Walker Buehler handling Dodgers hook proves Padres have real clubhouse buy-in

Walker Buehler had every reason to make it awkward. He was facing his old team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The organization where he became an All-Star, won World Series rings, and built the reputation that still follows him around. 

He pitched well. Allowed one run. And was pulled after 74 pitches. In this specific situation, it’s easy to see how getting the hook after 5 1/3 could have turned into something more. Maybe not a blowup, but definitely some visible frustration.

Instead, Buehler handed the game over, understood the decision, and let San Diego’s bullpen finish off a 7-1 win over the Dodgers. It sounds simple, but there’s more to it. 

Walker Buehler is giving the Padres more than Dodgers revenge-game energy

Stammen praised Buehler after the game and made it clear he had nothing but good things to say about how the veteran right-hander has handled himself. It’s a tough atmosphere when a starter is getting pulled from in a rivalry game while trying to keep your team’s momentum rolling. Competitors should always want the ball. And Buehler absolutely wanted the ball there. 

But there is a difference between wanting the ball and making the entire game about not getting it. Buehler did the former. He gave San Diego 5 1/3 innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, walked three and struck out five. The Dodgers got their lone run on a Mookie Betts solo shot in the second inning, then Buehler settled the game down while the Padres’ offense gave him room to breathe. Ty France’s three-run homer flipped the game, and San Diego added four more in the eighth to make the whole thing look easier than it probably felt in the middle innings.

Still, the sixth inning is where things got a little wobbly. Buehler walked Andy Pages. And Stammen didn’t hesitate. He turned to Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejón and Wandy Peralta to shut the door the rest of the way. Suddenly, the move wasn’t a controversy. Not when they added one to the win column.

Buehler said after the game that he has changed his mindset from trying to own a game through 120 pitches to getting through five or six innings and handing it to the bullpen. That’s a mature and honest admission. And it represents what the Padres starting rotation should also understand. 

He also still has plenty of fire. When speaking about the Dodgers rivalry, he said that he has no bad blood toward the organization, then made it clear he wants to beat everyone, especially teams in the division. Perfect. That is exactly the line Padres fans should want him walking.

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