The quality of pitches and the results this season have not been vintage Walker Bueher, not after a second Tommy John surgery sapped him of some velocity and a pesky right-hip injury hindered the return of the erstwhile ace after a 23-month absence.
Yet the Dodgers have seen glimpses of the old Buehler in both performance and demeanor in recent weeks, the 30-year-old right-hander rediscovering some of the swagger that made him one of baseball’s best big-game pitchers from 2018 to 2021.
And now, after a bullpen game blew up in their face in Monday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Mets, evening the National League Championship Series at one game apiece, the Dodgers will turn to Buehler to prevent this best-of-seven series from going sideways on them in Game 3 in New York on Wednesday night.
“I mean, every time Walker pitches for us in a big situation, I feel really good about it,” utility man Kiké Hernández said after Monday’s loss. “The good thing about the playoffs is that when you’re on the road, you get to punch first, as [the Mets] did today.
“We did that twice in San Diego” in last week’s division series, “so hopefully we can do that again on Wednesday, keep adding on and give Walker a lead so he can just cruise through the game.”
Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA during 16 regular-season starts in which he constantly tinkered with his mechanics and pitch mix in an effort to find a comfortable delivery and more effective sequences with which to attack hitters.
But he found a decent groove in his last three starts, giving up six earned runs and 13 hits, striking out 15 and walking seven in 16 ⅓ innings for a 3.31 ERA.
Included in that stretch was a 7-2 division-clinching win over the Padres on Sept. 26. Buehler was not overpowering, inducing swinging strikes on three of his 71 pitches, but he seemed to will his way to victory by giving up one run and five hits in five innings.
The performance fueled a belief among the Dodgers that they could count on Buehler, who has a 3-4 record and 3.40 ERA in 16 career postseason starts, to boost their injury-ravaged rotation in October.
“I don’t care what Walker’s numbers are — I will always bet on that guy in these types of situations,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “He’s the guy you want on the mound in a big situation. You just know that his heartbeat, when he gets out there, is not going to waver at all. I’ve seen him in multiple big games for us, and every time, he delivers.”
Buehler did not deliver in his Oct. 8 playoff start, giving up six runs and five hits in the second inning of a 6-5 loss in Game 3 of the NL Division Series at San Diego.
Yet the inning might have been different had first baseman Freddie Freeman’s throw to second on a potential fielder’s choice grounder not hit Manny Machado in the helmet and caromed into left field, and had shortstop Miguel Rojas flipped to second on a Xander Bogaerts grounder instead of trying to turn an unassisted double play.
Buehler gave up a two-run double to David Peralta and grooved an 0-and-2 fastball to Fernando Tatis Jr., who crushed a rally-capping two-run homer to left-center field.
An angry Buehler rearranged some items in the Dodgers dugout after the inning, but he did not fold under duress, blanking the Padres on two hits over the next three innings to preserve some bullpen arms and keep his team within striking distance. Roberts said he noticed a change in Buehler after he gave up the six-spot.
“Certainly, it’s about results, and we didn’t play good defense behind him, but I was very pleased to see him come out of that knowing that he was throwing the baseball really well,” Roberts said Monday. “He kept us in the game. Gave us three huge innings.”
Buehler will be facing an explosive Mets lineup in a hostile environment at Citi Field on Wednesday night, but he won’t be intimidated. He does not scare easily.
This is the guy who threw seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, who gave up one run in 11 innings of two starts in the 2020 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, who threw six innings of one-run, three-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to win Game 3 of the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Buehler is not fazed by big-game pressure. He thrives on it.
“The energy of the fans is something that all of us kind of live for in some way,” Buehler said. “Having done this playoff thing a few times, I think I’ve learned how to channel that a little bit and make it productive for yourself instead of detrimental.
“Each game [in the playoffs] is its own kind of war. The way we play and manage it is different from the regular season. You’re out there trying to throw punches as long as you can and trying to keep the momentum, which is such a huge part of the playoffs.”
