The Walker Buehler who retired 11 of 12 batters with six strikeouts from the second through fifth innings Saturday night could play in a postseason rotation for the Dodgers.
The Buehler who gave up three runs and three hits, walked one batter and hit another while throwing 42 pitches in the first two choppy innings? Not so much.
The search for the start-to-start consistency and the extended stretches of dominance that made Buehler the team’s ace from 2019 to 2021 continued to elude the right-hander in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies before a sold-out crowd of 52,267 in Chavez Ravine, further muddling the team’s playoff pitching picture.
The Dodgers had a chance for a dramatic win when they loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Rockies right-hander Seth Halvorsen blew a 100-mph fastball by Max Muncy for a game-ending strikeout.