LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers will ask Walker Buehler to do something he’s never done before in order to stave off elimination.
Buehler will start for the Dodgers in Game 4 of their National League Division Series on Tuesday night, just three days after starting Game 1 in San Francisco. The 27-year-old Buehler has never pitched on fewer than four days’ rest in his career.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Julio Urias would not be available out of the bullpen in Game 4. So If the Dodgers win and extend the best-of-five series, Urias will start Game 5 on Thursday night in San Francisco on regular rest. Urias pitched five innings in the Dodgers’ Game 2 victory on Saturday.
“Walker actually brought it up to us (after Game 2),” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon. “We were late in deciding because we wanted to make sure he woke up today feeling good.
“That’s why aces are aces — because they don’t run from fights.”
Buehler threw 99 pitches in 6-1/3 innings in Game 1 at Oracle Park, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five. The Dodgers’ offense, however, was shut out in a 4-0 loss.
That was only Buehler’s second loss in 12 career postseason starts and the first time he had allowed more than two runs in a postseason start since Game 3 of the 2018 NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers (Buehler’s second postseason start). In his 10 postseason starts since that NLCS game, Buehler has a 1.62 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .187 batting average.
“We have a lot of options. But Walker is one of the best playoff pitchers I’ve ever seen,” Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen said. “He loves big games. He loves the moment. … This is his moment to shine. He did it last year for us. When we had our backs to the wall, he was our stopper.
“He’s a big-game pitcher.”
This will be Buehler’s fourth career start in a postseason elimination game – following Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS against the Washington Nationals and Game 6 of last year’s NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers won two of those three games with Buehler allowing a total of two runs in 17-1/3 innings.
“I think he’s one of, if not the best postseason pitcher in baseball,” Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor said. “It’s just the mentality. And he has power, strikeout stuff. He attacks hitters. That’s exactly who we want out there.”