LOS ANGELES – The last two times the Dodgers won the National League West in front of fans at Dodger Stadium, Walker Buehler was in the starting lineup. Thursday night wasn’t the same version of the rising star from six years before, but he did what was needed in another big game.

“He pitched really well,” said catcher Will Smith. “He really stepped up and gave us five really strong innings. That was great to see.”

“Watching Walker tonight reminded me of many big games we’ve seen him play in this stadium,” said Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

It’s been a busy year for Buehler after returning from his second Tommy John surgery and a flexor tendon repair in his right elbow in August 2022. He lacked control and had to figure out how to use this new version of himself.

He’s not the same pitcher who posted a 2.94 ERA in 15 postseason starts from 2018 to 2021. This year’s numbers bear that out: 5.38 ERA in 16 starts and a strikeout rate of under 20 percent (18.6 percent).

But he has shown some encouraging signs of late, including breaking into the sixth inning three times in a row before his five innings on Thursday, allowing just one run. He had previously scored nine goals at the start.

“The arrow has been pointing upwards all year long. It was a little bumpy at the beginning. “The stuff was there, but it’s all about the execution,” Friedman said. “We knew all along that the more we adjusted, he wouldn’t shy away from the moment, he wouldn’t be afraid of anything and he would go out there and compete. He showed us that tonight.”

He allowed five hits on Thursday, including a double by Kyle Higashioka that put two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning. A ground ball ended the only run against Buehler. He was pulled after just 71 pitches, albeit in his first start with four days of rest in 27 months. Buehler and manager Dave Roberts had a lively discussion in the dugout at the end of the fifth period.

“We just talked about his stuff. He already knew he was coming out of the game,” Roberts said. “Just what worked tonight, how good he felt. I felt really encouraged because I see a real confidence in him at the moment.”

Confidence is key for Buehler, who is expected to be the third starter in a depleted Dodgers rotation come October.

In five career games with a chance to win either the division or a playoff series, Buehler has allowed three runs in 30 innings and 29 strikeouts. That included forcing the Dodgers scoreless baseball into the seventh inning in Game 163 in 2018, the last time before this year that the Dodgers won a division in front of Dodger Stadium fans.

“He pitched great, he pitched great. We needed him. “He stepped up, took the ball, did a great job and gave us a chance to win,” said Mookie Betts, who had two hits, including a two-run single, in the decisive seventh inning. “Walker was great and he knew we would need him down the stretch.”