While the it seemed as though Walker Buehler’s debut with Double-A Tulsa was long-anticipated, it had only been nine days since reports of his promotion first surfaced. Buehler was on the mound Friday night in a road start against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals affiliate).
As Buehler took the mound, nearly everyone in the opposing dugout was draped over the railing to watch the phenom. Buehler came out of the gate relying heavily on his fastball, and for good reason.
His second pitch of the night was clocked at 97 mph on the stadium radar gun. After allowing a one-out single on a hanging slider, Buehler got some help from his defense as a double play ended the inning.
In the second, Buehler broke out his curveball, and it was a beauty. He throws it around 80 mph and it has hard, late break. However, after getting some swings and misses on the curve, Buehler went back to the fastball and the Naturals began to chip away.
A pair of singles put runners on first and second, but Buehler again began to the curveball. He got ahead of the No. 8 hitter, then blew him away with a 100 mph fastball to quell the threat.
But, in the third inning Walker fell back to Earth. After a leadoff walk, he touched 100 mph again before a ball was hit to the right-center gap. Right fielder Tyler Holt threw the ball to no one in particular, the runner scored all the way from first base and the batter reached third.
The next hitter swung at the first pitch and singled to left to plate the second run. The next two batters followed by also swinging at the first pitch, but both flied out. After a stolen base, another ball was singled to left. Kyle Garlick made a strong throw home to nail the runner and end the inning.
The fourth inning proved to be Buehler’s last, but he made the most of it. It was by far his easiest frame, as he needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order. After a slow roller to first, Buehler recorded his third strikeout of the game on another nasty curveball.
A sinking line drive to center looked like trouble but Johan Mieses made a shoestring catch to finish Buehler’s day on a high note.
Overall, it seemed Buehler was shaking the rust off after his week-and-a-half break. He left some pitches up and Northwest Arkansas had a solid gameplan, going the other way on his fastball and being aggressive the second time through the order.
Buehler leaned heavily on the fastball and curve, but also showed his slider and changeup. The slider can be a weapon when he locates it but he left it up too often on Friday. The changeup gives Buehler another bullet against lefties but he uses it sparingly.
While the hype is real, there’s no need to rush the 22-year-old righty. According to a source, the plan is to start Buehler for five games, then skip a start, giving him 10 days of rest before he gets back on the mound.
This will keep Buehler in a consistent, if unconventional, routine for the foreseeable future. There may be a scenario that would allow him to pitch in the Majors this season, but it’s more likely that the Los Angeles Dodgers shut him down after Instructional League and focus on next year.
And just in case that’s not enough, here’s video from one of Buehler’s starts with High-A Rancho Cucamonga:
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