Tone-setter? Walker bounces back from shaky 1st inning in important Phillies win

MIAMI — Taijuan Walker labored through the first inning with a sub-90 mph fastball, beginning his night by allowing a single and a two-run homer. Then he bounced back, as he's done time and again this season, to deliver 6⅔ strong innings in a 4-2 Phillies win.

Walker has done an admirable job all season of minimizing damage and rebounding on nights when he doesn't have his best stuff, his sharpest command, or both. It was the case again Monday night as he held the Marlins to those two first-inning runs, enabling his teammates to tie the game and eventually take a late lead.

"He's always like that," said Alec Bohm, who had a double, an eighth-inning RBI single, two walks and a steal. "If he gives up a couple early, he finds a way to get into the seventh inning, save the bullpen and you look up and we're tied or winning. He's been really good about that, even if it's not a good start or he gives up a homer early, he just gets right back to it and keeps things where they are."

Every remaining head-to-head matchup between the Phils and Marlins is important because both teams are squarely in the wild-card race. The Phillies have three more games this week in Miami, then three more in September.

Just two games separated the top five teams in the National League wild-card race entering play Monday. The Phillies are 57-49 and moved back ahead of the Marlins (57-50) into a playoff position. They have just 12 games left this season against teams near them in the race — six more with the Fish, three with the Giants and three with the Brewers.

The Phillies certainly needed a win like this after blowing a pair of multi-run leads and executing poorly in the field and on the bases in back-to-back losses Saturday and Sunday in Pittsburgh.

"We know we can play better baseball and tonight showed it," Walker said. "Hopefully, this is the start of some good baseball we're going to play down the stretch."

Walker was greeted in the bottom of the first by a Luis Arraez single and a blast to left field from Jorge Soler on a splitter that didn't do much. Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled two batters later in his first plate appearance back from the injured list, but Walker went into shutdown mode after that.

He struck out the final two batters in the opening frame and didn't allow multiple baserunners in any other inning, scattering three more hits with two walks. And while his fastball averaged 89.9 mph in the first inning, Walker's heater was back above 94 by the middle innings.

"I can't, honestly," Walker said when asked if he had an explanation for why his velocity has dropped significantly at times only to spike back to its normal range. "I've dealt with it before in the past where some games my velo wouldn't be as good. But I think this year what I've learned is how to execute and get the job done with what I have.

"My body feels good, everything feels good. Some days you just wake up and — we're at the end of July, I feel like some players hit a little wall before they get their second wind. But I was able to finish strong and come out of there good."

Walker is 12-4 with a 3.99 ERA, only the second time in 22 starts as a Phillie that he's ended a night under 4.00. The Phils are 16-6 behind him.

The Phillies tied the game in the top of the fourth on a two-run double down the third-base line by rookie Johan Rojas. He has been terrific defensively in center field and has added energy to the lineup, hitting .296 in seven starts with five RBI.

Bryson Stott gave Walker a lead with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh. The inning began with a Kyle Schwarber walk and a Bohm double. The Phillies, who have not homered or walked as much as expected in 2023, have walked 25 times in their last three games.

Bohm hit second for the first time since May 12 and the third time all year. He might have claimed the spot for a while with his big night.

Bohm's on-base percentage is 33 points higher than it was the last two seasons. He's hit .358 this season with runners in scoring position and is on pace for 101 RBI.

"He was great," manager Rob Thomson said. "That's what he does. He uses the field, he gets hits with runners in scoring position, which we've struggled with this year. He's the one guy who comes through, him and Stott."

The series continues Tuesday at 6:40 p.m., less than an hour after the trade deadline. The Phillies are still in search of a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder and perhaps a bullpen arm.

Ranger Suarez (2-5, 4.22) opposes Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 4.46) in Game 2. It's been a down year for Alcantara after he won the Cy Young award in 2022, but he's coming off his best start since the first week of April, a complete game win over the Rays.

The Marlins have already added David Robertson to the back of their bullpen. They might have another move up their sleeve before the 6 p.m. deadline Tuesday, and Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies' proactive president of baseball operations, is working the phones trying to make upgrade(s) as well.

"I think so," Walker said when asked if he expects additions by Tuesday. "I don't know, it's been kind of quiet. But we know we have a good team with what we have right now and if we add, we're just going to get even better."