Dodgers’ Walker Buehler Takes Blame For ‘Deflating’ Team Following Road Trip

Walker Buehler made his fifth start since returning from his second Tommy John surgery and took the loss giving up four runs (three earned), and six hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked four.

It wasn’t his best, but he kept the Colorado Rockies at bay dancing around traffic and escaping bases-loaded jams. He threw 28 pitches in the first inning but escaped unscathed after the bases were juiced with one out.

The Los Angeles Dodgers starter was disappointed with her performance, especially after the Dodgers swept the New York Mets on the road. He felt like his messy start was deflating.

“The first inning was a long, tough inning,” Buehler told reporters after the game. “You’re happy to get out of that kind of unscathed, but it’s deflating for our team when you have a first inning like that. You want to come home from a road trip and build momentum, and I did the opposite of that.”

Manager Dave Roberts considered Buehler’s ability to get through six innings “a win in itself.” However, Buehler wanted no part of little moral victories when his team lost the game.

“Physically, I’ve probably exceeded where I thought I was gonna be, but performance-wise, I feel like [crap],” Buehler said when asked to assess his overall performance after five starts. “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.”

Buehler’s velocity has looked similar to where he was pre-surgery but his command has been all over the place. He fell 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA with 24 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 innings.

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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