Sports
'Always bet on that guy': Why the Dodgers have confidence in Walker Buehler
The quality of pitches and the results this season have not been vintage Walker Bueher, not after a second Tommy John surgery sapped him of some velocity and a pesky right-hip injury hindered the return of the erstwhile ace after a 23-month absence.
Yet the Dodgers have seen glimpses of the old Buehler in both performance and demeanor in recent weeks, the 30-year-old right-hander rediscovering some of the swagger that made him one of baseball’s best big-game pitchers from 2018 to 2021.
And now, after a bullpen game blew up in their face in Monday’s 7-3 loss to the New York Mets, evening the National League Championship Series at one game apiece, the Dodgers will turn to Buehler to prevent this best-of-seven series from going sideways on them in Game 3 in New York on Wednesday night.
“I mean, every time Walker pitches for us in a big situation, I feel really good about it,” utility man Kiké Hernández said after Monday’s loss. “The good thing about the playoffs is that when you’re on the road, you get to punch first, as [the Mets] did today.
“We did that twice in San Diego” in last week’s division series, “so hopefully we can do that again on Wednesday, keep adding on and give Walker a lead so he can just cruise through the game.”
Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA during 16 regular-season starts in which he constantly tinkered with his mechanics and pitch mix in an effort to find a comfortable delivery and more effective sequences with which to attack hitters.
But he found a decent groove in his last three starts, giving up six earned runs and 13 hits, striking out 15 and walking seven in 16 ⅓ innings for a 3.31 ERA.
Included in that stretch was a 7-2 division-clinching win over the Padres on Sept. 26. Buehler was not overpowering, inducing swinging strikes on three of his 71 pitches, but he seemed to will his way to victory by giving up one run and five hits in five innings.
The performance fueled a belief among the Dodgers that they could count on Buehler, who has a 3-4 record and 3.40 ERA in 16 career postseason starts, to boost their injury-ravaged rotation in October.
“I don’t care what Walker’s numbers are — I will always bet on that guy in these types of situations,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “He’s the guy you want on the mound in a big situation. You just know that his heartbeat, when he gets out there, is not going to waver at all. I’ve seen him in multiple big games for us, and every time, he delivers.”
Buehler did not deliver in his Oct. 8 playoff start, giving up six runs and five hits in the second inning of a 6-5 loss in Game 3 of the NL Division Series at San Diego.
Yet the inning might have been different had first baseman Freddie Freeman’s throw to second on a potential fielder’s choice grounder not hit Manny Machado in the helmet and caromed into left field, and had shortstop Miguel Rojas flipped to second on a Xander Bogaerts grounder instead of trying to turn an unassisted double play.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler delivers during Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Oct. 8.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Buehler gave up a two-run double to David Peralta and grooved an 0-and-2 fastball to Fernando Tatis Jr., who crushed a rally-capping two-run homer to left-center field.
An angry Buehler rearranged some items in the Dodgers dugout after the inning, but he did not fold under duress, blanking the Padres on two hits over the next three innings to preserve some bullpen arms and keep his team within striking distance. Roberts said he noticed a change in Buehler after he gave up the six-spot.
“Certainly, it’s about results, and we didn’t play good defense behind him, but I was very pleased to see him come out of that knowing that he was throwing the baseball really well,” Roberts said Monday. “He kept us in the game. Gave us three huge innings.”
Buehler will be facing an explosive Mets lineup in a hostile environment at Citi Field on Wednesday night, but he won’t be intimidated. He does not scare easily.
This is the guy who threw seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, who gave up one run in 11 innings of two starts in the 2020 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, who threw six innings of one-run, three-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to win Game 3 of the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Buehler is not fazed by big-game pressure. He thrives on it.
“The energy of the fans is something that all of us kind of live for in some way,” Buehler said. “Having done this playoff thing a few times, I think I’ve learned how to channel that a little bit and make it productive for yourself instead of detrimental.
“Each game [in the playoffs] is its own kind of war. The way we play and manage it is different from the regular season. You’re out there trying to throw punches as long as you can and trying to keep the momentum, which is such a huge part of the playoffs.”
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Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.
The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.
Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.
A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.
Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.
The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.
From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.
“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.
Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.
The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.
Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.
The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.
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HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL
CITY SECTION FINALS
FRIDAY
At Birmingham
DIVISION I
#1 Taft d. #3 Cleveland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-21
DIVISION IV
#7 Maywood CES d. #4 Math & Science College Prep, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23
At Venice
DIVISION II
#4 Marquez d. #6 Narbonne, 23-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-16
DIVISION III
#13 Birmingham d. #2 Legacy, 25-20, 17-25, 31-33, 25-21, 15-10
SATURDAY
At Birmingham
OPEN DIVISION
#3 Chatsworth d. #1 Granada Hills, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18
DIVISION V
314 Franklin d. #13 Rancho Dominguez, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS
THURSDAY
At Home Sites
DIVISION 9
Vasquez d. Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10
FRIDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 1
#1 Mira Costa d. #3 Loyola, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22
DIVISION 4
Sunny Hills d. Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23
At Home Sites
DIVISION 5
Bishop Diego d. St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23
DIVISION 8
Temescal Canyon d. West Valley, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23
SATURDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 2
Orange Lutheran d. Edison, 3-1
DIVISION 3
Windward d. St, John Bosco, 24-26, 25–21, 25-22, 25-20
DIVISION 6
Culver City d. Garden Grove, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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