Cody Snavely
While the Los Angeles Dodgers’ big spending led to the creation of the “big three” of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman and was expected to lead one of the best offenses in the National League, however, through the first three months of the season, the Dodgers have been defined by their elite pitching staff.
On the other hand, while showing promise, the offense has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Their inconsistency and struggles with runners-in-scoring-position are evident in their .251/.345/.401 slash line are areas that need immediate attention and improvement.
Undoubtedly, the Dodgers’ pitching has been a standout in baseball this season. They rank fourth in team ERA (3.36), sixth in team strikeouts (645), second in team WHIP (1.12), third in batting average against (.217), fourth in starting pitching ERA (3.51), and second in bullpen ERA (3.15).
The Dodgers’ pitching staff and its depth have been instrumental this season, maintaining a strong front until the ‘regulars’ returned. The return of several pitchers from the injured list, including right-handed starter Walker Buehler, was a highly anticipated event for many fans.
Buheler, 29, has missed almost two seasons as he recovered from his second career Tommy John Surgery, which he had during the 2022 season.
After a lengthy rehab, the righty started six games between Triple-A and Single-A, posting a 4.15 ERA and allowing 26 hits, 10 earned runs, and 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. However, the Dodgers saw enough in these games to warrant his activation, and he made his season debut against the Miami Marlins at Dodgers stadium.
However, after eight starts, Walker Buehler has been a shell of his former self. After a mess of a start in Colorado, the former Cy Young candidate is 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA in thirty-seven innings pitched, prompting the Dodgers to consider placing the star on the injured list again.
Eight widely inconsistent starts
While Buheler’s aforementioned stat line is not pretty, it is not all bad. The right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt University has shown flashes of his 2018-2021 self.
Currently, Buehler ranks in the 74th percentile in fastball velocity, averaging 95.4mph, but he has reached upwards of 98mph sporadically throughout his starts.
However, what bit Buheler in his rehab outing was his lack of command. He has allowed plenty of free passes but ranks in the 77th percentile in BB%. However, his Achilles heal has been due to his inability to put batters away, especially over his last four starts.
- May 6th, 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 SO, 77-49 (NP-S)
- May 12th, 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO, 77-45 (NP-S)
- May 18th, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 7 SO, 78-55 (NP-S)
- May 25th, 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 4 SO, 91-61 (NP-S)
- May 31st, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 7 SO, 92-56 (NP-S)
- June 6th, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO, 78-47 (NP-S)
- June 12th, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 88-58 (NP-S)
- June 18th, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 70-47 (NP-S)
Interestingly, Buehler continued to increase his pitch count in these eight starts, but his command was widely inconsistent, with having at least one walk in five straight starts.
Buehler, who relies on his fastball as his putaway pitch, was also not getting the results he had in seasons past, ranking in the 21st percentile in fastball run value.
However, despite the velocity being there, Buehler has changed up his pitch usage multiple times in these starts, incorporating his sinker/cutter more while trying to rely less on his fastball. However, the quality of all his pictures has dipped, ranking in the 7th and 27th percentile in breaking and offspeed values.
Potential IL stint?
Since that May 18th shutout start against the Cincinnati Reds, Buehler has failed to replicate any of that same success, and per Walker Buehler himself, the righty could see some time on the injured list to correct what bothers him.
We’ve thought about taking a blow. Taking a month off, taking a week off; Trying to figure out how to get me reset. And maybe that’s coming, maybe not. I don’t know. We’ll see. It sucks to feel invaluable or like you’re hampering your team.
Walker Buehler on a potential IL stint in the future
It would not be the first time the Dodgers have taken this approach for a starting pitcher, as they did the same with right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard last season before ultimately trading him to the Cleveland Guardians.
While a trade may not be certain, Dodgers radio talk host David Vassegh said it is not out of the realm of possibility for a team to explore all options.
If Buehler goes on the injured list and sees little to no improvement, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Dodgers potentially packaging him in a trade, as the righty is a free agent at the end of this season and has done little to help his team win in his eight starts so far.
If Buehler is placed on the injured list, the Dodgers do have plenty of options in the minor leagues, such as right-handed pitcher Landon Knack. Knack made his debut earlier this year and pitched well, going 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched on the big league club.
The Dodgers still need to activate right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller from the 15-day IL before today’s start and could use Walker Buehler as the corresponding move.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did hint in his post-game presser that Buheler’s hip after a line drive is something they had some “concern” about.
Either way, things seem to be unraveling very quickly in DodgerLand. Injuries to Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and potentially Walker Buehler will open the door for potential trades in the coming weeks before the July 30th MLB trade deadline.
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