SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Walker Buehler had been disappointed in his last two starts. So, he adjusted his delivery and it helped him get his 14th win.
Cody Bellinger hit his 47th homer, Buehler pitched five solid innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 9-2 on Friday night.
Bellinger’s leadoff homer in the second off Johnny Cueto (1-2) started a five-run inning in which the Dodgers sent nine men to the plate.
Corey Seager and Joc Pederson also went deep, and Gavin Lux added an RBI triple in the second as Dodgers won their fifth straight.
Buehler (14-4), who Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said will be among the team’s first three starters in the playoffs, started his delivery with his hands more in front of him instead of overhead, intended to speed up his delivery.
“It’s not a panic thing,” Buehler said. “This is what I do. I tinker and I think when I give myself a little something new to think about sometimes it simplifies everything for me.”
Buehler gave up two runs on five hits, striking out eight and walking two.
“In the zone, when it was there it was really good, but I think it just kind of didn’t allow for efficiency,” Roberts said. “For him to get through five tonight was a good thing because after that fourth inning he really labored.”
Pederson’s homer was his 36th and fourth in five games.
Cueto allowed five runs on five hits, including three home runs in two innings in his fourth - and shortest - start since coming back on Sept. 10 from a 13-month absence while recovering Tommy John surgery.
“This is a long process,” Cueto said through a translator. “Basically, what I wanted to do was to see how I felt. I wasn’t too concerned about the results. I think I feel great. I had two good and two bad outings. But hopefully moving forward next year, I’ll be fine.”
MADBUM START NIXED
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said ace Madison Bumgarner was scratched from Sunday’s start and will not pitch the last game before he retires.
“I didn’t want him to feel like he had to get out there,” Bochy said. “The game’s not going to determine anything. I just assume he would help manage from the bench.”
ROBERTS’ BOCHY TAKE
Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s retirement - which goes into effect on the last day of the regular season on Sunday - won’t last long, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicts.
Roberts, who played the last four years of his career under Bochy (two in San Diego and two in San Francisco), cited the three-time World Series champion manager’s evolution on changes in the game he didn’t immediately embrace to be a key factor.
“To now be introduced to a new way of doing things with a lot of younger players who are very exciting to watch and coach, I think that intrigues him,” Roberts said.
“There might have been some resistance early, but I think that there’s a lot more openness. . I’ve seen that in the way he manages, and (from) conversations.”
“WILLIE MAC” AWARD
Giants center fielder Kevin Pillar was named this year’s “Willie Mac” award winner in a pregame ceremony. The award, named after Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, has been presented annually to the team’s most inspirational player since 1980. Pillar is the first player to receive the award since McCovey’s death on Oct. 31. The award is voted on by Giants players, coaches, trainers, clubhouse staff and fans.
SHORT HOPS
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was among those in attendance for Friday’s game. … Giants rookie Mike Yastrzemski collected his 100th hit. . Lux made a leaping catch to rob Giants pinch-hitter Jaylin Davis of a hit with two outs and two on in the eighth. … The Giants were 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 17, matching a San Francisco-era record for a nine-inning game. . Bochy managed his 4,030 game, matching Sparky Anderson for seventh all time.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: 3B Justin Turner (back tightness) was out of the lineup a third straight day. Depending on how he feels after taking batting practice on Friday, Roberts said he hopes to have Turner back in the lineup on Saturday, “but if not, then he’ll be in there on Sunday.” . RHP Joe Kelly (unspecified injury), who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 18, threw a bullpen session on Friday. He’s expected to make an appearance on Sunday. . LF A.J. Pollock left the game in the fifth inning with a left knee contusion.
Giants: C Buster Posey was out of the starting lineup for a third straight day after catching into the 13th inning of Tuesday’s 16-inning game against Colorado. Posey will start on Saturday, Bochy said.
UP NEXT
LHP Hyun-Jun Ryu (13-5, 2.41 ERA) is 6-6 with a 2.79 ERA in 17 career starts against the Giants. He’ll pitch opposite rookie RHP Logan Webb (2-2, 5.61).
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