Cory Sparks

Walker Buehler is having a confounding season on the mound, and if the San Diego Padres want to salvage any chance at a playoff run down the stretch, he’s going to have to figure out how to be more consistnet. Fresh off of a brief stint where he flashed signs of his old self in 2025, the veteran right-handed pitcher has struggled mightily. Let’s break down what’s going wrong, and more importantly, if this is fixable. Walker Buehler’s Updated Padres Scouting Report Before fully diving into his struggles this year, it’s important to understand what type of pitcher Buehler is at this point in his career. The 31-year-old Vanderbilt alum was a first-round pick in 2015 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he holds a 62-34 career record with a 3.69 earned run average. The righty has managed to strike out 927 hitters in just about the same amount of innings, but his main issue has been staying on the field. Buehler had a stretch between 2019-2021 where he struck out 200 hitters in back-to-back full seasons (with COVID-19 shortening the 2020 campaign). After 2021, he hasn’t managed to toss 150 innings. In fact, 2019 and 2021 were the only two times the starter has accomplished that feat in his nine-season career. A Magical 2025 (But Short) Run Buehler’s injuries have made him a rather inconsistent rotation piece in the last few years, but he seemed to have turned back the clock in a couple of appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies last year. Buehler logged a 3-0 record, allowing just one earned run over 13.2 innings for a really impressive 0.66 ERA. He struck out just eight hitters while relinquishing six walks, and it was an extremely small sample size, but the signs of him being able to unlock performances reminiscent of his prime were there. Diminishing Velocity In 2026, his numbers have tumbled. Buehler is on pace to break the 150 innings mark for the first time in five years, but his 5.36 ERA and 1.44 WHIP shows that hitters aren’t having nearly the amount of trouble they once did while facing him. The diminishing velocity is the first rung to address. What was once a firm, high-90s four-seam fastball has fallen to an average of 94.0 mph, putting Buehler in the 40th percentile among all MLB pitchers (per Baseball Savant). There are ways to offset this issue, and building a more diversified pitch arsenal is a great way to start. Buehler has explored that route, featuring a mix that now includes the following seven pitches: a cutter, four-seamer, sinker, slider, knuckle curve, changeup and sweeper. He’s had to lean off of the four-seamer, as opposing hitters are collecting a .393 batting average against it. The slider has been his best tool, as he’s allowed just five hits in 42 plate appearances (.122 AVG) that have ended with the pitch. Quality Contact Control Unfortunately for the veteran hurler, the quality of contact has really spiked. Batters are managing a 42.2 percent hard-hit rate (batted balls with an exit velocity of 95 mph or greater), which puts him in the 25th percentile league-wide. The average exit velocity of 90.5 mph (15th percentile) that he's allowing falls right in line, and with below-average whiff and chase rates, he’s been hit around quite a bit in his age-31 season. Silver Lining: Contact Trajectory The silver lining for Buehler is two-fold: he has his varied arsenal, and he’s not allowing opposing hitters to launch the ball on him very often. While he’s allowing hard-hit balls, a lot of them are on the ground, as shown by his 46.3 percent ground ball rate (72nd percentile). His 4.48 expected ERA implies he’s run into his fair share of bad luck, but at this stage of his career, Buehler needs to be a finesse pitcher, keeping hitters off balance and forcing weaker contact. If he combines that with an already remarkable groundball rate, we could see Buehler return to form and serve as a pivotal part in a Padres playoff run. View full article

Walker Buehler hasn't logged a 150-inning season since 2021, and while he's on track to buck that trend in 2026, he's falling victim to an earned run average north of five. In this video, we'll break down where he's getting hit the hardest, what kind of pitcher he needs to be going forward, and the skills he can harness to turn this season around. View full video

All that the San Diego Padres' top prospect had to do was improve in two areas: quality contact and staying healthy. Through 34 games with the Double-A San Antonio Missions, Ethan Salas has accomplished just that. In this video, we break down the adjustments Salas has made and when to expect his big-league debut. View full video

Manny Machado, who has accumulated 375 career home runs, is off to a sluggish start in 2026. While the power has been there in spurts, his .190 batting average and decreased hard-hit indicators may show a cause for concern. Where is Machado falling off, and can he still salvage the same power-oriented game he's had for 15 years? We break it all down in this video! View full video

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. has seen his career-long power output come to a grinding halt. The crazy part is that his exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and other hard-hit related metrics are off the charts. What's the reason Tatis hasn't hit a home run through the first month of the season? We reveal it in this video. View full video

Lucas Giolito's rehab is off and running, but it's already hit a roadblock. The 2019 All-Star and former Chicago White Sox hurler recently made his Padres rehab debut in Single-A Lake Elsinore, but the righty was hit with a comebacker after tossing 2.2 innings of 2-run ball. What does his timeline look like, and where will he land come end of the season? We dive into it all. View full video

In this video, we break down quick riser Miguel Mendez, recent big league call-up Bradgley Rodriguez, Kruz Schoolcraft, Kash Mayfield, and blue-chip international signee Ethan Salas. View full video

Mason Miller has started this season as the most dominant closer in Major League Baseball. The San Diego Padres reliever has tossed 8 1/3 shutout innings with 20 strikeouts over that span. What is the key behind his historic start to 2026? We dive into his three-pitch arsenal, induced vertical break, and more here. Enjoy! View full video

The San Diego Padres' farm system has everything from seasoned arms to up-and-coming backstops to support Ethan Salas in their top 10. Here are prospects no. 6 to 10, according to our Padres Mission writers. Learn all about the background, strengths, and weaknesses of the following players: Kale Fountain, Ryan Wideman, Ty Harvey, Humberto Cruz, and Jagger Haynes. View full video

While competing with the back-to-back champion juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Dodgers is tough, the San Diego Padres have been aggressive enough to enter that conversation. Here is the route the Padres must take to challenge for the NL West title in 2026. View full video

Let's continue our coverage of the Padres' top prospects with the 15th-ranked pipeline talent down to no. 11, as determined by our Padres Mission writers. This is a crash course on the highs, lows, and trajectory of Tirso Ornelas, Garrett Hawkins, Lamar King Jr., Jorge Quintana, and Romeo Sanabria. View full video

Padres Mission has come out with its top 20 prospects list for San Diego's Pipeline, and in this video, as review no. 20 through 16! Francis Pena, Eric Yost, Deivid Coronil, Truitt Madonna, and Kavares Tears all start us off. View full video

Sporting one of the better baseball names in the game, Kash Mayfield also possesses a skillset that implies he could be a future starter in San Diego. The Padres' No. 4 prospect in 2025, per MLB.com, has a wicked changeup, plenty of arm-side carry on a fastball that touches 97 mph, and a sense of poise that led to a strikeout-to-walk ratio north of three last season. View full video