Steve Webb
Talented hurler looks out of gas
DENVER — It’s a scene we’re not used to seeing. Walker Buehler, the Dodgers’ best pitcher for most of this season, walking off the mound early in the game, head hung low after getting rocked for multiple runs in one inning. On Wednesday, it was in Colorado, but the scene had repeated itself earlier this month in Oracle Park in a big-time game loss to the Giants. In fact, in September, Walker Buehler just doesn’t look right. So what’s going on?
Striking fall off in September
The numbers for this month are stark. Buehler has made four starts in September, and none of them have had that Buehler “wow” factor that we are used to seeing. Over 19.2 innings of work, Walker is 1-2 with a 7.32 ERA. His average against is .317 and his WHIP is 1.55. And in those four starts, he’s managed only 13 strikeouts this month, an average of fewer than four per start.
Those are NOT Walker Buehler numbers. After dominating the National League all summer, Walker has essentially pitched himself out of contention for the Cy Young award. His ERA has grown from 2.05 at the beginning of the month to 2.58 at this writing. Not loving those trend lines.
Overwork?
Surely, part of the drop-off in performances has to do with the sheer number of innings that Walker has pitched this year. After pitching only 36 innings in the shortened 2020 season, Buehler is sitting at a career-high 195.2 innings for 2021. He has one potential start to go, so that number could reach up to over 200 innings before the postseason. This blows past his previous single-season high of 182.1 innings in 2019. Coming off the pandemic season, it could be that Buehler is a victim of working too hard, going too deep into games, so now in September, there isn’t any fuel left in the tank.
Plus, Buehler has basically made every start that his turn has come up in the rotation this year. In previous seasons, he’s usually had a minor injury that cost him a turn or two on the mound. Remember, his blister issues in 2020 severely limited his innings, so we had a very fresh Walker in the postseason.
And, it has to be said, maybe Walker Buehler HAS been affected by the substance crackdown more than we thought at first. Certainly, the near-100 mph fastball has been absent from his last few starts. He just doesn’t look that scary right now.
What to do?
Dave Roberts is in a dilemma. This pennant race makes every game critical, and he would like to run his best pitchers out there as often as possible. However, if Walker has indeed reached a plateau, he might need to think about giving Buehler a blow on his last turn in the rotation. Or, at the very least, keep him on a very short leash, and take him out after 50 pitches or so.
We know that Walker Buehler is one of the most dominant young pitchers in the game. Hopefully, with a little rest, he can recapture that magic by the postseason and lead the Dodgers to the promised land once again.
