Taijuan Walker’s struggles leave Phillies without clear third starter for MLB postseason

After giving up six runs and getting knocked out in the sixth inning Monday, Taijuan Walker blamed a lack of command.

“What it came down to was five free passes,” he said after walking three batters and hitting two in a doubleheader-opening 10-8 loss to the Braves. “You give five free passes to a team like this, it’s not going to be an easy day for you.”

It was a familiar refrain.

And not a good one from a potential Game 3 playoff starter.

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Despite losing for the third time in four games, the Phillies held a four-game cushion over the Marlins for the final wild card — and a 1½-game edge over the Cubs for the top wild card. They have a 97.9% chance to make the playoffs, according to Baseball Reference. Fangraphs puts their odds at 96.2%.

So, they’re almost certainly going to need a starter to come after ace Zack Wheeler and struggling Aaron Nola in a short series. It will be either Walker or Ranger Suárez, and considering Walker signed a four-year, $72 million contract in the offseason and has nearly no experience coming out of the bullpen, he would be a convenient choice.

Here’s the problem: In 10 starts since the All-Star break, Walker has a 4.79 ERA, the third consecutive season that he has had problems in the second half.

Walker’s issues are reminiscent of early in the season, when he “nibbled,” to use his phrase, around the strike zone and was unable to consistently get ahead of hitters.

Against the powerful Braves, Walker fell behind both Michael Harris II (double in a 2-1 count) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (RBI single in a 2-0 count) in the third inning. In the fifth, he hit Harris, gave up an RBI double on a 1-0 pitch to Ozzie Albies, hit Austin Riley, and allowed an RBI double on a 3-1 pitch to Matt Olson.

“I know my stuff is good,” Walker said after a slog against the powerful Braves. “But I’m not giving myself a chance when I get behind and I have to basically give them a cookie.”

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Walker dealt with similar issues in April but pulled it together. Beginning with a May 21 start against the Cubs, he rolled off an eight-start stretch in which he posted a 1.69 ERA.

What gives him confidence that he can do it again?

“I’ve done it before,” said Walker.

Yes, but he also had second-half ERAs of 4.80 and 7.13 last year and in 2021, respectively, for the Mets.

“I like the stuff,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He got some swings and misses early, then started spraying the ball around. And that’s not him. Usually he’s a strike-thrower. He gets ahead and puts people away. We’ve got to get back to that.”

Even so, Suárez seems to be the frontrunner to get the start for the third postseason game, whether it’s Game 3 of a wild-card series or Game 1 of the Division Series (most likely against the Braves). Suárez has a 3.14 ERA in his last five starts. He didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning Sunday against the Marlins.

The Phillies made a bullpen change between games, swapping out reliever Andrew Bellatti to triple A and recalling Yunior Marte. The move came after Bellatti gave up back-to-back homers to Harris and Acuña in the sixth inning.

Barring an injury, Bellatti must remain in the minors for 10 days.

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Bryce Harper started at first base for the fifth time in six games in the opener, then was the designated hitter for the nightcap. ... Trea Turner went deep in the opener and joined Mike Schmidt as the only Phillies since at least 1901 with 10 homers in an 11-game span. ... With two hits in the first game, Kyle Schwarber nudged his batting average to .200 for the first time since May 2. ... The Braves had bashed 275 homers entering the nightcap, tied with the 2019 Twins for the most homers through 143 games. The Twins set a major league record with 307 homers that season. . ... Schwarber’s charity event Sunday night at Yards Brewing Company raised nearly $300,000 for organizations that serve Philadelphia-area first responders and their families. ... Zack Wheeler (11-6, 3.49 ERA) is scheduled to face Braves lefty Max Fried (7-1, 2.70) in a matchup of aces Tuesday night.