Eyeing their second straight road series victory, the Philadelphia Phillies will turn to a pitcher who senses he likely is a lame duck in the rotation.
Taijuan Walker is set to get the call Wednesday in the decisive contest of the visiting Phillies’ three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
With fellow righty Aaron Nola (ankle, rib) slated to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, though, this could be it for Walker in the rotation for a time.
“Aaron’s coming back at some point, so I assume that I’ll be the odd man out, which is fine,” Walker said. “I built a pretty good routine. My job is just to go out there and pitch and get outs.”
Walker (3-5, 3.84 ERA) remains a versatile option for the pitching staff. He made six starts from April 3 to May 1 before shifting to the bullpen, where he recorded a three-inning save in his next outing. He returned to the rotation in late May, only to pivot back to a relief role.
He has started in each of his past three appearances, all no-decisions, spacing seven earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. Walker yielded three runs, all on solo homers, during a road start against the New York Yankees on Friday but fell one out short of registering a quality start.
Pitching in Chicago that same night, righty Adrian Houser notched a quality start to help the White Sox defeat the visiting Cubs. Houser will be back in action on Wednesday.
Effective outings have been the norm for Houser (6-2, 2.10 ERA) since he signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with the White Sox on May 20. He took a shutout into the seventh inning and ultimately permitted three runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings to defeat the Cubs. In his past five starts, Houser is 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA.
Houser’s run of sustained success has made him a prominent figure in potential trade talks for the rebuilding White Sox as the Thursday trade deadline looms. Houser is adamant, however, that “whatever’s in the future is out of my control,” leaving him to set his mindset on preparation and little else.
“I’m just focused on putting my work in, getting my mechanics, making sure I’m hitting those certain spots in my mechanics, my key points and just working on that,” Houser said. “Because I know if I’m taking care of that, everything else is going to be in a good spot.
“Just glad I can keep helping out the team. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
Chicago won the series opener 6-2 on Monday before Philadelphia responded with a 6-3 victory on Tuesday. Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh both delivered two-run homers in the Phillies’ win.
The White Sox trailed 6-0 entering the ninth inning before rallying for three runs. Lenyn Sosa contributed a two-run blast as part of a two-hit game. He is batting .444 (8-for-18) with six RBIs in the past five games.
Walker is 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA in five career starts vs. the White Sox covering 29 2/3 innings.
Houser has made eight appearances against Philadelphia, including three starts, going 1-2 with a 3.90 ERA.
–Field Level Media
