Juan Ocampo/Los Angeles Dodgers
For images from Thursday, visit LA Photog Blog.
Kershaw CCXVII: The Kershawx-Bow Incident
Joc Pederson, CF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Justin Turner, 3B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, RF
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Clayton Kershaw, P
By Jon Weisman
Activated from the disabled list today, Kenley Jansen doesn’t come back as a savior.
For one thing, even with this week’s bullpen struggles, I’m not sure the Dodger bullpen needs saving. For another, Jansen couldn’t do it by himself anyway.
And something else to keep in mind about Jansen, who takes the roster spot of the re-optioned Daniel Coulombe, is that he has historically been a second-half pitcher. Whether that’s a statistical anomaly or not, I can’t say, but at least in the past, he has taken time to reach his toppiest of top form:
Career
- 2.96 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13.8 K/9 before All-Star Game
- 1.42 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 14.2 K/9 after All-Star Game
2014
- 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 14.4 K/9 before All-Star Game
- 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 13.2 K/9 after All-Star Game
Honestly, BABIP could be the reason as much as anything — opponents hit .395 on balls in play before the 2014 All-Star Game, according to Baseball-Reference.com, .286 after. And he’s been no slouch at any point, first half or second.
In any case, expecting perfection from Jansen is as unreasonable as requiring perfection for him to be useful.
Don Bright
Good to have him back, hopefully Garcia’s is still in a good mental state after back to back blown saves as he’s been great otherwise and makes a perfect setup man for Jansen. Hope that Baez isn’t out that long and a back end of Baez, Libertore, Garcia, and Jansen is lights out, much like the Cards pen has been in the playoffs against the Dodgers the last 2 years.
David Mayer
I dissagree. Jansen is a great “Saver”!!!!!
oldbrooklynfan
I don’t think anyone expected 4 strikeouts in the 8th inning. Welcome back Kenley!!!