The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball at the moment. Just last week, Clayton Kershaw struck out seven to earn his 100th win at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw is also now only three strikeouts shy of the Dodgers' record of 2,696 strikeouts, a feat met by Don Sutton in 1980.
While Kershaw is the jewel of the Dodgers pitching staff, Walker Buehler, the second in the rotation, is also one of the best pitchers around nowadays. Continue reading to see the contributions Buehler has recently made to the white-hot LA Dodgers.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler throws a complete game, keeps the good times rolling for his team
The 27-year-old Buehler is a three-time All-Star. In addition, he has finished in the top ten twice in the National League Cy Young voting. Last year, Buehler was a big part of the reason why the Dodgers went so far into the postseason. He had 212 strikeouts and a record of 16-4 in 33 starts, among the most in Major League Baseball.
"Walker Buehler, Filthy 85mph Slider." - @ Rob Friedman
The Los Angeles Dodgers took on the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks in the desert on Monday night. Despite facing the last-placed team in the division, Buehler did not waste the opportunity to shine.
Walker Buehler pitched the entire game against the D-backs. In doing so, he struck out 10 and allowed only three hits in his 101-pitch performance.
The shutout was the first of Buehler's career and the first complete game shutout pitched in the MLB this season.
"Walker Buehler has just pitched his first complete game shut out of his career!!!!" - @ Dodgers Talk
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the game by a comfortable 4-0 margin, thanks to a home run by catcher Will Smith and a clutch RBI double delivered by second baseman Will Muncy. Buehler is now 2-1 on the season with an ERA of 2.55. He and Kershaw continue to be trapped in a friendly duel to see who is the best pitcher on the Dodgers staff.
The Dodgers will finish their series with the Diamondbacks this week. Following the series, they will return home to Dodger Stadium to take on the Detroit Tigers. Both Buehler and Kershaw will likely perform in that series.