The Los Angeles Dodgers were defeated by the Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Friday night. The primary storyline was LA's offensive woes, but starting pitcher Walker Buehler also made an admission that will catch Dodgers fans' attention.
Buehler surrendered four runs over six innings while striking out seven. It was not a terrible performance by any means, but Buehler expects more of himself. The right-handed hurler has made five starts since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. Although he is feeling good from a health standpoint, Buehler has not been content with his overall performance.
“Physically, I’ve probably exceeded where I thought I was gonna be, but performance-wise, I feel like [crap],” Buehler said, via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “I’m not anywhere close to where I want to be. You think with a layoff like that, you’re not gonna have the same expectations you always have, but when you start tallying these starts, it’s kind of put-up or shut-up time for me, at least mentally, and these last two obviously haven’t been good enough.”
Some rust was to be expected. After all, Buehler had not pitched in a big league game since 2022 before making his 2024 debut in early May. He's pitched to a 4.32 ERA across five outings since returning.
Buehler, a two-time All-Star, is looking to take a step forward. He will likely start pitching at a more consistent level soon. Patience is the key and considering everything Buehler has been through over the past couple years, his performance is not all that discouraging.
Will Walker Buehler pitch at All-Star level in 2024?
There are reasons for optimism in reference to Buehler's performance. For his career, he has struck out just under 27 percent of the hitters he's faced, per Baseball Reference. In 2024 so far, he is striking out just 22.9 percent of batters. One has to imagine that mark will improve as he tallies more innings.
Buehler is walking just 6.7 percent of the hitters he is facing. For his career, Buehler has a 6.4 percent walk rate. So he still seems to be in command of the strike zone for the most part.
The Dodgers starter has also recorded a 33.8 percent hard-hit rate against thus far, while his career hard-hit rate against sits at 38.1 percent. He is inducing weak contact which should lead to improved results.
It seems that Buehler is getting a bit unlucky so far. Sure, he isn't striking as many batters out. But he's also limiting walks and not allowing hard contact. Dodgers fans can expect Buehler's numbers to improve soon.
A look at the Dodgers pitching rotation
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton, and Gavin Stone are the Dodgers other healthy starters at the moment. LA has a number of All-Star caliber arms on the injured list, including Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and Emmet Sheehan. Miller should be able to return fairly soon, though.
Despite all of the injuries, the Dodgers starting rotation has produced quality results. It is among the best rotations in the sport. LA has always valued pitching depth and the results are speaking for themselves.
Paxton was an under-the-radar signing this offseason that gave LA a veteran left-handed option. He's impressed so far with the ball club. Stone is a young pitcher with intriguing potential. Of course, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Buehler all feature the ceilings of Cy Young candidates.
Los Angeles may have lost on Friday night, but they are still in a good spot. And don't be surprised if Walker Buehler begins pitching like an All-Star once again sooner rather than later.
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