For years, Walker Buehler had the San Francisco Giants’ number. He was one of the top pitchers in the NL West from the mid-to-late 2010s, which included an incredible run against the Giants. From 2017-21 Buehler owned a 2.42 ERA with a 7-1 record in 13 appearances against San Francisco. This included 70\/21 K\/BB, too.<\/p>\n
Considering this historic dominance, the San Diego Padres were more than happy to acquire the former Los Angeles Dodger<\/a>. There was an idea that he would help the Friars’ back end of the rotation<\/a>, particularly against NL West teams. <\/p>\n On Monday night in his San Diego debut, Buehler faced the Giants at Petco Park. Fans were excited \u2014 and hopeful \u2014 that he would provide a lift to the bottom of the rotation<\/a>. But, that didn’t happen. The Giants were able to send Buehler home after just four innings of work, ending what locals hoped would be a memorable debut.<\/p>\n How Walker Buehler’s expectations fell short in Padres’ debut vs. NL West rival<\/p>\n It took Buehler 72 pitches to get through four innings of work, which is when he was pulled for left-hander Wandy Peralta. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks, striking out three batters. Buehler even had a solid first impression. He managed to get through the first two frames unscathed before Harrison Bader led off the third inning with a home run on a hanging breaking ball.<\/p>\n Harrison Bader hits his first #SFGiants<\/a> home run pic.twitter.com\/c5NydBmLRp<\/a><\/p>\n