Phillies

Taijuan Walker Started Three of the Phillies’ Six Losses to the Mets

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 4th, 2024 · 9:26 AM EDT

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This is not to dump on Taijuan Walker again, but important context in the Phillies/Mets season series:

Phillies record vs Mets this year:
7-6

7-3: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez starts

0-3: Taijuan Walker starts pic.twitter.com/CL7uy2j8aq

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 4, 2024

When you add up Walker’s stats in those three starts, he gave up 12 earned runs on 12 hits over 12 and a third innings. There’s a bit of a skew from the eight hit, eight run performance of this past September, but there’s also the relief appearance with the three scoreless innings in the 6-4 game the Phillies won on 9/14. It’s a bit of mixed bag, but not an inspiring bag.

Here are Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, and Sanchez’s splits against the Mets this season:

• Wheeler: 2.57 ERA, 7.0 innings, two earned runs on seven hits, one home run, one walk, one strikeout
• Nola: 4.05 ERA, 13.1 innings, six earned runs on 10 hits, two home runs, two walks, 15 strikeouts
• Suarez: 2.30 ERA, 15.2 innings, four earned runs on 17 hits, two home runs, six walks, 13 strikeouts
• Sanchez: 3.06 ERA, 17.2 innings, six earned runs on 16 hits, two home runs, nine walks, 19 strikeouts

Wheeler’s a unique case. He only started one game against the Mets this season. He does have a career 3.56 ERA in 15 games against his former team, for what it’s worth. If you’re worried about the Phillies bats coming off the bye week and just being average in general down the stretch, then you have to at least look at the pitching stats and feel pretty good. You get two solid Wheeler starts and you only have to win one other game. Then the Mets are joining the Braves in Cancun.