Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers

Mike Bolsinger has allowed two runs in nine Spring Training innings. (Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers)

By Jon Weisman

Mike Bolsinger shone in the spotlight for the Dodgers, while Scott Kazmir and Hyun-Jin Ryu had interesting days behind the scenes.

Bolsinger threw four shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over Milwaukee (recapped by MLB.com). Bolsinger allowed two singles and one walk, and finished his day with a curveball for a called strike three on Brewers minor-leaguer Colin Walsh.

“It’s always fun to strike someone out with a curveball looking,” Bolsinger told True Blue L.A.’s Eric Stephen, who said Bolsinger pumped his glove with the whiff. “That always puts a smile on my face.”

Bolsinger is making a strong case for a spot in the starting rotation that the Dodgers hope will boast Hyun-Jin Ryu before the end of May. As Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports, Ryu took a step toward that goal this morning with a bullpen session, his first since February 26.

… He made 20 pitches on Monday at moderate velocity, but he said afterward that he felt fine and considered it a positive step.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a mound. But overall, I felt good,” said Ryu. “It’s part of the process of getting better, slowly but surely. It’s the next step.” …

According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News, “Ryu said that his changeup and curveball don’t cause him any shoulder pain, but the 20-fastball session was simply the next step in his progression.”

In contrast to Ryu, Scott Kazmir is expected to begin 2016 in the active rotation, likely making his official Dodger debut April 5 at San Diego. Kazmir took his latest preparation to a minor-league field for a B-game matchup against the White Sox, as Hoornstra noted.

… “The first couple innings, things didn’t go well,” Kazmir said. “We were going to try something and it just didn’t work out. We were both out there thinking too much.”

In the fourth and fifth, Kazmir said, “we really clicked, had good rhythm out there.”

Kazmir said he was working on a couple pitches. More than that, “I was just trying to get that catcher/pitcher relationship down to where we were in sync and had a good rhythm going.” …

True Blue L.A. has more. Kazmir’s next outing should come in officially unofficial Cactus League action this weekend.

What else can I tell you?

  • Second baseman Micah Johnson went 3 for 4 and also had an eye-catching glove-flip assist to end the top of the seventh.
  • Trayce Thompson’s three-run homer off Brewers starter Wily Peralta capped a five-run first inning for the Dodgers.
  • J.P. Howell, Pedro Baez and Louis Coleman each pitched an inning of shutout relief, while Kenley Jansen allowed a run in his inning of work.
  • Chris Hatcher gets the MLB Statcast treatment from Mike Petriello, who documents two important changes Hatcher made during the 2015 season. (Previously on Dodger Insider: How Chris Hatcher shone in 2015’s second half.)
  • The Dodgers’ Spring Training schedule for minor-league games is detailed at True Blue L.A.