Red Sox Pitcher Explains How He Got Out Of ‘Dark Place’

Walker Buehler was one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball for over a month. In his last seven starts, his ERA was 9.29. He served up nine home runs in 31 innings. He pitched into the sixth inning in just two of the starts dating back to May 31.

On Thursday, he turned in a quality start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Six innings, three runs, and two strikeouts. His command was better, though he did hand out three walks.

His four-seam fastball still hasn’t returned strikes at a high rate, but he limited non-competitive pitches on Thursday. His breaking balls were more effective, combining for five whiffs. His cutter filled up the strike zone as well.

The three runs he allowed came via home runs, both on pitches he left out over the plate. Aside from the two mistakes, Buehler did a good job of avoiding the heart of the plate.

After the game, Buehler discussed how he’s feeling better following his slump.

“It’s nice to go through a week and prep the five days or whatever and not feel like I should just retire,” Buehler joked. “I don’t think I’m going to retire any time soon, but you get into some really dark places.”

Buehler went on to explain that he’s enjoyed tinkering with his mechanics and the process of making adjustments over the past few weeks.

If there’s a critique of Buehler going forward, it’s the lack of swinging strikes and ability to put hitters away. While he located his pitches more accurately, he still only generated seven whiffs.

Buehler threw 27 pitches with two strikes and only turned two into strikeouts. Hitters fouled off eight of his two-strike offerings and put seven more in play. Converting advantageous counts into strikeouts and outs is the next step in Buehler’s journey to pitching at the level he once did. For now, being in the zone and limiting walks is a good first step.