It's no secret Mets RHP Taijuan Walker hasn't been himself since pitching in his first career All-Star game. He's struggled with command, and especially, the long ball.

And while he was better in his outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park than previous second half starts, home runs were the story again.

But Walker wasn't dejected by these home runs, and he explained why.

"They had the three solo home runs and two of them were opposite field in the first row, so I’m not mad about those," he said.

Those three dingers would serve as the only runs in this contest. Former Met Zack Wheeler won the pitcher's battle by a long slide, tossing a shutout with only two hits allowed to Brandon Nimmo.

The first came from Jean Segura as Walker's second batter of the game. A fastball caught too much plate -- a theme in recent Walker showings -- and Segura took full advantage. But J.T. Realmuto's was different, a fastball on the outer black that he seemed to be looking for. Walker felt that way, saying the ball might have been a little up but he hit his spot.

Then, Bryce Harper hit him for an opposite field round tripper that just found the seats in left.

So what's the cause of all these balls going out? Walker's allowed 10 in his last four outings.

"Maybe just pitch selection. Leaving balls over the middle of the plate. It’s summer. I feel like I gave up balls to the warning track in the first half. It’s a little hotter now so the balls are carrying a little bit more maybe," Walker exclaimed.

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