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Who fills in for D-backs' Taijuan Walker?
Posted
By Mark Carlisle
Independent Newsmedia
The Diamondbacks will have to find a new starting pitcher now that Taijuan Walker will require Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season.
The team announced Wednesday that Walker would need the surgery. They had initially hoped that the injury would be minor, but a second medical opinion shed light on the bad news. The surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25 with Dr. David Altcheck in New York.
Walker left his start Saturday, April 14 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles after just two innings due to forearm discomfort in his throwing arm.
Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Koch throws during the sixth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, April 7 in St. Louis. [AP Photo/Jeff Roberson][/caption]Matt Koch, who will take the mound at Chase Field for Friday’s 6:40 p.m. series opener against the San Diego Padres, will get the first chance at replacing Walker, but might not be the team’s long-term solution as Shelby Miller, who had Tommy John surgery this time last year, is due back mid-summer.
In one start at Triple-A Reno this season, Koch threw six shutout innings. He also threw two shutout innings of relief in the bigs April 7 at St. Louis. He had a 4.42 ERA over 14 1/3 innings in spring training.
When Miller went down last year, Zack Godley and Braden Shipley had opportunities to fill in, and Godley became a regular rotation piece as a result. Shipley, still on the 40-man roster, but another competitor could come from the bullpen.
In the spring, manager Torey Lovullo discussed the idea of shutdown setup man Archie Bradley, a former starter, transitioning back to the rotation at some point this season.
“There’s a thought that if something goes wrong with one of our five starters, he would be close enough to stretch him out that way, and possibly use him as a consideration,” Lovullo said in late February.
Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley during a game against the Colorado Rockies, March 30 in Phoenix. [AP Photo/Rick Scuteri][/caption]The D-backs drafted Bradley seventh overall in the 2011 draft, but Bradley struggled as a starter in his first two seasons in the majors. The team, transitioned him to the bullpen in 2017 where he found success, a 1.73 ERA last year, in a role where he often threw more than an inning in relief.
Bradley went 10-12 with a 5.18 ERA as a starter in his first two seasons.
In 23 career appearances — 14 of them starts — Shipley has gone 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA. In 2018, he's 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA over three starts with the Triple-A Reno Aces after posting 5.66 ERA over 19 Triple-A starts last year.
After the D-backs traded for Walker in November 2016, he had the best year of his young career with Arizona in 2017, posting a 3.49 ERA. He had a 3.46 ERA through three starts in 2018 — the last cut short due to the injury.
Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Koch throws during the sixth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday, April 7 in St. Louis. [AP Photo/Jeff Roberson][/caption]Matt Koch, who will take the mound at Chase Field for Friday’s 6:40 p.m. series opener against the San Diego Padres, will get the first chance at replacing Walker, but might not be the team’s long-term solution as Shelby Miller, who had Tommy John surgery this time last year, is due back mid-summer.
In one start at Triple-A Reno this season, Koch threw six shutout innings. He also threw two shutout innings of relief in the bigs April 7 at St. Louis. He had a 4.42 ERA over 14 1/3 innings in spring training.
When Miller went down last year, Zack Godley and Braden Shipley had opportunities to fill in, and Godley became a regular rotation piece as a result. Shipley, still on the 40-man roster, but another competitor could come from the bullpen.
In the spring, manager Torey Lovullo discussed the idea of shutdown setup man Archie Bradley, a former starter, transitioning back to the rotation at some point this season.
“There’s a thought that if something goes wrong with one of our five starters, he would be close enough to stretch him out that way, and possibly use him as a consideration,” Lovullo said in late February.
Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley during a game against the Colorado Rockies, March 30 in Phoenix. [AP Photo/Rick Scuteri][/caption]The D-backs drafted Bradley seventh overall in the 2011 draft, but Bradley struggled as a starter in his first two seasons in the majors. The team, transitioned him to the bullpen in 2017 where he found success, a 1.73 ERA last year, in a role where he often threw more than an inning in relief.
Bradley went 10-12 with a 5.18 ERA as a starter in his first two seasons.
In 23 career appearances — 14 of them starts — Shipley has gone 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA. In 2018, he's 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA over three starts with the Triple-A Reno Aces after posting 5.66 ERA over 19 Triple-A starts last year.
After the D-backs traded for Walker in November 2016, he had the best year of his young career with Arizona in 2017, posting a 3.49 ERA. He had a 3.46 ERA through three starts in 2018 — the last cut short due to the injury.
