Dodgers: Walker Buehler Discusses His Early Season Struggles

The Dodgers ace's fastball hasn't been at it's best in the hurler's first three starts of the season.

The start of this Dodger season was supposed to be a coronation of sorts for Walker Buehler. For the first time in his career, he was tabbed as the Opening Day starter which signaled a changing of the guard from Kershaw to Buehler as ace of the Dodgers staff. 

Buehler's pitching so far hasn't earned much fanfare. In three starts, the righty has a 4.02 ERA and in puzzling development, hans't been to pile up the strikeouts like Dodgers fans are used to seeing. In his first 103 games in the majors, Buehler averaged 9.9 strikeouts per innings. This season, that mark stands at 6.3.

One big reason for Buehler's sluggish start is that his primary pitch, his four-seam fastball, hasn't been as effective. The righty talked about having to rely more on his cutter while he figures out the rest of his pitch mix, including his fastball (quotes via MLB.com's Juan Toribio).

“The only way I feel that I’m getting guys out or getting swings and miss is with the cutter right now. So we’re going to lean on the stuff that I feel like gives us the best chance to win with. … I don’t think there’s any excuse for it. We’re here and I just have to be better.”

On Tuesday night, Buehler threw his cutter 28% of the time. Last season, only 16% of his pitchers were cutters. If the Dodgers are going to win their second championship in three year's they'll need their ace to pitch like an ace. The 27-year-old isn't making any excuses, including blaming starting the season at Coors Field.

“You can tell yourself that it was Colorado and things weren’t sharp, but to have two here at home and not be super sharp, it’s nothing that I enjoy. It’s not a feeling that I like. But it’s not something we’re just going to let stay that way either. So we’re trying things and trying to figure out and hopefully get back on track.”

Buehler will look to get right early next week when the Dodgers visit the Diamondbacks for a three-game series.