SAN DIEGO — Taijuan Walker’s right shoulder passed the first test of 2024. His reflexes? Rate them A-plus.
Walker threw 6 1/3 innings in his season debut as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Padres with an 8-6 victory Sunday afternoon at Petco Park. The right-hander, who missed the start of the year with a right shoulder impingement, held up a pair of three-run hits in an outing that was better than his final stat line.
“Everything felt good,” Walker said. “The splitter wasn’t very good today, but I threw the slider well. He had two walks, and those two walks extended the innings. I was hurt by it. I had a good life. the ball was coming out well.”
Two of Walker’s 19 strikeouts came thanks to those sharp reflexes.
With Xander Bogaerts on first base and nobody out in the bottom of second, Padres rookie Jackson Merrill hit a 73.4 mph boat up the middle. Walker, facing first base after the momentum of his delivery, reached his glove hand behind his back and trapped the ball in the air under his back.
As third baseman Alec Bohm called out and pointed to first base, Walker rallied and threw to Bryce Harper to complete the double play.
“I didn’t have time to turn and get there, so I just stuck my glove there,” Walker said. “I think I was as surprised as anyone.”
Count second baseman Bryson Stott among those surprised. He said he didn’t immediately realize what had happened and looked toward the Trea Turner post to try to find the ball.
“I was confused. I think everyone was confused,” said Stott, who enjoyed his first game in the majors to lead the offense. “They’re very good at owning their position.”
Walker averaged 91.1 mph with his four-seam fastball according to his Minor League rehab outings, but it was down 1.7 mph from last season. He threw just 12 splitters — his home field goal — and only two of those during his first trip through the Padres’ lineup.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was pleased with Walker’s stuff, but still has no clarity on his rotation beyond the next three games. Thomson said Spencer Turnbull (1.33 ERA) will start again Tuesday against the Angels. But the manager reiterated that there is no six-man rotation due to the upcoming May holidays.
Who gets kicked out then won’t be clear until the Phillies can no longer delay that decision. But Walker has a successful point to his credit as Thomson weighs up his options.
“I thought he was good,” Thompson said. “I was encouraged by the speed. … He threw strikes. For his first outing of the season, I thought he was fine.”
Through Walker’s first 89 pitches, the Phillies went up, 7-3. But No. 90 was a 91.1 sinker over the knees that Luis Campusano drove into left-center for a pinch-hit three-run homer in the seventh inning. Before that, Walker saw little trouble — evidenced by the fact that the Phillies’ bullpen didn’t stir until that inning, even though it was his season debut.
Walker had room for error as Philadelphia’s offense continued its offense late. While winning 11 of their last 13 games, the Phillies are averaging 5.9 runs per game. During their current four-game winning streak, they’ve scored 27 runs and hit 10 home runs. JT Realmuto had the last Phillies homer on Sunday.
“Every day, every night, it’s a new pitcher closing out an inning,” Stott said of the Phillies’ surge. “He’s a young player leading the guys. That’s what you need as a team, one through nine, and winning all types of different games. … Learning how to win each type of game is huge.”