Dodgers News: Walker Buehler Admits He’s Questioned If He Has Enough to Compete
The Los Angeles Dodgers came up short on Saturday in the second of their third-game series against the Colorado Rockies, 6-3. The Dodgers’ offense didn’t do enough throughout the game, as they had many opportunities to win the game.
Still, the Dodgers have a great opportunity to win the series and keep an arms-length distance from the San Diego Padres for the National League West lead. The main goal for the Dodgers is to be as healthy as possible so they can compete to the best of their abilities in the playoffs.
The Dodgers have suffered many injuries to their pitching staff, which has caused them to lean on other pitchers as we hit the month of October, like former All-Star Walker Buehler. Buehler has been healthy enough to be a starter for the Dodgers as the season winds down.
Although he hasn’t been the Buehler we’ve all come to know and love, he’s slowly getting back to where he believes he could be. Buehler suffered the loss on Saturday, but he came away from the contest feeling more confident about his ‘stuff’ than before when he questioned whether he had enough to compete.
“I’ve had some rough patches where I’ve really questioned if I have the stuff to compete,” Buehler said. “Tonight, I felt like I could compete, and I just didn’t make the big pitches in the big spots, or I kind of made little mistakes in the big spots, and that’s frustrating. … There were some encouraging things about it, but obviously not good enough at this point of the year, when we’re trying to keep the lead in the division.”
The 30-year-old now moved to a 1-6 record on the year, but Saturday’s contest was arguably his best outing, recording a season-high nine strikeouts. However, he did allow four runs on five hits and one walk over 5.1 innings.
Buhrler struggled early as he allowed a leadoff double to Charlie Blackmon to open up the game. He followed that with a walk to Ezequiel Tovar. He allowed one run in the first inning. After two innings, Buehler had allowed two more runs; however, he did manage to get through five innings for the fourth consecutive start.
Buehler now carries a 5.06 ERA in September through four starts. Overall, he holds a 5.63 ERA with 63 strikeouts and a 1.58 WHIP in 15 starts and 70.1 innings. With all of L.A.’s injuries, Buehler will play a massive part in the postseason.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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