Walker adjusted his mechanics before Thursday's start in hopes of becoming more effective, the Seattle Times reports.
After giving up six runs and failing to make it out of the first inning two starts ago, Walker went back to the drawing board with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. Specifically, Walker closed his stance and added a higher leg kick. Results were mixed in Thursday's start, which started with seven consecutive balls before he found his control. But he plans to stick with it. "Especially after seven balls it was like, 'OK, this is not going to work.' But it was good that I stuck with it," Walker said. "... The first couple of innings, it was weird. It felt awkward. It was a little bit off. But I stuck with it. After the second inning, third inning it just kind of clicked. My timing was down and the tempo was better."