Dodgers Minor League Recap: Mike Bolsinger Continues To Shine With OKC

Sunday saw the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first playoff game as the Arizona League Dodgers took on the AZL White Sox in the AZL Quarterfinals. It took 11 innings, but the White Sox ended up walking off with a win in the battle of Camelback Ranch.

Meanwhile, the rest of the affiliates are in the thick of playoff races. Ogden is now tied for the Pioneer League South Division lead with Idaho Falls, who they play twice this week. A 4-4 road trip saw Triple-A Oklahoma City’s division lead drop to four games, while Double-A Tulsa is five games back with one week left to play.

This makes for an exciting final week of the Minor League regular season.

Hitter of the Week – Gage Green

Most 35th-round draft picks are roster fillers, but Green has proved to be an invaluable commodity for the Raptors this season. After starting his pro debut with the AZL club, Gage was promoted to Ogden in mid-July and has raked ever since.

This last week, he batted .519/.567/.778 with a pair of home runs and a two stolen bases. The college catcher has played more outfield with the Dodgers, though his experience behind the plate gives him added value.

Pitcher of the Week – Mike Bolsinger

Even though he had been one of the Dodgers’ best pitchers, Bolsinger was sent down after the team acquired Mat Latos and Alex Wood. Since then, all he’s done is prove he belongs on the big league club, posting a 2.31 ERA in 10 games with Oklahoma City.

Last week Bolsinger made two appearances and allowed just one run in 11.1 innings while striking out 15. There’s no doubt he’ll return to the Majors, it’s just a matter of time.

Top 10 Update

–Julio Urias battled top Angels’ prospect Sean Newcomb and held his own, going six shutout innings with three strikeouts.

–Corey Seager batted .267 with a pair of homers and pair of doubles last week.

–Jose De Leon went 4.2 innings with six strikeouts, giving him 157 strikeouts in 109.2 innings.

–Grant Holmes went three innings, allowing a pair of runs while striking out two.

–Jose Peraza was promoted to the Majors after Yasiel Puig suffered another hamstring injury, and went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases in his third Major League game.

–Jharel Cotton was promoted to OKC and had an amazing debut, striking out the side in each of his first two Triple-A innings while adding a triple in between them. On Sunday, he went 2.1 scoreless innings. Cotton looks primed to join the Dodgers at some point in September.

–Alex Verdugo had a solid week, batting .286 with a home run, triple and double, while also stealing a base.

–Cody Bellinger hit .304 with a pair of homers, giving him 29 on the season.

–Austin Barnes batted .333 with a home run, double and stolen base. He’ll definitely be in the Majors over the final month of the season.

Notable Performances

–Willie Calhoun continues his insane debut, going 11-for 28-last week with three more home runs. He’s now hitting .326/.401/.539 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs in his first pro season.

–Ibandel Isabel hit .400 last week with two doubles, a triple and home run along with adding a stolen base.

–O’Koyea Dickson hit a pair of doubles and pair of home runs.

–Alex Santana hit .367 with two doubles and two homers.

–Michael Medina batted .308 with two doubles and two home runs.

–Michael Boyle, this year’s 13th-rounder, pitched 8.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.

–Jairo Pacheco went six scoreless for the Raptors with six strikeouts.

–Jose Santos pitched six shutout frames for the AZL Dodgers with four strikeouts.

-Flamethrower Angel German went five scoreless for the AZL club with four strikeouts.

–Trevor Oaks allowed just one run for High-A Rancho Cucamonga in his start.

–Nolan Long allowed just his second run of the season last week, raising his ERA to 1.11 in his debut.

Listen to Jared Massey on the Dugout Blues podcast