After a mediocre 13-13 start, the Philadelphia Phillies have turned things around and become one of the top teams in baseball. Since that point, they’ve gone 17-5 and notched their fifth straight victory with a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
The Phillies aim to keep their hot streak alive Wednesday night in the third game of their four-game series in Denver.
Right-hander Taijuan Walker (1-3, 2.62 ERA) will take the mound for Philadelphia, facing off against Rockies rookie left-hander Carson Palmquist (0-1, 11.25 ERA).
This will be Walker’s second outing against Colorado this season and the 10th of his career. He earned a win against the Rockies on April 3 after tossing six scoreless innings in a 3-1 Phillies victory. He holds a 4-1 record and 2.09 ERA in his career versus Colorado.
Despite maintaining a strong ERA over eight appearances (six starts) this season, that April win remains Walker’s only victory. He has come out of the bullpen in his last two appearances and is set to start for the first time since May 1. In that outing, his offense only provided two runs, though the team has come alive at the plate in this series.
One of the series highlights was Kyle Schwarber’s 300th career home run — a towering 466-foot shot on Monday during a 9-3 win. Schwarber homered again Tuesday and reflected on his milestone.
“It’s a cool milestone,” said Schwarber, 32. “There’s more to come. If you’d asked 12-year-old me if I’d ever hit 300 homers, I’d have said no. But I’ve always loved the game, and it’s treated me well.”
On the other side, Palmquist will be making just his second big league start. He made his debut last Friday against Arizona, allowing five runs over four innings in an 8-0 loss.
Despite the rocky outing, interim Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer praised Palmquist’s composure.
“He competed,” Schaeffer said. “That’s a tough spot for your first game, but I liked his poise. He pounded the strike zone, which you don’t always see from a debut. After the first inning, he told me his legs stopped shaking and he settled in. He started throwing strikes, and the more he does that, the better he’ll be.”
Palmquist is the seventh Rockies player — and fifth pitcher — to debut this season as Colorado continues to embrace a youth movement. With 10 players aged 25 or younger, the team has struggled mightily to an 8-40 start — the worst in modern MLB history.
Although getting shortstop Ezequiel Tovar back from a hip injury hasn’t turned their fortunes around, he’s been a bright spot, going 8-for-17 with two home runs since returning Friday.