Taijuan Walker headlines Phillies disastrous 13-2 loss to the Washington Nationals

The Phillies are 1-3 and Monday night in South Philly against a Nationals team picked by pretty much everyone to finish last in the NL East was nothing short of a disaster.

Rob Thomson took the easy way out and was ejected in the first inning and Dylan Moore made his Phillies debut in the ninth inning as a mop-up reliever. Sounds crazy to even write, but that actually happened.

We should note a few things before we get into the mud. It’s literally March 30th and the majority of social media is in full meltdown mode because the Phillies have started their 2026 campaign in embarrassing fashion.

I get it, to an extent. At the same time, the official unofficial start of the MLB season is June 1st. As the saying goes, you won’t win a pennant before then, but you sure as hell can lose one.

I like that saying, but even that doesn’t apply to the Phillies, who will undoubtedly be fine in the grand scheme of things. That said, it doesn’t make watching this team look completely disinterested in playing baseball out of the gates any easier.

Taijuan Walker is back

Taijuan Walker made his first start of the season and allowed seven runs on ten hits over 4 2/3 innings. Four runs in the first inning on five hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. Another run in the second. Two more in the third including an unearned one.

Taijuan Walker was not happy after giving up a two-run homer to Thairo Estrada pic.twitter.com/zpDgp9ES4q

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 6, 2024

Oh, sure. Let’s hang our hats on the fact that Taijuan Walker’s exit velocities on those hits weren’t impressive and several came on soft contact.

Kidding. Obviously. Taijuan Walker sucks and honestly, he hasn’t been good since the Phillies signed him. The only reason he’s even pitching is because the organization is paying him a lot of money. Anyone still trying to justify this dude holding a roster spot has a hidden agenda. Look at these numbers. Unacceptable.

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Walker is in the final year of a four-year $72 million contract and is in this rotation solely until Zack Wheeler comes back in April. At that point Walker moves to the bullpen and takes on a depth role for the rest of the year.

Monday night was just the latest “rough start” for a guy that has no business being in a starting rotation.

The Phillies Offense Stinks Right Now Too…

Foster Griffin, a left-hander who spent the last three seasons pitching in Japan, held the Phillies to five hits and two runs over five innings in his first start back in the majors. He walked nobody and struck out five. The Phillies had just two hits through 4 2/3 innings and have now been held to minimal offense in three straight games.

Rafael Marchán made his first start of the season with JT Realmuto getting the night off and hit a two-run homer in the fifth that accounted for both Phillies runs. It was the team’s first homer since Opening Day and just their second extra-base hit in four games.

Rafael Marchan has his 1st homer in his 1st game this season! pic.twitter.com/OPKfTWkABp

— SleeperPhillies (@SleeperPhillies) March 31, 2026

Yes, it’s bad when Marchan is your only source of offense. That was the case tonight. and really, throughout opening weekend because over the first four games of the season, Turner, Schwarber, and Harper are slashing a combined .120/.200/.200 in 55 plate appearances.

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the accountability section of the recap. The top of the lineup has been completely absent since the first inning of Game 1 and the team is batting .189 as a unit. They have not held a lead in any of the last three games.

Andrew Painter tasked to right the ship…

Andrew Painter makes his first career major league start on Tuesday night and now has to prevent the Phillies from losing four straight games after winning the opener. Nobody scripted it this way, obviously, so let’s hope that Painter gets some early offensive support, which again, has been essentially nonexistent for the past week.

In the end, it’s four games and the Phillies will be fine.

Right now nothing is working except Rafael Marchán and that is not where this team expected to be heading into game five. Phillies fans, just fucking relax. It’s not that big of a deal… yet.

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