Bolsinger isn’t rattled by Braves
Atlanta bench mocks Dodgers starter for pitch selection, but he has the last laugh.
ATLANTA — The noise from the opposing bench became louder and louder, enough for Mike Bolsinger to hear.
The Atlanta Braves were mocking his reluctance to throw his mid-to-high-80smph fastball.
“If you’re showing me you’re not hitting a pitch,” Bolsinger said, “why would I go to something else?”
So he didn’t. And when another one of his off-speed pitches generated a groundout that ended the seventh inning, Bolsinger screamed and punched into the pit of his glove.
By giving up only an unearned run over seven innings in a 3-1 victory Wednesday at Turner Field, Bolsinger not only silenced the Braves, he temporarily calmed fears about the Dodgers’ pitching crisis.
Bolsinger’s performance wasn’t the only positive development for the troubled rotation, as the team learned that Brett Anderson’s Achilles’ tendon injury was relatively minor.
Anderson, who was forced to make a premature exit the previous night, said an MRI examination showed inflammation of the sheath covering the tendon.
“Kind of the best-case scenario,” Anderson said.
Anderson had trouble walking after the game Tuesday night, but reported a marked improvement by Wednesday morning. He said he was wearing a walking boot only as a precaution.
He will try to play catch Thursday, when the Dodgers open a four-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. If his body responds well, he will throw a bullpen session Friday, which would lead to his taking his turn in the rotation Sunday.
Anderson sounded relieved to know that even if can’t pitch this weekend, he probably wouldn’t be sidelined for an extended period.
With Hyun-Jin Ryu and
Brandon McCarthy already lost to season-ending operations, a long-term injury to Anderson could have been devastating for the Dodgers, in part because the team remains uncertain of what they will get from Bolsinger.
Bolsinger was winless in his previous seven starts. Over that stretch, he pitched fewer than six innings six times, burdening the team’s relievers.
The bullpen was on weary legs before Wednesday, as Anderson and Brandon Beachy pitched only a combined 62⁄3 innings in their starts the previous two days. Beachy was sent to triple-A Oklahoma City, which will require the Dodgers to find a spot starter for Saturday.
To safeguard against another short appearance from Bolsinger, the Dodgers recalled left-hander Ian Thomas from triple A. Adam Liberatore, who gave up five runs in his last three innings, was sent to Oklahoma City.
Bolsinger responded by making his longest start since June 8, when he pitched seven innings in a victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“That’s what we needed,” catcher Yasmani Grandal said.
Bolsinger gave up only three hits and a walk. He struck out four batters. A third-inning error by Jimmy Rollins contributed to the Braves’ run.
Bolsinger credited the defense for his line in the box score.
“I was just pitching to contact today and getting a lot of ground balls,” he said.
He was particularly complimentary of second baseman Howie Kendrick.
“He saved about four base hits today,” Bolsinger said.
Based on how he felt warming up in the bullpen, Bolsinger said he knew his curveball and changeup would be sharp.
In recent starts, Bolsinger’s troubles often started in his third time through the opposing lineup. That didn’t happen Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s teams recognizing what I’m doing,” he said. “I think it’s me losing focus. You look at some of the games, I’m leaving a lot of pitches up.”
Up next
Clayton Kershaw (7-6, 2.68 ERA) will face the New York Mets and Bartolo Colon (9-8, 4.86) on Thursday at 4 p.m. PDT at Citi Field. TV: SportsNet LA; Radio: 570, 1020.