Walker Buehler managed to do more than Clayton Kershaw during Spring Training, but his preparation for the start of the 2019 MLB season was interrupted and unconventional nonetheless. And it’s what most have pointed to as reason the right-hander hasn’t been overly sharp thus far.
Buehler has been plagued by inconsistent command and while acknowledging an abbreviated workload in spring likely is behind some of the trouble, he’s refused to use that as an excuse.
Coming off what he considered a positive progression, Buehler turned in another encouraging start for the Dodgers. He matched a season high with eight strikeouts and held the Atlanta Braves without a run until the fourth inning.
Following the Dodgers’ 5-3 win, Buehler attributed his performance to improved mechanics, via SportsNet LA:
“I feel great. Kind of figured some stuff out mechanically. I’d been searching for it a little bit, so obviously a step forward for us.”
Buehler’s shutout bid was lost on Freddie Freeman’s two-run home run with two outs in the sixth inning. Nick Markakis added a solo shot in the seventh to somewhat dampen what was otherwise a successful night.
It was the second time this season the 24-year-old directly pointed to his delivery as the key to a strong start. The first instance came after Buehler set his season high with eight strikeouts and outdueled Sonny Gray by holding the Cincinnati Reds to just one unearned run on three hits and a walk.
On the season, Buehler is now 4-0 in seven starts despite still yielding an inflated 4.95 ERA to go along with a 1.10 WHIP. He additionally has allowed exactly three earned runs in each of his past three starts, and at least one home run in two of those.
Monday’s start marked the first time this season Buehler completed seven innings. Prior to that, Buehler’s aforementioned outing against the Reds (6.1 innings) was his longest of 2019.
