Jansen, on eve of DS: I never lost confidence
LOS ANGELES -- After being named an All-Star from 2016-18, Kenley Jansen finished this season with a career-high 3.71 ERA, his highest WHIP (1.06) since 2014, fewest saves (33) since 2013 and the most blown saves (eight) of his career.
Last offseason, the Dodgers' closer underwent a second heart procedure to repair a defect that contributed to an irregular heartbeat. He’s been on medication since the condition first presented in 2012. Jansen appeared in 605 games over 10 seasons, and at age 32, his velocity isn’t what it was when he was throwing out potential basestealers from his knees in the World Baseball Classic as a catcher early in his professional career. That’s why he has been throwing more sliders and two-seam fastballs.
That said, Jansen is still probably the most important player on a Dodgers club that opens the National League Division Series on Thursday against the Nationals. Listen to manager Dave Roberts talk about Jansen’s recent -- if brief -- improvement. The focus is not Jansen’s arm or heart, but his head.
“I think the outside voices, noise, distractions, were starting to bleed into his head,” Roberts said. “As far as sequencing, opinions on his performance, we got him back to eliminating that. Some self-induced -- most of it self-induced, to be honest with you. He’s got to get back to just pitching and worrying about executing pitches. That right there, I think he’s done that. And if he continues, which I expect him to do that, the results will be there.”
• Nats-Dodgers Game 1: Lineups, rosters, FAQ
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 3 | LAD 6, WSH 0 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 4 | WSH 4, LAD 2 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 6 | LAD 10, WSH 4 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 7 | WSH 6, LAD 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | WSH 7, LAD 3 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Jansen doesn’t even disagree.
“I know the second half hasn’t gone well at all,” Jansen said. “Just a lot of noise, let’s say it like that. I just have to show myself being here for my teammates. I never lost the confidence in myself.”
Confidence in baseball cannot be overstated. Just a few years ago, when Jansen was on the mound with a lead it was a slam-dunk Dodgers win. That’s the way his teammates felt, and so did the opposition. Now, scouts say, Jansen has lost that intimidation factor. Opposing hitters now believe that cutter doesn’t cut the same, that it’s hittable, and they approach at-bats that way. Opponents hit .213 against Jansen this season, his highest mark since 2014.
For the umpteenth time, Roberts issued a vote of confidence for Jansen as his closer on Tuesday. What else can he say? Kenta Maeda is the most likely alternative if one is needed. Joe Kelly would be -- might be -- another option, but an unspecified ailment has limited him to six competitive pitches in the last two weeks, making him a wild card of a different sort.
• Dress for success: NL West champions gear
Jansen was booed at Dodger Stadium during the last homestand of the regular season. But with the exception of Clayton Kershaw, nobody has been more responsible for the Dodgers’ division dynasty than Jansen, who says nobody has been more responsible for his 300-save success than Charlie Hough.
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Hough was Jansen’s pitching coach when the light-hitting catcher from Curacao -- with a bazooka for an arm -- was converted into a reliever at Class A in 2009. A converted infielder, Hough’s professional pitching career spanned six presidencies. He’s now 71 years old and holds the title of special assistant to the Dodgers’ player development department. In that role, he might have placed the most important phone call of the season last Tuesday when he reached out to Jansen.
“Charlie’s the man who brings happiness to me,” said Jansen, who achieved the 300-save milestone the day after Hough called the pitcher as he drove south from Los Angeles for a series in San Diego.
“I was almost to the point where I was going to call it quits [in 2009] when they wanted me to start pitching. He gave me the opportunity to have fun. Getting that phone call from him, that was awesome. Just to hear him tell me to go out and have fun. Just to listen to his voice, it was a flashback. Kind of like relaxed me. The man just made me who I am from Day One as a pitcher. I hesitated to call him, but he must have sensed it.”
Jansen’s saves last Tuesday and Wednesday marked his first saves on consecutive days since May. Jansen and Roberts talked before the game about the team’s dependence on him in October to pitch consecutive days, which the Dodgers have shied away from during his year-long slump.
“The numbers don’t look good when I go back to back,” Jansen said. “It’s something I need to prove. Scientists are not right all the time and I want to prove them wrong.”