Walker Buehler Reveals What He Needs to Improve After First Padres Start

San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler was shaky in his debut for the Friars.

On Monday, Buehler made his first start as a Padre against the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander last four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits.

It was an underwhelming start for the former All-Star, but he already knows what he needs to improve before his next appearance.

“When you’re in good counts, you get good luck, and when you’re in bad counts, you don’t,” Buehler said. “And that’s 100% within my control. So … I’ve got to be better than that.”

The Padres signed Buehler on a bargain as he inked a minor league deal with the team and earned a spot in the starting rotation this spring. While the front office didn't break the bank to add the veteran, there was still some risk in adding him to the pitching staff.

Buehler has struggled for the past two seasons since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. The two-time All-Star was released by the Boston Red Sox last season after sporting a 5.45 ERA in more than 100 innings pitched.

In 2024, Buehler posted a 5.38 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But if there was anyone that could help Buehler return to full form, it's Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla.

Buehler's first real test came Monday against the Giants. The result?

He allowed a solo home run to Harrison Bader in the third inning and two additional runs in the fourth on hits from Patrick Bailey and Casey Schmitt with two outs.

“Some throws I made were really good and kind of right where I want to be,” Buehler said. “But again, they kind of got to be over that little white thing that’s in front of you. And when they’re not, you know, these are major league hitters, and they’re at least going to put the ball in play, and they know how to get hits. So, you know, all in all, some good and some bad.”

His struggles won't be overlooked as there are several replacements recovering from injury in Joe Musgrove, Griffin Canning and Matt Waldron. While Buehler earned a rotation spot this spring, it's no guarantee he will keep that spot all year if he can't find a way to pitch deeper into games and limit the damage.

The right-hander knows this as he's not only looking to retain his roster spot, but perform at a high level in 2026.

“Everybody wants to play in the big leagues,” Buehler said. “I’ve played long enough that going to the minor leagues is not probably something that I would do. To put in an offseason like I did and move the family out here and get in better shape and do a lot of that kind of stuff, it’s super rewarding to kind of achieve the goal. But at the end of day, I still want to go out and have a good year. I think that’s obviously more important than anything else.”