Padres rotation shakeup creates the perfect Walker Buehler storyline vs. Dodgers

The Padres made sure that this upcoming series against the Dodgers wasn’t going to be boring. They rarely ever are. But they could have shuffled the deck, pushed Walker Buehler back a day, and let the rotation reset after bumping Randy Vásquez in favor of JP Sears on June 24 against the Braves.

They opted not to do that at all. The Padres are keeping Buehler lined up to open the Dodgers series at Petco Park. Against his former team, opposite Roki Sasaki. So, get your popcorn ready.

This is the kind of matchup Padres fans should want. Because baseball is better when the schedule gives us something with a little spice, and the Padres just walked right into one of the more exciting pitching storylines of their season.

Buehler versus the Dodgers is a big one. This is the former Los Angeles big-game staple now wearing brown and gold, taking the ball for a Padres team that wants to build on their most recent sweep of the Atlanta Braves. 

Walker Buehler gets the Dodgers test the Padres wanted

This didn’t feel guaranteed once the Padres adjusted the Braves finale. JP Sears getting the ball Wednesday made it fair to wonder whether the dominoes would knock Buehler out of the series opener. But they found no reason to duck the theatre or hide the matchup. If the Padres signed Buehler to help stabilize a battered rotation and bring some big-game experience into the room, then this is exactly the situation where we want to see it.

This isn’t the same guy who once looked like the next long-term ace at Dodger Stadium. But it also makes this really interesting. He has had to rebuild his reputation. Rebuild trust. And lately, the Padres have been getting the version that makes sense for this roster. It’s not perfect or overpowering. But it’s enough.

Buehler has allowed exactly one run in four straight starts in June, giving San Diego the kind of consistency it has been begging for while injuries and uneven performances have made the rotation feel pretty wobbly. His season line now sits at 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings. He’s not exactly fooling a ton of hitters. They aren’t chasing much, and his whiff rate sits in the 12th percentile. But his 47.9 percent groundball rate has helped him limit the damage and extend his outings. 

He spent almost all of his big-league life on the other side of this rivalry, so his actual history facing Los Angeles just started in 2025. He saw them three times last season with the Phillies, which marked his first real look at the Dodgers from the other dugout. Across those three starts, he went 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA, allowing 10 earned runs over 15 1/3 innings while striking out 11. 

So Friday's reunion storyline continues the saga, just this time from the Padres dugout. The Padres are sending Buehler out to start the series, and they’ll need the June version of him to hold up against the team that knows him better than anyone.

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