Apr 11, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked in his office Saturday morning what he hoped to see from Taijuan Walker against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"Get him through the first inning, to start with, because that's kind of been the bugaboo for him," Thomson said.
That plan went down the drain three pitches into Saturday's tilt with the Snakes, as Ketel Marte launched a leadoff home run off of Walker. Before the inning was out, Arizona scored another run, with Adrian Del Castillo plating Corbin Carroll on an RBI single. A night after the Phillies opened a nine-game homestand with a loss to the Diamondbacks, it felt like Saturday's game was going to be over in a hurry.
Ketel Marte starts the day with a leadoff homer 😤 pic.twitter.com/Do1DOTzEfn
Instead, though, Walker settled down. He limited the DBacks to those two runs over five innings, while striking out six and walking two. A four-run third inning that saw Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back home runs proved to be enough for the Phillies to even the series with a 4-3 win, setting up a rubber match Sunday afternoon.
Questions persist with Walker, but his ability to overcome early struggles and give the Phillies some length isn't lost on his manager.
"He competes, and I've said that all along," Thomson said. "He gives you everything he's got. He made some big pitches, [had a] big pickoff. The three-unassisted-six double play was huge at the time. He just competes, he's tough."
Across three starts this season, Walker has given up nine first inning runs. Over the other 11 2/3 innings he's logged so far in 2026, Walker has been more than serviceable, allowing just three runs. This isn't a new problem for Walker. The Phillies didn't feel comfortable with Walker starting Game 4 in the 2023 NLCS because he had a 7.04 ERA in the first inning during that regular season. Something has to be figured out.
Could the Phillies consider using an opener in front of Walker?
"Well, he's still gotta have his first inning, even if it's the second inning," Thomson acknowledged. "So, maybe it's a situation where you simulate a first inning in the bullpen. Get him hot, sit down, throw 15-20 pitches, then come on out. I don't know, we gotta look at it and talk about it."
For his part, Walker says the Phillies have been tinkering with his routine leading up to starts to try to avoid digging an early hole.
"Yeah, we've been trying a few things — we're trying to figure it out, just haven't gotten it yet," Walker admitted. "I feel like after the first inning, everything is good, I get in a little groove. So, just gotta figure out that first inning."
Walker says that what he's been doing in the bullpen isn't quite an up-down, but he's throwing 15 warm-up pitches, and then trying to simulate hitters to get his energy level up.
Perhaps there's something to be said for just going all-in and having Walker simulate a full inning in the bullpen before his starts. That might limit how deep he can go in games, but so does giving up three runs every first inning.
Taijuan Walker has been impressed by Justin Crawford.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/VQ2r8qgLcT
In some senses, this could all be a moot point soon. Zack Wheeler will make a rehab start for Double-A Reading Tuesday, his fourth minor-league outing as he works his way back from thoracic outlet decompression surgery. The Phillies do currently have Wheeler scheduled to make another rehab appearance for Reading next Sunday, although that's not set in stone. Walker will likely be the odd man out in the rotation when Wheeler is ready to return, which could be in the near future.
Still, don't expect the Phillies to designate Walker for assignment when Wheeler returns, though that would please some fans. Even if you assume that Andrew Painter will make 30+ starts for the Phillies this year — which probably shouldn't be taken for granted — the Phillies are thin on depth after the top five of him, Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo. Walker certainly isn't perfect, but he's shown an ability to at least prevent a bullpen game every five days. Can we say for certain that any of Jean Cabrera, Alan Rangel, Connor Gillispie or Bryse Wilson would be better? Can we say for certain that there won't be a point this season where the Phillies need Walker and one of those four arms currently at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the rotation because of injuries?
Whether his immediate future is in the starting rotation or as a long reliever, the Phillies do need to find a way to at least limit the damage in Walker's first inning of work. But his ability to battle even when he struggles early on is a major reason why he's probably not someone the Phillies will cut their losses with before his contract concludes after the 2026 season.
