Walker wants the Phillies to break out of their slump, as they have the second-worst record in MLB since the All-Star break.
The Philadelphia Phillies were baseball’s hottest club throughout the first half of the season. The Phillies sent three offensive starters to the All-Star Game for the first time in 42 years. Overall, the team had an MLB-best eight players in the 2024 Midsummer Classic. However, since their return from the All-Star break, the Phillies have struggled.
Starting pitcher Taijuan Walker recognized the team’s current circumstances. “We’ve built a pretty good cushion, but we definitely need to start playing better baseball,” Walker told Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation on X.
Despite having the second-worst record in baseball since the All-Star break, Philadelphia has maintained a 6.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
The Phillies opened play on Tuesday with a 7-15 record, trailing just the awful Chicago White Sox (2-20). Fortunately for the Phillies, the Braves have also struggled, going 9-14 since the Midsummer classic.
Walker returned to the Phillies after spending 15 days on the injured list with a right index finger issue. He received the start for the Phillies against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, the pitcher’s 32nd birthday. However, the Marlins wrecked Walker’s day, defeating the Phillies 5-0 and suffering them their 16th loss since the All-Star break.
Walker allowed four hits and three earned runs over four innings. He walked three batters and struck out five. The Phillies’ bullpen allowed two additional runs over the following five innings, but the team managed only four hits and was held scoreless.
The Phillies’ Taijuan Walker wants the team to “Start playing better baseball”
“The entire team is experiencing a low mood…” “As a team, we’re just not on the same page,” Walker told Kelly. The Phillies lost their fourth straight game, dropping to 69-50 on the season.
The Phillies’ offensive has slowed since the All-Star game. The squad ranked in the top six at the break in batting average, home runs, runs, on-base percentage, and OPS. Since returning, the squad has ranked 16th in batting average, 20th in homers, 19th in runs, 17th in on-base percentage, and 13th in OPS.
The Phillies’ pitching, however, has taken a significant hit. Prior to the break, Philadelphia was in the top three in ERA, quality starts, strikeouts, WHIP, WPA, and fWAR. Since the All-Star Game, Phillies pitchers have ranked 23rd in ERA, 21st in quality starts, 18th in strikeouts, and 25th in WHIP, WPA, and fWAR.
“We had a successful baseball team for a long period. It’s going to be sooner rather than later that we get out of [the funk], but that’s when you want to be hot again – September, at the end of the year, and then make a push for the playoffs,” Walker told Kelly on X.
Despite their fall, the Phillies still lead the division and have one of baseball’s most talented squads. The squad remains in the top three of the latest MLB Power Rankings. They’ll try to turn things around with a four-game series against the Washington Nationals beginning August 15.
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