Preview: Mike Bolsinger Looks To Leave Lasting Impression With Dodgers

With a third consecutive National League West division title now to their name, the Los Angles Dodgers look to play out the remaining five games on their schedule and finish the regular season on a high note.

Tuesday’s win at AT&T Park was the Dodgers’ first this year. It also was the setting for Mike Bolsinger’s debut with the Dodgers back on April 23. He held the Giants to one run on five hits in 5.2 innings and walked away with a no-decision despite pitching well enough to earn a win.

Bolsinger returned to the rotation in mid-May and remained with the Dodgers through July before getting optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. On the season the right-hander is 6-5 with a 3.48 ERA, 3.90 FIP and 1.35 WHIP in 20 starts.

Since re-joining the club in September, Bolsinger is 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA over four starts. Dramatically different from the three home runs he allowed over 89 innings in starts from April through July, Bolsinger has been hurt by the long ball in September as he’s given up seven home runs in 17 innings.

Bolsinger for his career is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in four starts against the Giants; with one of the losses coming this season. San Francisco sends deadline-acquisition Mike Leake to the mound for his final outing with the club in 2015.

Leake enters 10-10 with a 3.89 ERA, 4.22 FIP and 1.91 WHIP in 29 starts this year. However, he’s just 1-5 with a 4.86 ERA and 5.02 WHIP in eight trips to the mound for the Giants. Leake is a lifetime 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Dodgers, including 0-1 this season.

The loss wasn’t so much tied to anything he did wrong as it was going up against Clayton Kershaw. Leake only allowed two runs in seven innings of work, though that was all Kershaw needed as he went the distance in the Dodgers’ 2-1 win.

Jimmy Rollins returns to the lineup Wednesday night, which slides Corey Seager over to third base. With Austin Barnes behind the plate, Yasmani Grandal makes just his second start at first base this season.

While the Dodgers clinched the division, they trail the New York Mets by one game for home-field advantage.

Dodgers Lineup:

LF: Carl Crawford

SS: Jimmy Rollins

3B: Corey Seager

RF: Andre Ethier

2B: Chase Utley

1B: Yasmani Grandal

C: Austin Barnes

CF: Joc Pederson

P: Mike Bolsinger

Giants Lineup:

CF: Angel Pagan

2B: Kelby Tomlinson

3B: Matt Duffy

SS: Brandon Crawford

RF: Jarrett Parker

LF: Mac Williamson

C: Trevor Brown

1B: Nick Noonan

P: Mike Leake