Walker Buehler made his first appearance with the Philadelphia Phillies organization on Saturday, pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Buehler, who signed with the Phillies on August 31 after being released by the Boston Red Sox, faced the Toledo Mud Hens, Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
In his three-inning outing, Buehler threw 78 pitches (47 strikes), allowing two runs—one earned—on five hits including a home run. He issued three walks and recorded five strikeouts.
Buehler’s command has been a concern this season. During his time with Boston, he posted career-worst rates in both walks per nine innings (4.4) and strikeouts per nine innings (6.7) over 23 appearances, 22 of them starts.
The Phillies’ president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski commented before Buehler’s start: “Buehler was expected to need one tune-up start in the Minors before joining the Phillies. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said before Buehler’s Triple-A outing that the veteran right-hander would likely make his first start on Sept. 12 against the Royals, with the Phillies transitioning to a six-man rotation to allow all their starters extra rest ahead of the postseason.”
The team plans to use a six-man rotation as they prepare for postseason play.
