Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets wrapped up Grapefruit League play on Monday afternoon in Jupiter, as they tied with the St. Louis Cardinals 3-3 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Newly acquired starter Taijuan Walker took the mound for his final spring tuneup before the regular season.
Walker continued his strong spring performance, tossing five solid innings. The right-hander was staked to a 2-0 lead thanks to a Pete Alonso double scoring both Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor in the top of the first.
Walker gave one of those runs right back in the bottom half of the inning, as All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado took him deep to left for a solo shot.
Walker bounced right back in the second, and retired the Cardinals in order, including a strikeout of MLB.com’s 13th best prospect, Dylan Carlson, to end the inning.
A leadoff walk hurt Walker in the bottom of the third. Justin Williams advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then he came around to score on a Matt Carpenter RBI single. Tommy Edman followed that up with a single of his own to put two on with nobody out, but a fly out and a double play ball got Walker out of the inning without any further damage.
Walker settled down after that, and retired the Cardinals in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. The righty hit 80 pitches on the afternoon, and allowed just the two runs on three hits while walking one and striking two.
Overall on the spring Walker has been pretty impressive, posting a 3.27 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP while striking out seven over eleven innings of work. The velocity has been there, his stuff has looked good, and most importantly he stayed healthy.
It should also be noted, Walker threw 80 pitches over five innings in a ‘B-Game’ last Wednesday.
Mets manager Luis Rojas told reporters pregame on Monday that the Mets still haven’t decided if Walker will be pitching in the third or fourth spot in the rotation. The team may pitch David Peterson third and Walker fourth to break up Peterson and fellow lefty Joey Lucchesi at the backend of the rotation.
Either way, Walker seems locked-in and ready to roll. Earlier in camp, he told reporters he thinks this rotation is very strong, he likes the depth they have, and he’s really looking forward to going to battle with this group.
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March 30, 2021 at 08:08PM
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Taijuan Walker Tosses Five Strong Innings in Final Spring Tune-Up - metsmerizedonline.com
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