Padres Have Concerning Walker Buehler Development They Can't Afford

Something has changed in right-hander Walker Buehler over his last three starts, with the San Diego Padres seeing an alarming trend take place.

After a strong end of May and June, Buehler has begun to unravel on the mound again. The veteran right-hander has allowed 20 runs and nine walks over his last 11 innings, showing some real command issues.

Buehler isn't the only pitcher on the Padres who has been struggling, but his issues have been highlighted of late. Following another poor outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, the right-hander opened up about his problems.

"The same miss over and over, left and high,” Buehler said. “I don’t know. I think the All-Star break is coming at a good time for me. So try not to put too much stock into it. … Obviously, the past two or past three have been really rough, so good time to take kind of a step back and see what we’re doing.”

Overall, Buehler owns an ERA of 5.36 over 19 starts for the Padres this season. But just a few starts ago, he was looking like his former All-Star self, helping stabilize the Padres rotation.

In June, Buehler made five starts, throwing 26.1 innings and allowing five runs and eight walks. The right-hander was finally putting together some consistency on the mound following a slow start to the year, but he's reverted back to his old habits.

Padres manager Craig Stammen is hopeful that the upcoming All-Star break will give him a chance to reset and refocus before the stretch run of the season.

“Hopefully, maybe a little bit of break over the All-Star break,” Stammen said. “He’s not a spring chicken. He’s got a lot of innings under his belt, and maybe he just needs a little bit of a breather. You can definitely see you know he’s not as sharp as he was back in June. We’ll get him right and get him back to that pitcher that we saw that was very effective for us.”

The Padres can't afford to keep throwing Buehler out on the mound if his struggles continue. This team is vying for a potential playoff spot, so at some point, a decision will need to be made.

Buehler has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate for the Padres at the deadline, but given his recent issues, the value may be low. However, he is a proven pitcher in the playoffs over his career, and given the success that he saw in June, some team may be willing to take a chance on him if the Padres fall out of the race.

The right-hander signed a minor league deal with San Diego over the offseason, hoping to re-establish his value. His season has been fairly up-and-down so far, but there is still time for Buehler to turn things around and get back to his first half self.

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