Buehler, Lux rescue desperate Dodgers
The announcement materialized Tuesday morning: Walker Buehler would start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, pitching on three days’ rest for the first time in his major-league career.
It was the obvious choice with the Dodgers facing elimination. And yet it wasn’t a given for an organization that handles pitchers with deliberate caution, assessing risk at every turn down to the miniscule detail.
A few hours later came the other relatively out-ofcharacter move: Gavin Lux would start in center field. Lux has been an outfielder for all of five weeks. The last time he was seen in center field, he was crashing face first into the wall during the season’s final week. He was still a novice learning the basics.
But the Dodgers were desperate for offense after getting shut out twice in four postseason games, and Lux supplied another dangerous offensive weapon. The possible reward was too great. Desperation masked the gamble.
The two calculations summarized the Dodgers’ state of mind Tuesday. It was time to put the best talent possible on the field to beat the Giants. Their season depended on it. In the end, the decisions took center stage in their 7-2 victory at Dodger Stadium, setting up a do-or-die Game 5 between the two fabled foes Thursday night.
A night after Giants pitching and heavy winds combined to keep them scoreless, the Dodgers’ offense woke up. Lux went 2 for 2 with two walks and a run scored as the Dodgers chased Anthony DeSclafani after 1 2⁄3 innings, forcing the Giants to use seven relievers to cover the remainder of the game. Mookie Betts smacked a two-run home run. Cody Bellinger recorded his first multi-hit game since Aug. 25. Trea Turner collected two hits.
Buehler didn’t last long, but he held the Giants to one run on three hits over 4 innings, and the Dodgers bullpen shut the door to move the series back to Oracle Park for Game 5. Julio Urías will start for the Dodgers. Logan Webb will take the ball for San Francisco.
Buehler’s short-rest effort Tuesday, according to manager Dave Roberts, was rooted in a conversation after Saturday’s Game 2. Urías threw just 72 pitches over five innings in the Dodgers’ win in San Francisco that night. Buehler recognized the relatively light usage meant Urías would be fresh on regular rest for a decisive Game 5. So, after the game, Buehler informed his bosses he was willing to pitch on three days’ rest in Game 3.
Buehler is a top-tier ace now with a 200-inning season on his resume.
“That’s why aces are aces,” Roberts said. “Because they don’t run from fights.”