Walker Buehler’s challenging 2025 season continued Saturday in his Phillies organizational debut for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks in three innings of the IronPigs’ 5-4 win over the Toledo Mud Hens. They are 81-54 this season, including eight wins in their last nine games.
Buehler, signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies on Aug. 31 after being released two days earlier by the Red Sox, struck out five and threw 47 of 78 pitches for strikes. He threw 11 of 18 first-pitch strikes and sat at 92-93 mph on his fastball.
The 31-year-old generated five swing-and-misses and utilized all of his pitches, including a four-seam fastball, cutter, sweeper, slider, knuckle curve and changeup.
Buehler was 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 23 appearances (22 starts) this season with the Red Sox.
The two-time MLB all-star missed 22 months before returning May 6, 2024, for the Dodgers following Tommy John surgery. He had three solid postseason outings, including the World Series clincher against the Yankees last October.
Injury update
Justin Crawford missed his second consecutive game after colliding with teammate Otto Kemp on a pop fly in shallow left field during Thursday’s game against Toledo. Kemp’s shoulder hit Crawford in the face. Crawford leads the International League with a .334 batting average, 147 hits and 88 runs. He’s also third with 46 stolen bases and fourth in on-base percentage (.411).
Crawford is not expected to need a stint on the injured list.
How they scored
Top 1: Hau-Yu Lee led off with his 14th home run of the season. Mud Hens 1-0
Top 2: Andrew Navigato led off with an infield single, stole second, took third on Rodolfo Castro’s 21st error of the year with two outs and scored on Akil Baddoo’s infield single. Mud Hens 2-0
Bottom 5: Oscar Mercado reached on a fielder’s choice, took second on Rafael Lantigua’s single and scored on Payton Henry’s two-out single. Mud Hens 2-1
Bottom 6: Johan Rojas singled to lead off and took second on Donovan Walton’s opposite-field double. Gabriel Rincones hit a grounder to shortstop. Toledo’s Treid Cruz threw wildly to home. Rincones was credited with an RBI when Rojas scored. Walton scored as a result of Cruz’s wild throw. Oscar Mercado reached on an infield single with two outs, sending Rincones to third. Rincones scored on a wild pitch. Mercado stole second and scored on Lantigua’s single. IronPigs 5-2
Top 7: Gage Workman singled with one out. Trei Cruz and Navigato walked to load the bases. Riley Unroe singled in Workman and Cruz, but Navigato was thrown out at third. IronPigs 5-4
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Up next
RHP Mitch Neunborn (0-2, 5.49 ERA) vs. Toledo TBA in a 1:35 p.m. first pitch from Coca-Cola Park in the final game of the series. Neunborn allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of Tuesday’s game against Mud Hens.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
Source: Berkshire mont
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