For a period of time early in his career Walker Buehler was among the most successful starting pitchers in the majors. The right-hander had an approach that worked, but after missing nearly two years due to Tommy John surgery, Buehler has often struggled to recapture his old form since returning to the mound last spring.
Things came to a head last Friday after Buehler allowed five runs over just two innings at Yankee Stadium, and leading into Wednesday’s outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, the 30-year-old decided it was time to make some major changes.
“We put in a lot of work and started thinking about this a little bit differently,” Buehler said. “As weird as it sounds with the career that I’ve had there’s like a stubbornness of what I used to do, and this week was the first time I really went ‘you know what, (expletive) this, I’m going to do what I need to do and try to adapt a little bit.”
The result was one of Buehler’s best outings since joining the Red Sox.
Buehler allowed three runs over seven innings in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Rays, giving the Red Sox the kind of length they’ve rarely gotten from their starters outside of Garrett Crochet. The victory also helped the Red Sox clinch their second straight series win over an AL East rival, giving the club a major boost leading into this weekend’s big home showdown with the New York Yankees.
Besides some mechanical adjustments, the most noticeable difference was a much heavier emphasis on the sinker. Buehler threw 29 against the Rays on Wednesday, more than any other pitch type and accounting for 30% of the 97 pitches he threw overall, up from his season average of 17.1%.
He also drew four whiffs and got six called strikes with the pitch, both more than any other type, and Buehler said that pitch helped unlock more of the strike zone overall, leading to better results.
“I’ve done it by throwing a bunch of (sinkers) and stuff like that, but trying to get the ball up and use a lot more of the zone than I have,” Buehler said. “Obviously the line wasn’t immaculate, but it was a big step forward for me and something I feel a lot better about.”
Buehler becomes the latest Red Sox starter to enjoy a breakthrough this week against the Rays. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito, both of whom have also endured roller coaster seasons, both pitched well and threw at least six innings in their respective starts.
Buehler said the starters take pride in being able to push each other, and he said he’s especially happy to see Giolito succeed given that he is also working his way back from a major elbow surgery.
“We’re both trying to figure it out and try and reinvent who we were and take the good stuff we still can do and kind of find the new stuff,” Buehler said. “For us to do it back to back against a team in our division I think is huge and it’s something he and I are obviously excited about.”
