Latest news with #TaijuanWalker
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto nearly score simultaneously, Phillies reclaim 1st in NL East with 10-2 win over Mets
The Philadelphia Phillies reclaimed first place in the National League East with a 10-2 win over the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Otto Kemp and Brandon Marsh before the Mets tied the score in the sixth on back-to-back homers by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil off Taijuan Walker, who took over after Zack Wheeler pitched five scoreless innings. Advertisement However, the Phillies pulled away with six runs in the seventh, ignited by the first five batters getting hits against Mets reliever Reed Garrett. Marsh and Trea Turner led off the frame with doubles, scoring one run, followed by Kyle Schwarber drawing a walk and Alec Bohm hitting an RBI single. Garrett was yanked for Justin Garza, but the hit parade continued for Philadelphia. Nick Castellanos drove in Schwarber with a single and J.T. Realmuto walked. That set up the most exciting and visually amusing play of the game. Bryson Stott hit a deep drive to left-center field, barely missing a home run that hit high off the wall. Bohm scored, then was followed by Castellanos and Realmuto running in a single file, looking like they rode a toboggan into home plate. Both runners eluded Luis Torrens' tag, each slapping the plate with their left hands to score. Had Castellanos run any slower or Realmuto any faster, there might have been a pile-up near home plate that resulted in an out. Instead, the Phillies boosted their lead to 8-2. "Rounding third base, in my head, I was like, 'We're either going to both be out or both be safe,'" Realmuto said to Paul Casella after the game. "Luckily, we both snuck in there." "I think I was smiling the whole time," he added. "Like I said, it's one of those plays you never really prepare for, so it was fun to be a part of." The Phillies added to their lead in the eighth on a two-run homer by Castellanos, finishing with a 10-2 win and reclaiming first place in the NL East for the first time since May 19. The Phillies stayed in first until May 31 amid a four-game losing streak that knocked them from the top spot. Advertisement Philadelphia has won three in a row and nine of their past 11 games. Meanwhile, the Mets have lost seven consecutive games, losing what was a 5.5-game lead on June 13. It's the team's longest losing streak since 2023. 'This is not good,' said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, via The Athletic. 'This is not good at all. But it's adversity that we're going to have to go through at some point of the year. It's just, we want to get away from it as fast as we can. It's a tough moment in the season.' Both teams are back at it on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) starts for the Phillies, while Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80) goes for the Mets.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto nearly score simultaneously, Phillies reclaim 1st in NL East with 10-2 win over Mets
The Philadelphia Phillies reclaimed first place in the National League East with a 10-2 win over the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Otto Kemp and Brandon Marsh before the Mets tied the score in the sixth on back-to-back homers by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil off Taijuan Walker, who took over after Zack Wheeler pitched five scoreless innings. Advertisement However, the Phillies pulled away with six runs in the seventh, ignited by the first five batters getting hits against Mets reliever Reed Garrett. Marsh and Trea Turner led off the frame with doubles, scoring one run, followed by Kyle Schwarber drawing a walk and Alec Bohm hitting an RBI single. Garrett was yanked for Justin Garza, but the hit parade continued for Philadelphia. Nick Castellanos drove in Schwarber with a single and J.T. Realmuto walked. That set up the most exciting and visually amusing play of the game. Bryson Stott hit a deep drive to left-center field, barely missing a home run that hit high off the wall. Bohm scored, then was followed by Castellanos and Realmuto running in a single file, looking like they rode a toboggan into home plate. Both runners eluded Luis Torrens' tag, each slapping the plate with their left hands to score. Had Castellanos run any slower or Realmuto any faster, there might have been a pile-up near home plate that resulted in an out. Instead, the Phillies boosted their lead to 8-2. "Rounding third base, in my head, I was like, 'We're either going to both be out or both be safe,'" Realmuto said to Paul Casella after the game. "Luckily, we both snuck in there." "I think I was smiling the whole time," he added. "Like I said, it's one of those plays you never really prepare for, so it was fun to be a part of." The Phillies added to their lead in the eighth on a two-run homer by Castellanos, finishing with a 10-2 win and reclaiming first place in the NL East for the first time since May 19. The Phillies stayed in first until May 31 amid a four-game losing streak that knocked them from the top spot. Advertisement Philadelphia has won three in a row and nine of their past 11 games. Meanwhile, the Mets have lost seven consecutive games, losing what was a 5.5-game lead on June 13. It's the team's longest losing streak since 2023. 'This is not good,' said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, via The Athletic. 'This is not good at all. But it's adversity that we're going to have to go through at some point of the year. It's just, we want to get away from it as fast as we can. It's a tough moment in the season.' Both teams are back at it on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) starts for the Phillies, while Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80) goes for the Mets.
New York Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What's wrong with Jesús Luzardo? Phillies, lefty look for answers after 20 runs in 2 starts
TORONTO — Saddled with an unfathomable 20 runs over two starts, Jesús Luzardo retreated Thursday afternoon to the visitors' clubhouse at Rogers Centre and relived it. None of it sat well with Luzardo, who permitted 19 runs in his first 11 starts with the Phillies. But there were specific pitches and certain swings that bothered him. Advertisement He didn't rewatch all 61 pitches he threw in Thursday's 9-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. There will be time for that this weekend as the Phillies dive deeper into what happened. Luzardo queued one pitch, a changeup to Ernie Clement in the third inning. It was a good 2-2 pitch, well below the zone, but Clement clipped it for a double to left. 'One I should least-worry about,' Luzardo said. But this chapped him. Even when he did execute a decent pitch, he was burned. 'There's something obvious that we're missing when the first 11 starts are lights-out and then the next two are 20 earned runs,' Luzardo said. 'There's got to be something we can find and fix and make that change. It has to happen fast.' The season is 62 games deep, and the Phillies have had better stretches than the last seven days. They limped to Pittsburgh having used a position player to pitch for the second time in five days, and a bullpen game planned for Friday night at PNC Park. Zack Wheeler remains away from the team to tend to a family matter. It's been 22 days since Aaron Nola last pitched, and he still hasn't faced any hitters. Taijuan Walker, now a one-inning reliever, emerged Thursday from the bullpen throwing 92 mph. The Phillies' offense exploded for six runs in the first inning this week at Rogers Centre, then mustered four runs over the subsequent 26 innings. And, then, there is Luzardo. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings Thursday. He allowed eight more runs. 'I mean, they're just on everything,' Luzardo said. 'It almost looks like they know what's coming. So I don't have an answer, but there's no one working harder at finding an answer than me. I know how frustrating it is — fan base, teammates and coaching staff, watching that. But there is no one more frustrated than me. I'm trying to find ways to fix it. Like, now. I need it now.' Advertisement The whole thing is staggering. Luzardo's ERA went from 2.15 to 4.46 in two starts. His 20 runs allowed in that two-start span are the most by a Phillies pitcher in more than 100 years. A fellow named Bill Hubbell surrendered 21 over two starts in 1922. Toronto's hitters, much like Milwaukee's last weekend, attacked Luzardo early in the count. Three Blue Jays hits — a homer, double and single — were on the first pitch. Luzardo has thrown first-pitch strikes to 35 of the 41 batters he's faced in these two disastrous starts. 'They're really aggressive on him,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. 'So we've got to take a look at that. Everything's hard. They're coming up there and they're swinging. So we have to address it.' Luzardo threw hard; his fastball averaged 96.5 in Thursday's outing. He hit 98 mph. Everything the Phillies measure with their pitchers to catch potential red flags has not indicated any physical issues. But Luzardo has logged more innings than he did all of last season, and he was not regarded as a durable pitcher before joining the Phillies. Thomson maintains Luzardo's issues are a lack of execution. Could his inability to execute be a product of pitching deep into most of his 11 starts to begin the season? 'Could be,' Thomson said. 'But he hasn't in the last two starts, so maybe that'll help him.' 'I feel healthy,' Luzardo said, 'so that's the most frustrating part.' The Phillies are not in a position to press pause on Luzardo's season — even if that was something they'd consider. They might have to rearrange their pitchers, whether it's before or after Friday's bullpen game. They do not expect Wheeler to rejoin the rotation until sometime next week. The forecast is not good for Friday night in Pittsburgh, so the Phillies decided that was the best night for the bullpen game. It gives Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez, who will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, an extra day of rest. Advertisement Joe Ross will start Friday night. He could throw two innings before the Phillies unload their bullpen. The Phillies have committed to moving Walker to the bullpen and did not feel it was fair to reverse course yet again. He pitched a scoreless inning in Thursday's game; the club hoped for a larger jump in Walker's stuff during a one-inning burst. Walker topped out at only 93 mph. Thomson said he did not have the most time to warm up; Phillies batters saw only seven pitches in the top half of the inning as Walker prepared. Seth Johnson, making his first appearance as a big-league reliever, threw strikes. He touched 99 mph. He will stick around. 'He showed me something today with that velocity and the spin,' Thomson said. There could be more roster changes over the weekend. That's all about survival. Luzardo's issues loom larger. 'No one's really rattled, right?' Kyle Schwarber said. 'I think it's just more of a shock thing. You're just like, 'Man, really? Guys are putting good swings on that kind of arm?' But everyone's got faith in him.' Luzardo is baffled. If he is tipping — a convenient excuse for struggling pitchers — the Phillies have not discovered anything. 'I'll look into it,' Luzardo said. 'I thought I looked into it last start. I didn't see anything. Just certain swings, certain takes — it just looks a little off to me. Something that I hadn't noticed earlier in the year. It could be location. It could be selection. So there could be a lot of things.' Luzardo is 27, and he's still learning. The Phillies are still learning how he ticks. He expanded his arsenal with a sweeping slider that helped him better navigate an opposing lineup three times. He looked invincible through the first seven weeks of the season. They will all learn something about the lefty when faced with a challenge like this. 'What I can do is go back in,' Luzardo said, 'and make a game plan that's bulletproof.'
Reuters
02-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Phillies move veteran starter Taijuan Walker to bullpen
June 2 - Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker is being shifted from the starting rotation to the bullpen as the team retools its pitching staff. "I think Tai's got a chance to make us a lot better coming out of the 'pen," manager Rob Thomson told reporters Sunday. Following a 5-2 loss to the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies' bullpen carried a collective 4.65 ERA, the sixth-worst mark of any bullpen in the majors. Walker, 32, is in his third season with the Phillies following stays with the Seattle Mariners (2013-16, 2020), Arizona Diamondbacks (2017-19), Toronto Blue Jays (2020) and New York Mets (2021-22). Walker was 2-4 with a 3.53 ERA over 10 games (eight starts) this season. He threw three shutout innings to earn his first career save May 7 in a 7-0 win at the Tampa Bay Rays. Thomson said that the team will try Walker as a one-inning reliever. Philadelphia tapped rookie Mick Abel to start Thursday at the Toronto Blue Jays in Walker's place. A 2020 first-round draft pick (15th overall), Abel made his MLB debut May 18 against the Pittsburgh Pirates; he scattered five hits and threw nine strikeouts without a walk in six shutout innings en route to a win. The Phillies also recalled right-handed reliever Seth Johnson and designated right-hander Jose Ruiz for assignment. Johnson, 26, made his major league debut last September in a start against Miami and was shelled for nine runs on eight hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. He hasn't pitched for the Phillies since, and he was 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 16 games (four starts) for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year. Ruiz, 30, was 1-0 with an 8.16 ERA in 16 bullpen appearances in 2025. --Field Level Media
Fox News
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Phillies Bench Taijuan Walker, Mick Able Returns as Starter
Two Americans advance in the Men's Singles of the French Open and the Phillies remove Taijuan Walker from their starting lineup. #FrenchOpen #Phillies #MLB #MilwaukeeBrewers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit Jeffrey Petz
