LOS ANGELES — Walker Buehler’s comeback season has been uneven, to say the least – unsuccessful, to be blunt.
But the state of a starting rotation with more injury questions than certainties has nonetheless opened a door for Buehler to be part of a postseason rotation next month.
“I think he is feeling the opportunity, given where certain guys have gone down with the rotation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Buehler took the mound against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night. “He understands that the opportunity to pitch in October is not just going to be given to him. … It’s not about how you feel or this or that. It’s about taking the best players that are going to help us win in the postseason. I’m expecting him to be one of them, but his performance will dictate that.”
Performances like Monday night are probably not quite what Roberts had in mind. Buehler gave up three runs in the first inning, home runs to former Dodgers Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch and the Dodgers lost, 10-4.
Buehler put the Dodgers in the trail position from the start. He gave up hits to four of the first six Cubs batters he faced, including a two-run home run to Bellinger and an RBI single to Busch.
Bellinger ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Buehler, sending it 430 feet into the right field pavilion – just like the old days.
Buehler found his footing after that, but he still gave up nine hits in five-plus innings including a solo home run by Busch in the fourth inning. Busch’s drive just cleared the short wall in the left field corner as Chris Taylor stopped to play a carom that never came. It was one of four hits and three RBIs for Busch.
The Dodgers had a chance to dig into the Cubs’ lead when Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman drew consecutive walks with two outs in the third inning, but Max Muncy lined out to first.
Ohtani stole second base in that inning, pushing his total for the season to 47 stolen bases to go with 46 home runs.
The Dodgers did get on the board in the fifth inning and chased Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Taylor started it with a single off third baseman Isaac Paredes. Ohtani put runners at the corners with a single to center field.
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Ohtani was off and running on a 2-and-1 pitch to Betts, stolen base No. 48 in his sights, but Betts singled to drive in Taylor and send Ohtani to third base. After a walk to Freeman loaded the bases for Muncy again, Hendricks was pulled for reliever Keegan Thompson. Muncy drove in a second run with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Buehler went out for the sixth inning for the first time since May 31. But he didn’t retire a batter. After a walk and a single put runners at the corners, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Anthony Banda. By the time the lefty reliever could get through the inning – thanks in large part to a leaping, unassisted double play by Muncy at third base – the Cubs had scored three more times.
For all the progress Buehler professed to see in his previous two starts, the bottom line is batters have hit .308 with 15 home runs off of him in 13 starts.
Betts hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning. In 26 games since returning from a hand injury, Betts has batted .316 (31 for 98) with seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 26 RBIs.
But the Cubs kept scoring against lefty reliever Nick Ramirez, left to absorb the final two innings.
More to come on this story.
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