Dodgers pick up ground in races

ST. LOUIS — Rookie Walker Buehler allowed two hits in eight innings, Yasiel Puig homered twice as the Los Angeles Dodgers drew even with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL wild-card race with a 3-0 victory on Friday night.

Buehler (7-5) pitched beyond the seventh inning for the first time and earned his first victory since Aug. 17.

He retired the first 13 batters before Paul DeJong singled to left field. Harrison Bader singled later in the fifth for the Cardinals’ only other hit.

Buehler struck out nine and walked two. In two career starts against St. Louis, he has not allowed a run and has 18 strikeouts in 15 innings.

The Dodgers and Cardinals are tied for the second NL wild-card position, four games behind Milwaukee for the top spot.

Los Angeles also closed to half a game of West-leading Colorado, which was a 2-0 loser to the Giants in San Francisco on Thursday night. Arizona is 3½ games off the pace after winning at Houston, 4-2.

Puig homered in the second off Jack Flaherty (8-7) and connected again in the ninth off Tyler Webb. It was his second multi-homer game of the season.

In the seventh, Cody Bellinger scored on a passed ball by Yadier Molina.

LA’s Kenley Jansen hit Yairo Munoz with a pitch to open the ninth but retired the next three batters to finish the two-hitter, earning his 35th save in 39 opportunities.

Flaherty worked six innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

He has 168 strikeouts this season, the fourth-best total for a rookie in Cardinals franchise history.