The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost three games in a row to the San Francisco Giants and look to avoid falling further behind in the National League West standings on Wednesday night. L.A. was tied or held a lead in the eighth inning of each of those defeats.
“It’s two evenly-matched ballclubs and if you look at how we’ve played — whether it’s an at-bat here, execution on defense, a missed play, a walk in a bad spot — they’ve been better than we have on the margin,” manager Dave Roberts said after losing the series opener at Oracle Park.
The Dodgers try to right the ship with Walker Buehler on the mound for a fifth start against the Giants this season. Buehler is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 24 strikeouts over 27 innings pitched in the previous outings.
Overall this season, the right-hander is 10-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 20 starts. Buehler is celebrating his 27th birthday on Wednesday. He’s previously twice started for the Dodgers on his birthday, doing so in each of the past two years and pitching to mixed results.
In 2019, Buehler allowed four runs (seven earned) on eight hits over 5.1 innings and suffered a loss against the Washington Nationals. Last year, Buehler’s first start of the shortened season came on his birthday and against the Houston Astros.
He was still stretching out because of an unusual Summer Camp and only allowed two runs but pitched just 3.2 innings at Minute Maid Park.
The Giants counter with Anthony DeSclafani, who like Buehler has become quite familiar with the rivalry this season. DeSclafani has allowed a combined 15 runs in three starts against the Dodgers in 2021, though 10 of those came in one outing at Oracle Park.
Cody Bellinger makes another start at first base as the Dodgers monitor his return from left hamstring tightness. Roberts indicated Bellinger would be back on the outfield for the series finale should all continue to go well.
Dodgers lineup
SS: Chris Taylor
2B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
C: Will Smith
1B: Cody Bellinger
CF: AJ Pollock
LF: Matt Beaty
RF: Billy McKinney
P: Walker Buehler
Giants lineup
RF: Mike Yastrzemski
C: Buster Posey
LF: Alex Dickerson
2B: Wilmer Flores
CF: Steven Duggar
1B: Darin Ruf
3B: Jason Vosler
SS: Thairo Estrada
P: Anthony DeSclafini.
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