Dodgers: The Dodger Bullpen Will Survive Without Kenley Jansen

The Dodgers bullpen had their fair share of questions with Kenley Jansen healthy and now that Jansen is out a month, the bullpen will need to step up mightily.

The Dodgers bullpen appears to be in a world of hurt as their unquestioned leader, and best pitcher Kenley Jansen is now out for at least a month.  While the loss of Jansen may be the biggest injury of the season besides Corey Seager, the bullpen will be just fine.

It’s unlikely that the Dodgers will just select one reliever to close out games since they love to play the matchups.   The two best relievers right now are Scott Alexander and Dylan Floro.  Both Alexander and Floro have been bridging the gap to Kenley Jansen, and now both will need to finish off games.

Dylan Floro, in particular, has been very effective in high leverage situations with the Dodgers.  In situations classified as high leverage, Floro has allowed just a .167 batting average against and .558 OPS this season.  Floro has struck out ten batters per nine innings as a Dodger, and he can induce ground balls which would make him the best candidate to close out games with Jansen out.

Scott Alexander has also been very effective for the Dodgers this season especially since he saw his fastball tick up to 94-95 miles per hour.  Alexander could close instead of Floro, or he could stick in his eighth-inning role to help get the ball to Dylan Floro.  Alexander has allowed a .250 batting average against in high leverage situations and no home runs.  Alexander saved four games for the Royals last season, so he does have some brief closer experience.

Outside of Floro and Jansen, the options expand tremendously for the Dodgers.  Julio Urias will return soon and given his A+ stuff when healthy; the Dodgers could throw Urias into some high leverage situations.  He could also become the go-to lefty specialist with Tony Cingrani out and Scott Alexander being more of a later inning reliever.  Using Urias as a LOOGY would be a nice way to ease him back in.

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Caleb Ferguson could also be thrown into the fire along with JT Chargois.  Both Chargois and Ferguson have earned the right to pitch in higher leverage situations by the way they have pitched lately.  For Chargois and Ferguson, the question is less about if they have the stuff, and more about if they can handle the pressure.  The Dodgers might not have a choice but to find out the hard way since they can’t burn out Floro and Alexander.

Then there is always the option of moving a starting pitcher to the bullpen which appears inevitable.  Kenta Maeda pitched well in relief last October for the Dodgers and he could bolster the bullpen with Jansen now out.  Since the season is more than halfway over the Dodgers wouldn’t be robbing Maeda of too many starting incentives if they moved him to the bullpen.

Ross Stripling is the other logical candidate to move from the rotation since he has been a reliever prior to this season.  Stripling appeared to have hit a wall prior to going on the DL so the Dodgers could limit his innings and keep him effective by moving him back to the bullpen.  Now that Ross has nailed down his curveball he could be even more effective as a reliever.

Regardless of how the Dodgers choose to divide up the late innings with Kenley Jansen out they will have no shortage of arms capable of filling in.  They should rely on Alexander and Floro for the eighth and ninth innings as they are the two relievers with the most trust right now.  After those two is where things get more interesting.  Losing Kenley Jansen is a big blow, but the Dodgers have the arms to get the job done without him and win their sixth straight division title.