Dodgers Week 16 In Review: The Start Of The Kenley Jansen Experience

I could talk about how the Dodgers rebounded from a six-game losing streak to win four of their last five games. I could worry about the fact that the Dodgers have a .286 on-base percentage with 25 runs in 11 games since the All-Star break. I could wax poetic about how great the starting pitching has been. All of these things are relevant to the story of week 16 for the Dodgers, but this week will be remembered as the first time we saw Kenley Jansen in a Dodger uniform.

Jansen was converted from catcher to pitcher almost exactly one year ago, so his meteoric rise through the Dodger system has been amazing. He made his major league debut on Saturday, pitching a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts through the heart of the Mets batting order. Then, one day later he picked up his first major league save, retiring the Mets in order again, with two more strikeouts. 

He has faced six batters, and retired them all, striking out four. All aboard the Kenley Jansen bandwagon.

Dodger Batter of the Week:   Matt Kemp had a nice week, hitting .400/.464/.600. He and Russell Martin were the only Dodgers to have an OPS of .800 for the week.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week:  Any of the Dodgers top four starters, and maybe even Carlos Monasterios, could lay claim to this award in most weeks, but Chad Billingsley takes the cake with his second career shutout. On the week, Dodger starters had an ERA of 1.31 and averaged 6.86 innings per start.

Week 16 Record:  4-3
16 runs scored (2.29 per game)
20 runs allowed (2.86 per game)
.399 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record:  53-46
448 runs scored (4.53 per game)
435 runs allowed (4.39 per game)
.513 pythagorean winning percentage (51-48)

Transactions: 

• Monday:  James McDonald was activated from Triple A Albuquerque to make the start on the mound against the Giants. Jon Link had been optioned after Sunday's game, so there was an open roster spot.
• Tuesday:  Placed Manny Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right calf. Brad Ausmus was activated from the 60-day disabled list to take his place on the active roster
• Wednesday:  Purchased the contract of reliever Jack Taschner from Triple A, and optioned A.J. Ellis to Albquerque. The three-catcher bench ended after one day, only to be replaced by a 13-man pitching staff.
• Friday:  Kenley Jansen was recalled from Double A Chattanooga, and Justin Miller was designated for assignment to make room on the active roster.

Game Results:

• Monday:  Giants 5, Dodgers 2
• Tuesday: Giants 7, Dodgers 5
• Wednesday:  Dodgers 2, Giants 0
• Thursday: Dodgers 2, Mets 0
• Friday:  Mets 6, Dodgers 1
• Saturday: Dodgers 3, Mets 2 (13)
• Sunday:  Dodgers 1, Mets 0

Upcoming Week:  The Dodgers take Monday off, then hit the road for divisional tilts in San Diego and San Francisco.

Previous Weeks in Review: Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk15

Week 16 Stats

*FIP is estimated