Right-hander Walker Buehler has been struggling for form after the Cubs were triumphant in a 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What happened to Buehler?
Walker Buehler’s pursuit of a position in the Dodgers’ playoff rotation remains uncertain following an early setback caused by a former teammate.
Cody Bellinger made his return to Dodger Stadium on Monday, hitting a two-run home run off Buehler just four batters into the game. Additionally, another ex-Dodger, Michael Busch, contributed a home run among four hits and three RBIs, helping the Cubs secure a 10-4 victory.
Buehler was charged with five runs on nine hits and issued one walk over five-plus innings. Although this marked Buehler’s longest appearance in his five starts since returning from a hip injury last month, it also represented the highest number of runs and hits he has surrendered during this period.
Buehler labelled his performance as “unacceptable,” but teammate Freddie Freeman was quick to jump to the right-hander’s defense.
“See, I thought he did alright,” Freeman said. “Going with Busch’s home run, it was 92 [mph] off his bat, perfectly placed right on the line. Cody ambushed a 0-0 heater. I know the numbers won’t say it, but I thought he did pretty good. When you miss that much time, you have to find your positives, and I thought he did just fine.”
As October draws near, the Dodgers are in search of a reliable No. 2 starter following Jack Flaherty’s departure. Another potential candidate is anticipated to emerge on Tuesday, as right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to make his return from the injured list.
Buehler’s terrible form
As of August 14, Buehler has recorded a win-loss record of 0-1 and an earned run average (ERA) of 6.14 over the course of five starts.
He has achieved 18 strikeouts across 22 innings; however, he has also issued 11 walks and surrendered five home runs during this period.
Notably, in the first inning of games this season, Buehler’s ERA stands at 9.69, having allowed four home runs.
“I screwed us from the jump,” Buehler said. “Obviously three runs in the first kind of sucked the energy out of the building. It’s hard, the first inning’s been a weird thing for me this year. That’s a lot to ask of the rest of our guys to dig me out of a hole every game.”
Compounding the situation is the fact that the Cubs were only able to accumulate a mere two runs throughout their three-game series against the New York Yankees over the weekend. They were blanked on both Friday and Saturday, ultimately securing a narrow 2-1 win on Sunday.
What’s next for Buehler?
Buehler has been saying the confidence is building but the performance on Monday night was certainly lacking,
“Performance-wise, obviously a pretty big step backward from the past two,” Buehler said. “The only positive thing I guess is kind of a long first [inning] and getting into the sixth.”
Having participated in 15 playoff games, including a victory in the 2020 World Series against the Rays, Buehler possesses a comprehensive understanding of the postseason dynamics. However, falling behind early in playoff matches is not advantageous, and Buehler has yet to demonstrate his ability to perform effectively from the very beginning.
