LOS ANGELES -- After the Dodgers were no-hit by the Cubs on Thursday, manager Dave Roberts said there was a level of “embarrassment” in the clubhouse. Max Muncy shared Roberts’ sentiment, saying a team with as much talent as the Dodgers “should never” get no-hit.

But while the no-hitter was one of the low points for a Dodgers offense that can be characterized as streaky so far this season, maybe it was the wakeup call they needed. The Dodgers have indeed responded.

Los Angeles has won five consecutive games after beating the Giants, 3-1, on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers swept the two-game set against their rivals and are now just 1 1/2 games back in the NL West standings.

“[The homestand] started pretty bleak,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But we finished off really well and I thought guys responded really well from that last series in San Diego and then getting no-hit.”

Roberts added that he thought the team offense was as good as he’s seen lately against Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman, who has been one of the best pitchers in the NL this season. But as they’ve done during this recent hot streak, the Dodgers wasted no time to get on the board.

Gausman walked two and hit Justin Turner to load the bases in the first inning, allowing Chris Taylor to deliver a two-out, two-run double to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Prior to that double, opposing hitters were just 1-for-26 with two outs and runners in scoring position against Gausman this season.

“It was huge,” Roberts said. “To have that backbreaker ball off the bat, two strikes, I think it might’ve been 65 mph off the bat. ... It was the difference tonight.”

While getting to Gausman with two outs is something that hasn’t happened often this season, Muncy hitting a homer against the Giants is something that is almost expected at this point. Dodger Stadium was handing out a Muncy “get it out of the ocean” bobblehead, which is the first baseman’s famous comeback after he got into it with Madison Bumgarner a few years ago. 

It was a moment that elevated Muncy into national prominence. Now, he’s letting his bat do all the talking, especially against the Giants. With his third-inning homer off Gausman, Muncy has now hit seven homers in eight starts against the Giants this season. He has hit 15 career homers against the Giants, just one shy of the most he's hit against a single team (Colorado) in his career.

“I think he’s as selectively aggressive as any hitter in baseball,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “It’s why he walks so much, but can still unleash his A-swing on a 3-0 count. It’s not a passive approach, it’s one where he’s always trying to do damage.”

The big hits by Muncy and Taylor provided all the offense for the Dodgers, but that’s all they needed with Walker Buehler on the mound. Buehler went 31 consecutive games without picking up a loss, but that was snapped in his last start against the Cubs -- the same game the Dodgers’ offense was no-hit. He looked like a pitcher who was looking to start a new streak.

Buehler threw a career-high 113 pitches and kept the Giants’ lineup quiet for most of the night. The right-hander struck out seven and allowed one run (none earned) over 6 2/3 innings. Buehler showed off his entire repertoire, throwing six different pitches at least seven times. One pitch that he leaned on was the changeup. Buehler threw the pitch just 17 times in his first 15 starts, but threw it six times and recorded three whiffs on Tuesday.

“I feel good about it,” Buehler said. “I was trying to mix in some two-seamers and changeups and things like that to try and keep them off balance. Obviously we’re going to play them a lot and they’ve seen me a fair amount, so I’m just trying to do some different things and it worked out for us tonight.”

A lot of things have worked for the Dodgers in the last five games. Their starting pitching has been phenomenal, their defense has gotten a big boost with Cody Bellinger patrolling center field, and they’re getting timely hits. The Dodgers haven’t put it all together, but they seem to be getting close.

“It’s a step forward for us,” Buehler said. “Obviously we don’t think we’ve played up to our potential every night and winning five out of six at home is what we want to do, especially against teams like that.”