Mariners premier pitching prospect Taijuan Walker continued to struggle at the Triple-A level Tuesday night by yielding three home runs. Included were two by Tommy Field, who entered with just four in 276 at-bats.
Walker did recover after the second Field blast to strike out five of the next six batters and fire fastballs that peaked at 98 miles an hour.
"He dialed it up a little more," Tacoma manager Roy Howell told the Salt Lake City News Tribune. "That's why he's still learning to pitch. Hopefully he'll take that lesson and understand it."
Walker is 4-2 with a 4.14 ERA this season with the Rainiers.