You would expect nothing less than a good time to be had after an amazing Chris Taylor walk-off home run sent the Los Angeles Dodgers to the NLDS.
And a good time was most certainly had! Taylor got soaked with champagne! Max Scherzer went shirtless! And Walker Buehler is out here opening up beers with his teeth!
Seriously, that happened, and a lot of people were kind of amazed to see footage of the young hurler cracking open what I THINK was a twist-off with his teeth.
But Buehler didn’t back down on Twitter, sending a message to the world that he’s going to use his teeth whether you like it or not:
I open twist offs with my teeth because I choose to. It’s fun and it makes me feel cool. If you think it’s weird cuz you wanna use a bottle opener, then you haven’t drank enough beers in your life.
SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler to get his perspective on his new teammate Trevor Bauer and if the L.A. has to prove anything after winning the title in a shortened season.
SportsPulse: Mackenzie Salmon connected with Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler to get his perspective on his new teammate Trevor Bauer and if the L.A. has to prove anything after winning the title in a shortened season.
For much of Monday night, Walker Buehler’s name was trending on Twitter.
But it wasn’t totally because the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher tossed a one-run, seven strikeout gem that was squandered by the bullpen in the ninth inning of his team’s NLCS Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
No, it was because of his very tight pants.
Seriously! I don’t watch enough of Buehler’s starts to know if he usually has form-fitting pants, but given the reaction on Twitter, it seems like this isn’t a normal thing?
First, here’s a sampling of the reaction from social media over his sartorial choice:
Yes, Walker Buehler's pants are very tight! But, look again, they're also noticeably too short, as well.
Buehler was asked in the postgame meeting with reporters about the pants and the pitcher immediately shut the question down — “Not the time, nor the place” — and walked off.
For the past month, Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler has battled blister issues on his throwing hand. Those blister issues had Buehler limited to just 11.2 innings over three starts for an entire month.
And for Wednesday’s Wild Card series opener against the Brewers, Buehler took the mound to give the Dodgers four innings of work. But the unsightly blister was a definite topic of discussion during the ESPN broadcast. At one point, ESPN color commentator Eduardo Perez speculated that Buehler had something on his blister, which would be against MLB rules.
The broadcast provided a super zoomed-in look at the blister, and there may have been something there — it’s unclear. Also, gross.
Rule 6.02(c)(7) Comment: The pitcher may not attach anything to either hand, any finger or either wrist (e.g., Band-Aid, tape, Super Glue, bracelet, etc.). The umpire shall determine if such attachment is indeed a foreign substance for the purpose of Rule 6.02(c)(7), but in no case may the pitcher be allowed to pitch with such attachment to his hand, finger or wrist.
Despite Perez’s speculation about the Dodgers potentially breaking MLB rules, the Brewers did not have the umpiring crew inspect Buehler’s hands. It could have just been a really bad blister, and it’s hard to imagine that Buehler would put something illegal on a blister that was so clearly a visible purple and gray.
That wouldn’t have been subtle.
Buehler allowed two runs in four innings of work. The Dodgers went on to win, 4-2.
Previewing Tuesday’s Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (2-2) and Houston Astros (3-1) will play the opener of a short two-game set Tuesday at 9:10 p.m. ET (on FS1) at Minute Maid Park. We analyze the Dodgers-Astros MLB betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Dodgers at Astros: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Walker Buehler vs. LHP Framber Valdez
Buehler had a breakout campaign in 2019, posting a 14-4 record with a 3.26 ERA across 182 1/3 innings over 30 starts. He also registered 215 strikeouts.
Buehler loves the night life, baby. He posted an 11-1 record with a 2.96 ERA across 22 evening starts with a .212 opponent batting average last season. During the day, he was 3-3 with a 4.22 ERA and .259 batting average in eight starts.
Buehler has faced the Astros just once in his career, allowing two earned runs, four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium Aug. 5, 2018.
Valdez posted a shaky 4-7 record last season with a 5.86 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 70 2/3 innings across 26 appearances, including eight starts.
Valdez was a train wreck on the road in 2019, going 1-6 with a 7.76 ERA over 29 innings. However, his home splits were decent. He was 3-1 with a 4.54 ERA, .231 opponent batting average and 42 strikeouts across 41 2/3 innings in five starts and nine relief appearances at MMP.
This will be Valdez’s first career appearance against the Dodgers.
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SP Clayton Kershaw (back) is the only major Dodgers player on the injury list at the moment. He was scratched from his Opening Day start due to a stiff back but should be able to return shortly.
Astros
OF Yordan Alvarez (knee) is out indefinitely as he is battling soreness in both of his knees.
SS Aledmys Diaz (groin) also has no timetable for a return. He is on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right groin.
SP Justin Verlander (forearm) landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a strained right forearm, but he refuted reports he is done for the season.
Dodgers at Astros: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 2:40 a.m. ET.
The DODGERS (-139) are the play here. Not only is Tuesday Buehler’s 26th birthday, this contest will come down to the starting pitching matchup. Buehler was an elite-level pitcher last season while Valdez bounced back and forth between the bullpen and rotation with very shaky results. Buehler also posted impressive splits in evening games, and he’ll be jacked up to kick off this 2017 World Series rematch.
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Roll the dice with a small-unit wager on the DODGERS (-1.5, +110). They have the potential to tune up Valdez, who isn’t likely to last very long against their stacked All-Star-laden lineup. Buehler will hold down the Astros, and Valdez will give the L.A. offense plenty of cookies.
OVER 9 (-110) is the way to go, only because of Valdez. He just wasn’t dialed in during the 2019 season, and it’s hard to project success on his part against a murder’s row lineup like the Dodgers possess. They’re going to pile up the hits in this 2017 “Fall Classic” rematch and come away with a high-scoring road win to kick off the set.
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While the NFL is still planning to play its 2020 season as scheduled, there’s no guarantee that MLB will be able to do the same. Commissioner Rob Manfred said this week that he’s no longer 100% confident that there will be a baseball season this year, which is disappointing news for everyone involved.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler isn’t sure he’ll be able to play baseball this season, so he’s exploring all options. He joked on Instagram that he wants to kick for the Rams, asking the team when tryouts are.
If Buehler thinks he has a shot at unseating Johnny Hekker as the Rams’ punter, he might want to think again – or try his hand at a different position where he can use his leg. The Rams have a void at kicker, if he wants to compete with a trio of players at that spot.
Buehler wasn’t the only one to shout out his city’s NFL team, either. Bryce Harper joked on Twitter about wanting to join the Eagles during this ongoing dispute between MLB and the MLBPA.
Buehler and Harper obviously aren’t going to be making the jump to the NFL, but it’s a sign of just how frustrated players are over the ongoing negotiations with MLB. It’s hard to imagine baseball not being played this year, but it’s becoming a very real possibility as time goes on.
Previewing the National League Cy Young Award odds, with MLB betting odds, picks and best bets
Can anyone prevent Jacob deGrom from winning the 2020 National League Cy Young Award — which would be his third straight? The gang at BetMGM isn’t making it easy on bettors who think not, installing the Mets ace as the clear favorite at +280.
As of 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, BetMGM has 10 other pitchers with a line of less than +3000:
Max Scherzer (+450)
Walker Buehler (+1000)
Jack Flaherty; Stephen Strasburg (+1100)
Clayton Kershaw (+1200)
Luis Castillo (+2000)
Patrick Corbin; Aaron Nola; Yu Darvish; Trevor Bauer (+2500)
National League Cy Young: Breaking down the field
When it comes to projecting a Cy Young winner, you try to go through a process of elimination.
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You don’t get enough return from deGrom. Strasburg is coming the best season of his career, but he has too long an injury history to ignore. The same goes for Kershaw. Opponents have a .208 career batting average against him and he has a career 2.44 ERA, but he hasn’t thrown 180 innings in any of his last four seasons, which limits your opportunities to get wins consistently.
Flaherty has talent and could be primed for a breakout season, but in 66 career starts he has a record of 19-19, which makes winning the Cy Young a spring training stretch — despite him going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA after the All-Star Break last year. Castillo showed great improvement in 2019, but walks too many players, which leads to too many cheap runs being scored.
When it comes down to placing a wager, I would split the money between two of the top candidates that have solid return rates — Scherzer and Buehler. Scherzer is 35 so there is a concern about age, but in an era dominated by strikeouts, few are better than him. In five seasons in Washington, he has posted a sub-3.00 ERA of each of them and has an astounding 1,371 strikeouts in 1,050 2/3 innings. Last year, despite battling through back problems, he posted 243 strikeouts in 172 1/3 innings and a WHIP of 1.03 (his highest total in five years). He has all the tools.
Dodgers starting pitcher and budding ace Walker Buehler. (Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports)
Put the other half of your bankroll on Buehler. At +1000, there are a lot of things to like about him. The Dodgers have dominated the National League West, winning the last seven division titles and leaving no reason to expect they won’t again in 2020. With concerns over Kershaw’s availability for a full season, Buehler will likely be asked to take on the role of the innings-eating ace. At 25, he is hitting his prime and, with that potent Dodger lineup behind him, 20 wins is a possibility.
THE BET: Scherzer if you’re only betting on one player; Scherzer and Buehler if you’re willing to split your bet.
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