Birthday boy Buehler dominates rival again

SAN FRANCISCO -- Every time the Dodgers have needed a win this season, Walker Buehler has found a way to deliver. That’s what aces do for their respective teams, and Buehler certainly falls into that bucket.

He delivered again on Wednesday and continued his dominance against the Giants, striking out eight over seven innings in the Dodgers’ 8-0 win over San Francisco at Oracle Park. The Dodgers are now two games behind the Giants in the National League West standings.

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Buehler, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Wednesday, has dominated the Giants throughout his career, but has taken it to another level in 2021. With his stellar outing on Wednesday, Buehler is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA against the Giants this season. Over his career, Buehler is 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 12 games (10 starts).

Buehler is the first Dodgers pitcher to throw seven or more shutout innings on his birthday since Hideo Nomo in 1995.

“I think this is the first time it’s ever gone well,” Buehler said about pitching on his birthday. “I think I’ve given up about a run an inning before tonight, so I’m glad to get a good one of my birthdays, finally.”

Even on a night where he recorded just eight swings-and-misses, it didn’t take long to know that Buehler had his good stuff. The right-hander retired seven of the first eight batters he faced, and the lone baserunner was quickly erased on an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.

The night didn’t get any easier for the Giants, who didn’t muster any real threats against Buehler. San Francisco had two on in the sixth, though that was because a dropped strike three allowed Alex Dickerson to get on base instead of ending the inning. It didn’t matter to Buehler, however, as he got Wilmer Flores to pop out just two pitches later.

Buehler got even stronger as the night went on, striking out four in his last two innings.

“He has good stuff,” Flores said. “He doesn’t give in much. He hasn’t made many mistakes. I got only one mistake, and it was a fly ball. When you’re facing pitchers like that, you have to be ready for that mistake. If you miss it, it’s going to be a long game, like today.”

Buehler’s dominant outing allowed him to lower his season ERA to 2.19. But his ability to get deep into games is what has made Buehler’s season that much more impressive. The right-hander has now gone at least six innings in 20 of his 21 starts and has gone at least seven innings nine times, including his last three outings.

“He’s been huge,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “We all know how good he’s been in October and I think the challenge, the next level, was to put it together in the regular season and that’s something he challenged himself on, and he’s done that, up to this point.”

With Buehler dealing, the Dodgers offense made sure to give him plenty of run support against Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani, who continued his struggles against the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers jumped on DeSclafani with a four-run third inning, which was highlighted by Will Smith’s two-run triple. DeSclafani threw 40 pitches in the third inning before he was pulled after just 2 2/3 innings. It was the second time this season that the Dodgers chased DeSclafani before the right-hander completed three innings.

But even with DeSclafani out of the game, the Dodgers’ offense continued to pile on. Max Muncy capped off a three-run seventh with a two-run double and Cody Bellinger hit a towering solo homer in the eighth.

After a trio of heartbreakers against the Giants over the last week, the Dodgers made sure to get enough separation in order to win a game without any drama.

And it all started with Buehler, who celebrated his birthday by once again proving why he’s the Dodgers’ ace.

“He’s nasty,” said Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock. “He’s just dialed in. It doesn’t look like a fun at-bat up there for any of them. He’s fun to watch.”