When guys give effort and it doesn't work out or you don’t see the results, it hurts. It hurts me and obviously it hurts him too."

Walker is next scheduled to pitch on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but with a day off on Monday for travel after the series with the Braves, the Phillies could elect to skip Walker’s start and use Christopher Sanchez on normal rest. 

Philadelphia currently has a comfortable lead over Atlanta heading into their series, but with it being four games, that could change quickly. Walker has been bad all season and the time has come to remove him from the rotation before his next start. 

The good timing of the off day will allow the Phillies to figure out some options for whom to replace him with in September, as they can bring someone up or piece together a bullpen game every five days. 

It is unfortunate to see Walker’s struggles this season, as he won 15 games for the Phillies last season. However, with Philadelphia trying to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the league, they can’t afford to let him continue to pitch the way he has this season.