Dodgers' Walker Buehler trash can smash fuels game-changing Teoscar Hernández grand slam

The second inning of Walker Buehler's NLDS Game 3 start against the Padres looked like it was going to confirm all of our fears about the state of the Dodgers' postseason pitching. He got through a clean first, but promptly gave up a leadoff single to Manny Machado, one of the players at the center of the nonsense that took place on Sunday night during Game 2.

Possible NL Rookie of the Year Jackson Merrill followed with a ground ball to Freddie Freeman at first, which Freeman scooped and attempted to throw to Miguel Rojas at second for at least one out. Instead, it beaned Machado, who had run into the throwing lane. Typical, outrageous, maddening — nothing to do about it. Two men on.

Xander Bogaerts was the next up, and he picked up the Padres' first run of the night with another fielder's choice to score Machado; the Dodgers still couldn't secure a single out for Buehler. The hits just kept coming with a David Peralta double to score two, then a Jake Cronenworth single to put runners on the corners. Kyle Higashioka put one deep enough into center field to score Peralta, and then Buehler finally got his second out with a pop out from Luis Arraez.

But these Padres are stunningly, maddeningly good from top to bottom. With San Diego's order reset, Buehler threw two pitches to Fernando Tatis Jr. to get to an 0-2 count. Okay, good.

Then Buehler threw a 94 MPH fastball in the middle of the zone, and of course Tatis didn't miss it. Boom, bang, two-run homer, 6-1 Padres.

To add insult to injury, Profar singled, but Buehler finally got out of the inning with a fly ball from Machado that stayed in the park.

Buehler was noticeably disgusted with himself as he walked back to the dugout (and why shouldn't he be, honestly?), and his teammates averted their eyes as he descended and slammed his hat onto the seats before picking up a nearby trash can and flinging that, too. He walked away from the carnage with a shout before finally losing steam and collapsing onto the bench.

Walker Buehler got some immediate catharsis after six-run second inning with a Teoscar Hernández grand slam to get the Dodgers within one

The Dodgers had scored one in the first inning courtesy of a Mookie Betts solo homer. It was a nice moment for Betts, who broke an 0-for-22 postseason hitless streak dating back to 2022, but it was immediately undercut by the absolute torrent that the Padres poured on the Dodgers just half an inning later.

But the Dodgers, although they didn't look like it on Sunday night, are still a team that's capable of punching back. San Diego starter Michael King gave up back-to-back-to-back singles to Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betts to load the bases. Freeman lined out, but then it was Teoscar Hernández, 2024's Home Run Derby champion.

He got to a 1-2 count against King, then saw a hanging sweeper up in the zone. Bad pitch, Michael King. Hernández seemed to think so too, because he twisted and connected, and then stood stock-still at the plate for a second as he watched it soar. With that swing, he put the Dodgers just one run behind and did the baseball equivalent of CPR for his team and their fans.

The Dodgers might finally be refusing to go down without a fight. At least there are a few guys who are proving that LA is capable of clutch postseason moments, and it seemed to breathe new life into Buehler, who got through the next two innings allowing just one hit.

If you hear someone yelling "Re-sign Teoscar immediately" off in the distance, you're not going crazy. That would be us.