Walden relishing starting opportunity
28-year-old making most of chances
PAWTUCKET – Marcus Walden, starting pitcher for the PawSox, has a nice to ring to it these days. In fact, one may venture to say the 28-year-old is fulfilling an offseason promise he made to himself.
An opportunity very quickly presented itself for Walden to become this season’s version of Robby Scott – a pitcher blessed with uncanny ability to fulfill any role at a moment’s notice. When he takes the mound at McCoy Stadium Thursday night against Rochester, it’ll be his sixth start of the season and the second start that’s not associated with a doubleheader.
One year ago, Walden appeared in 36 games for those same Red Wings, all in a relief capacity. Thanks to Pawtucket being subjected to three doubleheaders over the first five weeks of the season, Walden has yet to pitch out of the bullpen.
“At the start of the season, they said I would be in the bullpen. If we had a rainout, I knew I would be the starting man for one of those games in the doubleheader,” Walden said. “When Kyle Kendrick got the call to the big leagues last week, it opened up a spot for me in the rotation.”
“He’s a guy who can do both roles,” PawSox manager Kevin Boles said. “When he was recommended to our scouting department, it was mentioned that he could be a swingman. The versatility … you have to find guys like that with all the moving parts you have with guys going up to the big leagues. Robby Scott was an example of that last year and Marcus is another example.”
If Walden keeps turning in sterling performances like he did last Friday, tossing six shutout innings and allowing just one hit against the Red Wings, he has an excellent chance to remain a fixture in Pawtucket’s rotation. That’s no easy feat considering the PawSox are on the verge of having six starters for five spots.
Roenis Elias, sidelined since March 9 with a right intercostal muscle strain, came out of Tuesday’s side session feeling good and could make a start for the PawSox as early as Friday night. If that does happen, Kyle Haviland, that night’s scheduled starter, would serve as the piggyback option.
“Those decisions will be made from up top, but Marcus has been terrific,” Boles said. “He’s salvaged the inventory in our bullpen quite a few times already.”
Throwing first-pitch strikes has been key to his early-season success, says Walden. That wasn’t the case during spring training when he walked 10 in six Grapefruit League innings with the Red Sox, who signed him as a minor-league free agent last December.
Fast forward to last Friday when Walden featured a fastball that ranged between 93-95 miles per hour and a cutter/slider mix that Rochester couldn’t solve. He went on to earn his first win and lower his ERA to 2.01 in 22.1 innings.
Walden understands that a steady diet of off-speed pitches will have to be incorporated if he’s going to firmly remain in Pawtucket’s long-range rota- tion plans. For him, that means more changeups and sliders.
“My goal is to attack and come right after hitters,” he said.
Walden entered the 2017 season with 189 games (102 starts) spread over 10 minorleague seasons. He came up as a starter in the Blue Jays’ system and recorded his lone MLB stint in 2014 when Toronto purchased his contract from Buffalo. He did not appear in a game during the five days he spent with the Jays.
Like Scott, Walden got his career back on track through a strong showing in the independent-ball circuit. The 2015
season was spent with the Lancaster (Penn.) Barnstormers where Walden posted a 2.95 ERA in 48 games (three starts).
“It’s been a ride, that’s for sure,” Walden said. “Going to independent ball was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I had a lot of veteran guys talk to me when I was one of the youngest guys on the team at 26. Now I’m mentally and physically in a better spot from where I was when I got called up in 2014.”
Walden is in Pawtucket’s starting rotation – for the moment. As he knows, his fortune can change on a dime. One thing is certain: He’ll be ready.
“Honestly, there is no prep for it,” Walden said when asked about his routine at the start of the season, when the doubleheaders started to pile up for the PawSox and he was asked to answer the call.
“Either if you’re a starter or a bullpen guy, you’ve got to take it one pitch and one out at a time. Trying to go out there and thinking you’re going to throw seven or eight innings, that’s long gone,” Walden said. “It’s about getting the outs when you need them and competing.”