Dave Roberts Making Walker Buehler Game 1 Starter for NLDS is the Wrong Choice

Dave Roberts sent minor shockwaves throughout the baseball landscape on Wednesday evening when it was announced Walker Buehler would start Game 1 of the NLDS for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Washington Nationals.

While there's no doubting that the 25-year-old right-hander had a remarkable 2019 campaign -- he pitched to a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP while logging 215 strikeouts in 182.1 innings -- throwing him out there on Thursday night is simply the wrong decision.

Despite those numbers, Buehler was the third-best starter in Los Angeles' rotation behind Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw.

More importantly, both Ryu and Kershaw are virtually unhittable at Dodger Stadium. In front of their home crowd in 2019, Ryu is 10-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in just over 90 innings.

Assuming Kershaw gets the nod in Game 2, the hefty lefty will likely not feature until the series shifts to the nation's capital. Away from home, Ryu has compiled a 4-4 record paired with a 2.72 ERA -- still solid, but a far cry from his 1.93 mark in La La Land.

Kershaw's success at home is palpable, but his numbers are still worth noting. In 2019, the three-time Cy Young is 10-2 with a 2.89 ERA. His full seasonal ERA equated to a 3.06 ERA tally, which tells you all you need to know about his woes on the road.

It's almost as if Roberts didn't even consider these numbers before making his stunning decision to roll with Buehler in Game 1.

Call us crazy, but the Dodgers skipper got this settlement entirely wrong and the fan base had better hope their club isn't snake-bitten as a result.