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For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that Kenley Jansen is my closer. It’s been an up-and-down couple of years for the big-man, but I love him.
After having a fantastic first half, Jansen struggled immensely to start the second half of the season. After the All-Star break, he had a three game stretch in which he allowed eight runs in only two innings of work. He blew three consecutive saves, including two crucial ones against the Giants that are huge difference-makers right now.
That left a sour taste in many Dodgers fans mouths, and I don’t blame them.
But since then, he’s settled down and looks like the Jansen we’re used to seeing. Over his last 14 outings, Jansen is 8-for-8 on save opportunities and owns a 1.80 ERA. In 15 innings of action, he’s allowed only three runs on eight hits and has 21 strikeouts and six walks.
If you go back to August 6, Jansen has allowed only one run in 12 innings with 14 strikeouts and four hits allowed.
Taking out that rough three-game stretch for Jansen after the All-Star break, his ERA on the season is 1.40. Again, I know he’s looked shaky at times, but Jansen has been one of the best closers in all of baseball this season, and we have to appreciate him when he’s on his game.
I’d still like to see him get those walks down this season, but his strikeout numbers are still very solid and he’s allowing the second fewest hits since he became LA’s closer. Hopefully for Jansen, he can continue this trend and finish the season on a high-note as we enter October.
Dodgers links
- Billy McKinney has finally found a home this season with the Dodgers, writes JP Hoornstra of the OC Register
- Steve Henson of the LA Times gives us the latest news surrounding the Trevor Bauer case
- Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic wrote about Max Muncy’s MVP case
- Brian Murphy from MLB.com writes about the Dodgers’ big-time trade deadline acquisitions
- The Dodgers and Giants are both on pace to win 100 games this season. How rare is that? Grant Brisbee of The Athletic tells us