Taijuan Walker smacked his glove and then screamed into it on his way off the mound. He had challenged three consecutive San Diego Padres hitters with two-strike fastballs in the eighth inning on Thursday night. All three swung and missed.
Walker’s fifth start with the Diamondbacks was easily his most dominant yet. He did not throw many off-speed pitches. He wasn’t nibbling on the corners. Walker was firing his heater, daring the Padres hitters and winning almost every time.
Walker tied a career high with 11 strikeouts during the Diamondbacks’ 6-2 win at Chase Field. The victory helped the Diamondbacks secure a win in their four-game series with the Padres and improve to 5-2 on their current homestand and 11-3 so far this season at Chase Field.