Phillies Struggling Pitcher Has Frustrating Response After Latest Outing

It was another rough outing for one of the Philadelphia Phillies pitchers, and his response will only spark more frustration.

Jun 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws third inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

For the Philadelphia Phillies to win a World Series title this year, they'll need to execute in two key areas during the most important stretch of the season.

They need to pitch well and they need timely hitting.

While that seems obvious, it's what has plagued the Phillies in their last two quests to win a championship.

They scored only three runs total in the final three contests of the 2022 World Series. Bullpen collapses and chasing themselves out of games caused them to get upset in the National League Championship Series last year.

Philadelphia held leads at one point in both of those matchups, only to get eliminated and see another team lift the trophy.

With that in mind, it's concerning to watch them repeatedly throw a pitcher out there who clearly does not have good stuff and could cost them wins in the regular season that might hurt their chances of winning a championship.

On Friday night, after the Cole Hamels retirement ceremony, Taijuan Walker was given another chance to prove he has turned the corner after a tough start to the year.

That did not happen.

Walker was tagged for four earned runs during his 4.0 innings of work, giving up all of his damage from the long ball as the Arizona Diamondbacks hit three homers off of him.

This outing ballooned his ERA to 5.77 this season as he looks like a pitcher who cannot compete at this level with his fastball only clocking in at 90.5 mph on average.

Manager Rob Thomson said he's going to speak with the veteran on Saturday to see if he's healthy since that velocity is way below his career marks, but according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Walker said "I feel 100 percent fine."

If that's the case, then this outing is even more concerning.

Not only has his stuff dipped to a level that is worryingly low, but then that means there is very little room for growth going forward if he feels healthy and these are the results he's producing.

With these performances, there's no way the Phillies would ever consider using him in the playoffs, but before they get there, they need reliable arms throughout the remainder of the long season, something Walker is not giving them every fifth day.

What occurs after Thomson's conversation with the struggling starter will be seen, but it has to be clear to everyone in the clubhouse that Walker is not a viable option.

They need to figure something out, and figure it out fast, or else this is going to be a lingering problem that affects the team in a negative way.