Taijuan Walker

After seven weeks in the bullpen, Turnbull is back in the rotation and motivated to stay there. Meanwhile, Michael Mercado joins the pen.

Every time it looks like Castellanos has turned a corner, he's fallen back into the hole. Maybe this is the breakthrough.

The Phillies have hoped that a little competition from Turnbull's surprising start could motivate Walker. That remains to be seen.

Despite another strong start Wednesday, Turnbull will likely cede his spot in the rotation to Taijuan Walker.

The Phillies had expected Walker to make three or four minor-league starts but after two starts he feels ready. Plans might change.

Walker is dealing with shoulder stiffness, which means Turnbull could become a bigger part of the Phillies' plans than they thought.

There is growing concern — or at least confusion — within the organization regarding Walker, who has yet to find his velocity this spring.

The Aaron Nola decision is perhaps Dave Dombrowski's toughest test in his time with the Phillies, but other key calls await this offseason.

The Phillies have spent the past two days crafting a plan and refining their strategy against the Diamondbacks.

The Phillies have 35 come-from-behind wins this season and a 3 1/2-game lead over the next team in the wild-card race.

Walker is the embodiment of a rotation resurrection. His turnaround can be traced to a revelatory bullpen session in early June.

After winning the pennant, this year was supposed to be different. Nope. The Phillies are 25-31 and face a similar scenario to a season ago.

"The bullpen's just better," Aaron Nola said. "Better than it ever has been. It's definitely the best bullpen of the teams I've been on."

The Phillies claimed Covey, a 31-year-old RHP whom the Dodgers designated for assignment after he pitched four innings for them on May 17.

Suárez's short outing came two days after Taijuan Walker couldn't get out of the first inning and with the fifth starter spot unsettled.

They won four in a row, lost six in a row, won five in a row, then lost four straight. It's hard to know what to make of them. Here goes ...

Get good starting pitching. Everything else falls into place. The Phillies, 16-19 through 35 games, have proven it is easier said than done.

If there is one common theme in the season's first 32 games, it's how shaky the entire pitching operation feels. Disaster always lurks.