The Los Angeles Dodgers secured the NL West title with an impressive 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday evening. The offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up 11 hits, and reaching the top of the batting order once again. The most important performance of the night, however, came from starting pitcher Walker Buehler, who provided some much-needed stability on the mound.

Buehler steps up at a crucial moment

Walker Buehler threw five strong innings, allowing just one earned run and throwing 71 pitches to lower his season ERA to 5.38. While his overall numbers haven’t been ideal this year, Buehler’s performance on Thursday was exactly what the Dodgers needed as they enter the postseason.

With injuries to key pitchers Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers are relying on Buehler to step up in their absence. The 30-year-old has struggled at times this season, but his performance against San Diego was a positive sign heading into the playoffs.

A season of struggle for Buehler

Buehler has thrown 75.1 innings this season, with a career-low 7.65 strikeouts per nine innings, a left-on-base percentage of 70.3% and a groundball percentage of 45.5%. He also allows 1.91 home runs per nine innings with an 18.8% home run-to-fly ball ratio. With a WAR of -0.2, Buehler was net negative for most of the season, but his performance in September showed some improvement.

One of the most concerning aspects of Buehler’s game was his lack of swings and misses. He ranks just the 9th percentile in chase rate and 7th percentile in whiff rate, meaning opponents are making contact far too often. His fastball rate remains decent, but without generating more strikeouts he will have to find other ways to be effective in the postseason.

Buehler’s Fastball woes

A major issue for Buehler this season has been his four-seam fastball, which hitters are hitting .342 against. This field makes up 29% of his arsenal, but its effectiveness is significantly reduced. If Buehler wants to be a reliable option in the Dodgers’ playoff rotation, he will have to make adjustments, as an over-reliance on contact plays into the hands of opposing offenses.

The Dodgers playoff rotation is in flux

With the Dodgers’ rotation in shambles due to injuries, Buehler’s role becomes even more important. Despite his issues, he will need to deliver performances like Thursday’s in the postseason. The Dodgers still have Jack Flaherty and rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who are expected to lead the rotation in the NLDS. Fortunately, by winning the division, Los Angeles will skip the Wild Card round, giving them additional time to fine-tune their pitching staff for the playoffs.

Looking ahead

The Dodgers will need their rotation to take a step further in the playoffs, and Buehler’s performance on Thursday is a good starting point. If he can build on this momentum and refine his game, the Dodgers may have a chance to overcome their pitching woes and make a deep postseason run.