Dodgers head into the postseason with plenty of questions

Can Jansen put his regular season struggles behind him in October?

The Dodgers’ bullpen is actually in good shape heading into the postseason.  LA has a deeper bullpen than they did in their last two World Series runs.  Joe Kelly returned Sunday and looked ready to go for the postseason.  The one big question regarding the bullpen is closer Kenley Jansen.  Jansen had a trying season in 2019, blowing a career-high eight blown saves.

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The good news for the Dodgers is that September was a solid month for Kenley after he struggled mightily in July and August posting an ERA over five in both months.  In September, Jansen converted six saves in seven save opportunities and he held the opposition to a .171 average.  During September, Kenley was able to reach back and throw 94-95 MPH at times and his command was better.

Jansen’s career postseason numbers are very good although most of those statistics have come from the prime of his career.  Kenley has a career 2.08 ERA in the postseason while allowing an average of .145.  Even last season with his struggles in the World Series, Jansen still held opponent’s to a .114 average.

The question for Dave Roberts will be how long of a leash do the Dodgers have with Kenley Jansen this October?  If he blows one save it is unlikely they remove him from the closer role but if he blows more than one save, it will be interesting to see what Roberts does.  Joe Kelly, Kenta Maeda, or Pedro Baez could fill in as closer if needed but hopefully Jansen performs well in the postseason.