ST. LOUIS _ In a pitchers' duel at Busch Stadium Friday night, the Dodgers' Walker Bueher got the better of the Cardinals' Jack Flaherty.
But not by much.
Buehler, a rookie like Flaherty, threw eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a pair of eighth-inning walks while striking out a career-high nine as the visiting Dodgers beat the Cardinals, 3-0, before a sellout crowd of 46,036 to pull into a tie for the second NL wild-card spot.
The four-game series continues with games Saturday at 12:05 p.m. and Sunday at 7:05 p.m.
Flaherty (8-7) pitched six solid innings in a tough-luck loss. He allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight. Unfortunately, one of those hits was a solo home run from Yasiel Puig with one out in the second inning.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead with one out in the second when Puig fouled off several 3-2 pitches before shooting a line shot into the stands in left-center for his 17th homer of the season.
The Dodgers added to the lead with a run in the seventh. Reliever Dakota Hudson hit Cody Bellinger in the foot to lead off the inning and Puig followed with a sharply hit single to left. The runners moved up on a fly ball to left from pinch-hitter Chase Utley. After Buehler struck out, Molina appeared to be crossed up on a pitch from Hudson, allowing Bellinger to score on the passed ball. When Molina's relay to the plate went by Hudson, Puig tried to score all the way from second, but second baseman Kolten Wong ran down the ball and fired to Hudson covering the plate to end the inning.
In the home half of the eighth, Buehler walked Kolten Wong to lead off the inning and pinch-hitter Jedd Gyorko with two outs. But with two on and two out, the Dodgers' rookie right-hander struck out Matt Carpenter to end the threat.
Puig homered with one out in the ninth to make it 3-0.
Buehler (7-5) threw a career-high 105 pitches, 72 for strikes.
The Dodgers outhit the Cardinals 7-2 getting two solo homers and a single from Puig to lead the way. The other Los Angeles' run scored on a passed ball.
Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 35th save of the season.
The Cardinals' only true scoring threat before the eighth came in the fifth when Paul DeJong singled with one out and Harrison Bader followed with a two-out infield hit. The inning ended when Molina grounded out sharply to third.
