Hours before Walker Buehler took the mound at Dodger Stadium for his first career Major League start, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts fueled the excitement and anticipation that came with the outing.
He raved about Buehler’s confidence and pitch mix, and was confident he would stand to benefit from last season’s MLB debut and experience. But now working as a starter, Roberts felt Buehler would should “more of what he’s capable of.”
The organization’s top pitching prospect went out and tossed five shutout innings against the Miami Marlins. There were growing pains along the way; Buehler faced a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and later walked opposing pitcher Jarlin Castro.
Overall, Buehler put three on base, but did manage to strike out five while scattering four hits. “I thought he competed really well,” Roberts said of the young right-hander.
“The fastball command wasn’t probably where he would’ve liked it. They weren’t bad misses, but they were just consistently missing the strike zone. A little bit of yank to the glove side, missing down a little bit. Velocity, good. I thought he made pitches when he needed to.”
Buehler’s fastball sat in the high-90s and topped out at 100 mph. “In a situation like this, it would be great to go and dominate,” he conceded. “But to put up zeroes and get out of the game unscathed is the biggest thing.”
Roberts had forecasted Buehler could be expected to complete six innings or throw 90 pitches. He needed 89 to get through five frames. It was the most pitches Buehler has thrown in his professional career.
Though, he saw no difference between that number and the 80 pitches thrown in a start for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. One area Roberts would like to see improvement is with command, and Buehler is confident that will come with more experience.
He found comfort in having previously made his MLB debut but reveled in the first start for the Dodgers. “There’s obviously a different feeling to it and being able to throw the first pitch of the game,” Buehler said. “I was a little bit calmer than I typically had been. It felt good.”
The 23-year-old being on the mound for the Dodgers was also a welcomed sight for Kiké Hernandez, who made a pair of dazzling plays at shortstop. “He was electric,” Hernandez said. “His fastball looked like it was 120 (mph) from playing shortstop.
“His slider looked like it was 100 miles an hour as well. It’s pretty fun to watch that from playing behind him. He’s got special talent. Hopefully we get to see that for a very, very long time.”
Buehler was equally as complimentary of Hernandez’s stellar play at shortstop. “They don’t do those very much in Low-A ball,” Buehler said. “These guys are really good. I was lucky to have them behind me tonight, especially when I wasn’t getting guys out. They saved me.”
