Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen delivers against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
(Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
Inconsistency dampened Kenley Jansen’s 2020 season. His stuff was elite too infrequently. He blamed mechanics. Pitching on consecutive days seemed to trouble him. By the end of the postseason, he was splitting ninth-inning duties and wasn’t on the mound for the most important innings of the Dodgers’ championship run.
As a result, Jansen was one of the few questions surrounding the Dodgers entering this season — his 17th with the organization. So far, he’s been steadier and his recent outings have been reminiscent of peak Jansen.
On Tuesday, the 33-year-old right-hander looked his best since the 2018 season in his inning against the Mariners. His cutter and two-seamer were darting in opposite directions. He touched 97 mph twice — he hadn’t reached those velocity heights since 2018. The only slider of his 10 pitches was a sharp one to get Kyle Seager to whiff to end the game.
“I think we’ve seen glimpses and peaks and stuff, but this is good,” Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. “The way he’s throwing the ball, he’s got a little bit more clarity, I feel, on the mound and he knows what he wants to do. He wants to attack the guys with his mix. I feel like sometimes he would be a little bit clouded with his pitch selection and I think they have to go hit him. So it’s good.”
Jansen has given up one run, one hit and two walks in 4 1/3 innings across four appearances since blowing a save against the Oakland Athletics on April 7. He has nine strikeouts over that span. He’s thrown all three of his pitches notably harder than last season.
His cutter is up an average of 91.8 mph compared to 90.9 mph in 2020. His two-seamer has jumped from 92.3 mph to 93.5 mph. His slider, a pitch he uses 7.1% of the time, is up from 81.6 mph to 83.3 mph.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen throws against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
(Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)
His opponent’s expected batting average (.152) is in the 95th percentile, his opponent’s expected slugging (.265) is in the top 90th percentile, and his whiff percentage is in the 86th percentile. His six walks are the only significant blemish.
Rest has helped. Jansen’s blown save in Oakland was the only time he’s pitched on consecutive days this season. He didn’t appear in another game for four days. His stuff raised eyebrows in that next outing. He recorded a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts against the Washington Nationals.
“That was the best stuff he’s had in quite some time,” Roberts said after the game.
Jansen’s next outing was three days later. He walked the leadoff hitter — prompting boos from the Dodger Stadium crowd — but his stuff was sharp again. He struck out the next three batters. Afterward, he said he was pitching angry.
“You gotta be angry,” Jansen said. “Enough is enough. Sometimes you just put a little bit more into it. You want to get better, and sometimes anger helps, sometimes it doesn’t. Just continue to work, stay focused, keep working hard. The good thing is, watching these guys is fun. And for me to have the confidence back and the feeling back is even more fun.”
As dominant as he’s looked, the Dodgers will remain careful using Jansen. He’s the closer, but they haven’t hesitated to give the ball to someone else in a save spot. Three other relievers have already recorded saves. The best Kenley Jansen has been a rested one. And with games every day for the next two weeks, Roberts will pick his spots.
“I think most pitchers fit in that category,” Roberts said. “There’s certain game situations that, with respect to how other guys are being used, you have to still go out there and pitch. So, it’s not a hard-and-fast, ‘He doesn’t go back-to-back.’ We’ll evaluate as the season goes.”