About Dodger Walker Buehler's Slow Start

About Dodger Walker Buehler's Slow Start

When "Inside the Dodgers" writer Cliff Corcoran and I talk amongst  ourselves, one of us is clear-eyed and objective, the other not so much. See if you can guess who's who, based on the back-and-forth below, which began last night following L.A.'s 5-3 loss at San Diego and concluded this morning. About another early-2020 Walker Buehler disappointment.

Writer with last initial "C": "Great game tonight, despite the result."

Other writer with last initial "C": I’ve lost patience with Buehler, however. No longer giving him the benefit of the doubt for not throwing during the shutdown. He’ll be fine, but you don’t get these games back."

Writer with last initial "C": Your patience is very short. I'd rather he be behind like this in a season that may not reach its conclusion than risk a second TJ on an arm that should be leading the rotation for the next decade. Pitchers are dropping like flies this season. The Soroka injury is devastating. Likely to completely alter the course of his career. It's a fluky leg injury, not an arm/fatigue issue, but still, a sharp reminder of how quickly you can lose everything when it comes to a pitcher."

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You see what I did there, did ya? We're both guys with a last initial "C," but if it's not completely obvious, I'm the "other writer with the last initial "C," impatient with the Dodgers' ace to pitch like an ace. Impatient generally. After a bad night's sleep, however, I'm back on the Buehler bandwagon and looking forward to his next start, which is scheduled for Sunday afternoon versus the DBacks at Dodger Stadium.

In case you missed it, Walker Buehler declined to throw during the COVID-related shutdown, was behind his Los Angeles peers during the three-week July Summer Camp and has continued to be tardy with his buildup through two starts to date. 

Admittedly spoiled by the 25-year-old's early-career performance, I expected big things in 2020, shutdown or no shutdown. But upon inspection -- and two game's worth of analysis by Dodgers' broadcaster Orel Hershiser -- I get that Buehler's game has moved closer to where it needs to be. The trademark fastball is there -- he was hitting 95 and 96 mph consistently Monday night at Petco Park. The other pitches are nasty too. They're just not landing precisely. It's a command issue, which, if you think about it, makes sense. Buehler is essentially three starts into his spring training, about where he'd be mid-March in a normal year.

The numbers are unpleasant: 0-1, a 5.19 ERA, 9.04 FIP, 8 2/3 innings, six hits, four of them home runs (which leads baseball), four walks and six strikeouts (i.e., meh). The three homers allowed last night is a career worst.

On the bright side, Buehler went 3 2/3 and made 56 pitches last week at Houston and managed five innings and 79 pitches Monday. Which means he's stretched out and ready to throw 90 to 100 next time out. I don't know if that next time will be the night the right-hander puts it all together, but he might. And if not in start number three over the weekend, then surely in number four. Most importantly, barring injury, Buehler should be fresh as can be for the final six to eight weeks of the regular season with the ability to carry his team in the postseason.

In other words, patience Grasshopper.

Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.