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Walker Buehler at a loss after latest rough outing for Red Sox

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A rocky season got even bumpier for Red Sox starter Walker Buehler on Monday night, as he was roughed up in a 9-5 Boston loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The righty has now surrendered five or more runs in four of his last five starts, and remains at a loss for solutions.

The Red Sox offense gave Buehler a three-run lead in the top of the first, but the veteran coughed it up immediately with a five-run bottom of the frame. He pitched three scoreless innings after his tumultuous first, but walked seven batters in the outing and is now sporting a 6.29 ERA for the season.

Walker Buehler's first-inning horror show

The Boston offense plated three runs in the first thank to five straight base hits. But Buehler unraveled shortly after he took the mound.

Zach Neto welcome Buehler to the game by taking his first pitch -- a 93 mph fastball -- and depositing it 412 feet into the center field stands for a solo homer. Buehler got Nolan Schanuel to fly out to center for the first out of the inning, but then walked two straight. After Travis d'Arnaud fouled out to Connor Wong, Buehler gave up an RBI single to Jo Adell to cut Boston's lead 3-2.

Things somehow got worse for Buehler. He was 1-2 on LaMonte Wade Jr. before plunking him with a 95 mph fastball. From there, Buehler's command got even worse as he walked Luis Rengifo on six pitches to score another Angels run and tie the game, 3-3.

He had the same result with Christian Moore, walking the No. 9 hitter on six pitches to put the Angels up 4-3. Buehler then hit Neto in his second at-bat of the inning to make it a 5-3 Angels lead, before he got Schanuel to fly out and end the frame.

Buehler threw 39 pitches in the top of the first. He allowed five runs off just three hits, thanks to four walks and two hit batters.

"It's embarrassing,"  of his first inning after taking a no decision in the loss. "It's just not who I want to be as a baseball player. I'd rather get whacked around than do that. And somehow, this year I've managed to do all the negative things you can."

Walker Buehler calms down but struggles with command

Buehler gave the Red Sox three scoreless innings after his horrific first, but he needed 94 pitches to get through four innings. Of his 94 pitches on the night, only 46 went for strikes.

The seven walks issued by Buehler were a career-high for the 30-year-old.

"You can't walk seven guys in a Major League Baseball game and expect to be successful," Buehler said. "I think we keep trying different things and looking at different stuff, or this mix or that mix, and at the end of the day if you don't execute or throw strikes, you really don't have a chance."

The Red Sox still had a chance despite Buehler's struggles Monday night, but reliever Garrett Whitlock was tagged for four runs in the bottom of the eighth off two hits and three walks. Boston also had two more miscues on the base paths and Wong had a throwing error, as Alex Cora's team continues to make mistakes with the fundamentals of the game. 

But it all went back to Buehler on Monday. After signing a one-year, $20 million deal with Boston in the offseason, Buehler is rocking a 6.29 ERA after his first 13 starts for the Red Sox. He's failed to pitch at least five innings in five of his 13 starts, and has allowed 21 earned runs over 16.1 innings in June -- giving him an 11.57 ERA for the month.

What can Buehler do differently to get better results? 

"Largely, I don't think a whole lot different," he said Monday night. "That's what's so difficult and frustrating about this game. The line is so thin."

Buehler struggled for much of the 2024 regular season as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery, and he finished the year with a 5.38 ERA across his 16 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was able to flip a switch in the playoffs when he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Buehler looked like his old self when he got the win in Game 3 and then the save in the Los Angeles' World Series-clinching Game 5 victory.

Buehler is hoping to find answers to his struggles much quicker this summer.

"I don't want to wait until October to figure it out," he said.

Monday's loss was Boston's third straight and dropped the team back to .500 (40-40) for the season. The Red Sox now trail the Seattle Mariners by 1.5 games for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, with the Cleveland Guardians a game ahead of Boston.

The Red Sox will turn to ace Garrett Crochet (7-4, 2.20 ERA) on Tuesday to try to stop the team's three-game skid. 

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