Walker Buehler threw seven shutout innings and aided his own cause by scoring a run and driving in another Wednesday night as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers coasted past the San Francisco Giants 8-0.
Max Muncy and AJ Pollock had three hits apiece and Cody Bellinger belted his fifth home run of the season as the Dodgers rebounded from a 2-1 loss in the series opener and moved back within two games of the first-place Giants in the National League West.
The three-game series concludes Thursday afternoon. The Dodgers hold an 8-7 lead in the season series with four games remaining.
Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani (10-5) dueled Buehler (11-1) on even terms for two innings but fell victim to a four-hit, four-run third that gave the Dodgers the upper hand.
Muncy helped get the inning rolling with his first hit, a one-out single. Justin Turner and Pollock had RBI singles in the uprising, sandwiching a two-run triple by Will Smith.
DeSclafani, the Giants’ wins leader, was pulled after 2 2/3 innings, charged with four runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Buehler’s offensive contribution came in a three-run seventh. His fielder’s choice scored Pollock to make it 5-0 before Muncy capped his big night with a two-run double, scoring Billy McKinney and Buehler.
Bellinger’s homer came off the fourth Giants pitcher, John Brebbia, in the eighth.
Muncy went 3-for-6 to improve his average against the Giants this season to .333 (17-for-51) with two doubles, eight homers and 12 RBIs.
The major league leader in quality starts, Buehler notched an 18th in his 21 outings with his sixth no-run effort of the season. He allowed just three hits — singles to Wilmer Flores in the fourth, Darin Ruf in the fifth and Mike Yastrzemski in the sixth.
Buehler improved to 7-0 in 12 career meetings with the Giants, including 10 starts. He walked two and struck out eight.
Mitch White pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, allowing two hits, to wrap up the Dodgers’ 10th shutout of the season.
The Dodgers out-hit the Giants 13-5.
–Field Level Media