Red Sox Starter Enlisted Outside Help To Make Adjustments

Walker Buehler is still trying to secure his place in the big leagues. With the Boston Red Sox reportedly looking for starting pitching, the righty might be the odd man out with an addition to the rotation.

On Monday, he put in his best effort in some time — a seven-inning, two-run performance against a solid Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup.

Buehler made adjustments in the lead-up to his outing that seemingly paid dividends. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Buehler enlisted the help of a biomechanics lab in Atlanta to help get back on track.

The adjustments in his mechanics are visible. Previously, out of the windup, Buehler would raise his hands above his head and pause slightly before delivering the pitch. On Monday, his hands stayed low, and he moved towards the plate quickly. His 68.5% strike rate was much greater than his average entering the game.

He also adjusted late in the game. After missing his spot on a seventh-inning pitch to Otto Kemp, Buehler started pitching from the stretch with nobody on base. He quickly retired Kemp and quickly induced a ground ball to end both the inning and his outing. Unfortunately, the Red Sox couldn’t take advantage as they lost, 2-1.

Still, Buehler feels like he has more room for improvement.

“It’s one of those teams where if you threw the ball well, you knew you threw the ball well,” Buehler said. “I’m not gonna lay everything down and say, ‘I’m back’ after one. But it definitely feels good for me personally.”

His next outing won’t be much easier. He’s slated to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, his former team, on Sunday at Fenway Park.