Dodgers: Kenley Jansen’s Tuesday outing was greatest indication of return to form

Is Kenley Jansen back? Can we forget about someone like David Price taking over as closer for the Los Angeles Dodgers at some point in 2021?

It’d sure be comforting if LA could rid itself of the one problem that’s really plagued this team over the last couple of years. The ninth inning as been a point of contention and it can’t seem to go away.

But perhaps Jansen is beginning to show, once again, why he’s one of the best relief pitchers in the sport.

On Tuesday against the Mariners, the veteran right-hander recorded his fourth save of the year. He’s now up to eight innings pitched and 10 strikeouts. He’s allowed just two runs on two hits and a somewhat concerning six walks.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Jansen’s cutter was the most “back” it’s been. And he hit 97 MPH on the radar gun for the first time since June of 2018! He put up another multi-strikeout performance.

What else is notable here? His success when on two or more days of rest. You might think that shouldn’t matter for the anchor of your bullpen, but it’s important to realize that Jansen has been at this for a very long time. He debuted in 2010 and has pitched in 60 or more games in seven out of eight seasons from 2012-2019. He appeared in 25 his rookie year, then 51 his second year, and was limited to 27 in the shortened 2020, but he led the league with 24 games finished.

He’s been as durable as they come, and if he needs a little more time in between outings, he’s certainly earned it after 12 MLB seasons.

Not everybody is Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman — especially not Jansen, who began his career as a catcher! If this is a formula that will help manager Dave Roberts maximize efficient in the back end of the bullpen, then it deserves implementation.

The biggest issue has been pitching Jansen on back-to-back nights, which can easily be eliminated when you consider the depth the Dodger shave in the back end of their bullpen. Price has proven he can close games. Blake Treinen can, too. Brusdar Graterol and Victor Gonzalez are well on their way. And don’t forget how good Corey Knebel and Joe Kelly were in high-leverage situations jus a couple seasons ago.

If Jansen can be put in the right schedule and the rest of the bullpen can pick him up on nights off, the Dodgers might finally have their answer for their ninth inning problems.

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