Overview
- The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1 at Petco Park, with Walker Buehler allowing one earned run over about 5.1 innings on Friday night.
- Buehler’s line for the game was roughly 5.1 innings, three hits, three walks and five strikeouts on 74 pitches, after Ty France hit a three-run homer that gave the Padres an early lead.
- June has been a clear turnaround for Buehler, who has allowed one run in each of four June starts for a 1.71 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21 innings, showing a shift to shorter, more efficient outings.
- The Padres are explicitly using Buehler for controlled middle outings and relying on their bullpen to finish games, a strategy that preserved his workload after two Tommy John surgeries.
- The matchup carried extra narrative weight because Buehler spent a decade with the Dodgers and recorded the final out of the 2024 World Series, making this win a notable point in his late-career revival.