Walker Buehler made his second start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, continuing his bid to join the Los Angeles Dodgers following his rehab assignment.
Buehler’s first outing went smoothly as he gave up two hits, one being a home run. Heading into his second rehab appearance with OKC, the right-hander had an opportunity to build on that success against the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Buehler tossed 4.2 innings, tallying six strikeouts and allowing just two hits without a run. He reached the 65 pitch mark, another benchmark in his buildup toward a full workload.
Showcasing his entire pitch arsenal, Buehler emphasized his four-seam fastball, knuckle curve, cutter, and slider. Generating 12 whiffs, and seven came on his curve.
Buehler’s process on Saturday was positive, but results are secondary to coming away from rehab starts healthy.
Aside from his spin rates being down across the board, Buehler stayed within the strike zone, keeping his pitch count in a manageable place. His hardest hit allowed was a double that registered a 100.7 mph exit velocity.
The Dodgers could use Buehler’s veteran presence in the rotation, and his Saturday outing in OKC proved to be another boost in his work toward that goal.
What to expect from Walker Buehler in the coming months
Buehler should build on his stamina and load put on his pitch count in the next few weeks, which will be a large indicator of where he’s at health wise.
If all things go ahead, he’ll have an opportunity to prove if he can pitch effectively at the big league level. Buehler’s work in his early time in Major League Baseball provided him with enough experience to know how to pitch, rather than rely on velocity to make it through a lineup several times.
A huge concern is his drop in spin rate with his stuff, rather than focusing purely on velocity. Buehler’s four-seam used to be his bread and butter, being able to overpower hitters.
His fastball can and will be a huge piece to his attack, but his secondary stuff and the swings he generates on that needs to be his go-to.
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