LOS ANGELES — Walker Buehler will start Game 3 for the Los Angeles Dodgers from Yankee Stadium on Monday night, keeping the rotation in line and setting up a bullpen day for Game 4.
Starting Buehler in Game 3 — rather than utilizing the off-day to run the bullpen game that night — lines him up as an option for a potential winner-take-all Game 7 from Dodger Stadium.
Buehler, who will oppose New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt, has generated less swing and miss with his fastball coming off a second Tommy John surgery, forcing him to reinvent himself in a high-stakes environment.
In Game 3 from Citi Field in New York last week, Buehler leaned on his curveball to escape tough jams, holding the New York Mets scoreless through four innings to set up an 8-0 victory. He pitched differently, but in some instances, he resembled the frontline starter who powered the Dodgers’ rotation in Octobers past.
“We love Walker in big games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The road isn’t going to faze him.”