TAMPA, Fla. — Taijuan Walker probably didn’t expect his first bullpen outing of the season to go like this. Who would have?
Walker didn’t just pitch the final three innings of the Phillies’ 7-0 win over the Rays on Wednesday night, he struck out the first five batters he faced and seven in total over three scoreless innings.
It was low leverage but it was an eye-popping night from a right-hander who has been far from a strikeout pitcher as a Phillie.
“To not even just give the bullpen a rest but dominate, it was really good to see,” said Trea Turner, who hit his second home run of the season to start the scoring. “It felt like he was locating everything, velo was there. I’m happy for him.”
Walker’s stuff played up. He exceeded 94 mph with his fastball several times, which would have sounded unthinkable last summer when he was struggling and throwing 88-89. But he worked tirelessly last summer to increase his velocity and then barely took any time off during the offseason.
It’s worked.
“I just felt good, I knew I had at the most three innings so I just went out there and attacked,” he said. “I was a little more aggressive than usual. I felt like I could empty the tank out knowing that it was three innings max. I just let it rip and threw all my pitches.
“That was fun. Body felt good, refreshed.”
Walker was thrust into starting duty when Ranger Suarez went down with a back injury in early March and gave the Phillies a 2.54 ERA over six starts. Suarez returned on Sunday and Walker transitioned to the bullpen, where he’ll serve as a long man or multi-inning reliever.
He could have a chance to pitch his way into more important situations if the stuff from Wednesday night sticks.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” manager Rob Thomson said. “The stuff jumped up. A lot of swing-and-miss, obviously. He pounded the zone. That was really impressive.
“Now you start thinking about different things, you know? But you still want to keep his pitch count up because we might go to a six-man rotation at some point. But, jeez, that looks pretty good for one inning, too. If that guy can dial it up for an inning or two, that’s really something.”
The Phillies could sure use the right-handed relief help. It’s one of their thinnest areas, especially after the early-season shakiness of Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano. Leverage situations for Walker are likely a ways away if they happen at all, but having one more option can’t hurt.
“I mean, it’s something I feel like you have to work toward,” Walker said. “I do see myself as a starter still, but at the end of the day, whatever I can do to help the team win, whether it’s three innings, four innings, early in the game or late in the game. I’m always ready to pitch.”
He’s keeping the ball. Only 651 more to catch Mariano Rivera.
“Absolutely keeping the ball,” he said. “I didn’t ever think I would have a career save in my life so just to add that to my resume, it’s pretty cool for me, I like it.”
Read the full article here