Phillies’ sixth-inning blunders prove costly in 4-2 loss to the Nationals in series finale
Taijuan Walker was cruising through five innings until a few costly mistakes did him and the Phillies in.
Nationals left fielder James Wood lined a cutter straight up the middle in the sixth inning on Thursday, 103.9 mph right off Taijuan Walker’s thigh.
Walker still made the play, coming off the mound to field the ball on the infield grass and get the out at first. And it wasn’t even the first time he put his body on the line in the Phillies’ 4-2 loss to the Nationals.
On the first play of the game, CJ Abrams hit a chopper on the right side of the infield that Walker managed to snare while on the run. He flipped the ball out of his glove to first baseman Bryce Harper, who made a bare-handed catch, before his momentum brought him to the ground.
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“It was fun. Took a tumble,” Walker said, adding that his leg was fine, but sore. “I haven’t fell that hard in a long time, so trying to regroup after that. But it was a fun play, something we practiced all spring training, actually.”
But a few exceptional plays in the field — Harper also picked a 96.5 mph ground ball in the fourth inning to make an out — weren’t enough to overcome a few costly mistakes that led to a four-run sixth inning for Washington.
Walker remained in the game in the sixth inning after getting the once-over from Phillies trainers and throwing out a few test pitches. He had induced a lot of contact on the ground, and when the Nationals hit the ball in the air, it stayed in the ballpark.
“When I went to the mound, I looked him in the eye, and he said he was fine,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Afterward, he said it didn’t affect him.”
Over the first five innings, Walker only allowed one hit. He had retired 10 consecutive Nationals until Abrams led off the sixth inning with a double.
After the Wood comebacker, Walker allowed two singles and Harper committed an error on a ball that got by him down the right field line. Keibert Ruiz advanced three bases and one run scored on Harper’s first error of the year.
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“Harper usually makes that play,” Thomson said.
Orion Kerkering took over with the Phillies trailing 3-1, inheriting runners on first and third. Another run scored on what was ruled a double steal, when catcher Rafael Marchán’s throw to second went into the outfield.
“We had the play set up,” Thomson said. “It was going to be a return play, and it’s really a game of catch. If [Marchán] executes the throw, he’s out at the plate. Just a low throw.”
Only one run was charged to Walker due to the error. Over 5⅔ innings, he struck out two and walked three.
The Phillies offense, meanwhile, had two singles in the first two innings, but did not advance a runner past first until Max Kepler’s double in the fifth. Kepler came around to score on a single from Alec Bohm.
They scratched across another run in the bottom of the sixth to chip away at the Nationals’ lead on an RBI single from Nick Castellanos.
A rally seemed to be forming in the eighth inning when Trea Turner singled and Kyle Schwarber drew a walk, but Castellanos hit into a double play.
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In the ninth, Johan Rojas hit a two-out triple to left field, narrowly diving in safely under the tag. Marchán lined out to end the game.
“I’ll talk to [Rojas] about it [Friday],” Thomson said. “Because that was a little too close for me.”
Walker was charged with the loss, his third of the season. But through six starts, Walker’s ERA sits at 2.54, which is second-best in the Phillies’ rotation behind Jesús Luzardo (1.73).
“He got ahead of hitters and attacked the zone. He’s kept us in games,” Thomson said. “I trust him.”
With Ranger Suárez set to return from the injured list and start on Sunday, the Phillies have some decisions to make regarding their rotation, whether to roll with six starters or move a starter to the bullpen. Walker went to the bullpen at the end of last year, but that was due to his prolonged struggles with command and velocity.
“Obviously I want to be a starting pitcher, and I feel like I’ve done my job well enough to be in the rotation,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s not my decision, so I’ll talk to them and see what happens.”