Mike Bolsinger Has Ineffective Outing In Baltimore
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger had a great first outing as a Blue Jay nearly two weeks ago, but the two that have occurred since have seen him crash back down to earth. In Baltimore on Saturday, Bolsinger allowed four earned runs on six hits and five walks with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a 7-5 loss. Blue Jays fans have probably seen enough of Bolsinger already, but with starter Aaron Sanchez back on the disabled list and no return set for starter J.A. Happ yet, he'll likely remain in the rotation a bit longer. He's obviously not a fantasy option in any league.
We warned you not to start him and hope you heeded the advice. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mike Bolsinger was destroyed by the Braves on Monday, allowing six runs (five earned) in 4 2/3 innings pitched on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Bolsinger is merely a placeholder while both starters J.A. Happ and Francisco Liriano recover from their respective injuries, but Toronto clearly can't continue to afford outings like this when they're 17-22 on the year. Bolsinger has an even more difficult start on Saturday at Baltimore, and he's obviously not a recommended fantasy play whatsoever in that one. If you actually own Bolsinger in anything but the deepest of dynasty leagues, your team probably has a lot of problems to worry about.
Two-Start Jays: Sit Mike Bolsinger, Start Marco Estrada
The Toronto Blue Jays have a full seven-game schedule in Week 7 of the fantasy baseball season, which means those in weekly leagues have to consider whether to lock in starters Mike Bolsinger and Marco Estrada for two starts or not. Each has a matchup at home against Atlanta and then on the road in Baltimore over the weekend. Although the Braves' offense ranks 22nd overall in run production, they actually rank eighth in terms of runs scored on the road. It's still not a matchup we'd generally shy away from, but Bolsinger's one start this year against the Indians last Tuesday wasn't enough for us to trust him at Baltimore this weekend. If you're actually a fantasy owner of Bolsinger, keep him on your bench. Estrada, meanwhile, has been fantastic in nearly all of his starts, including two against the Orioles where he's surrendered two earned runs in 13 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts against seven walks. Make sure Estrada is in your lineup for both outings this week.