The Boston Red Sox are off to a 4-4 start to open the 2025 MLB season, but things could be much worse. Boston’s offense was in full force on Friday night, leading the team to a 13-9 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. A five-run bottom of the first inning gave starting pitcher Walker Buehler a comfortable lead, but he allowed a three-run home run to Ivan Herrera in the fourth inning and a solo shot to Brendan Donovan in the fifth.

Buehler exited the game after the fifth inning and finished his outing with five earned runs, seven hits, and four strikeouts. In Buehler’s debut with the Red Sox last Saturday against the Texas Rangers, the former Los Angeles Dodger allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings. After Friday’s game, Buehler spoke with reporters, including Boston.com’s John Tlumacki, about how he feels on the mound in a Red Sox uniform thus far.

“It’s frustrating, to say the least,” Buehler told reporters following his outing against the Cardinals, per Boston.com. “You come into a new team, and whatever pedigree I have, I want to show that. I want to be that guy here. I want to help this team win. “To not do that the first two weeks is frustrating, but it’s a long season. I’ve definitely struggled before, and I’ll struggle again. I want to have the highs to go along with it.”

Buehler added that he is frustrated with his recent performance on the mound and wants to be a difference-maker for the Red Sox early on in 2025. Walker Buehler speaks following his start “Frustrating, kind of, to say the least… I’m not gonna keep hanging my hat on the fact that I’ve showed up in October, I want to show up in April, May, June, July, and August.”#RedSoxpic.twitter.com/FC5g8RkFGI — NESN (@NESN) April 4, 2025 Last week, Michael DeRosa, a national trending news writer for Athlon Sports, predicted that Buehler would make his first All-Star appearance since 2021.

After Friday’s start against the Cardinals, Buehler’s 2025 ERA is 8.68, and his WHIP is 1.607.