The 2018 season has been an up-and-down one for Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen as he got off to a rough start before returning to his usual dominant form.
He has hit another rocky patch in recent days though, with the latest subpar appearance coming on Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With the game tied at four in the 10th inning, Jansen entered and looked to keep the score tied.
He was not able to do that, however, allowing a go-ahead solo home run to Angels outfielder Kole Calhoun with two outs that wound up being a game-winner.
After the game, Jansen again took ownership for his performance and maintained he will be able to move past it, via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times:
“I’m fine,” Jansen said. “It’s crazy. If I don’t give up that home run, nobody is talking to me here, so I’m not gonna think about all that stuff. I’m getting the job done, right? Today, I didn’t get the job done. It’s painful, and we lost.”
Jansen was recently named to his third straight National League All-Star team, so it certainly hasn’t been all bad for him during the 2018 season.
With Jansen being the team’s closer and pitching in the biggest situations, whenever he fails it certainly is magnified compared to other relievers. He has converted 26 of 29 saves opportunities on the season.
Jansen blew a save last week against the Angels but rebounded to earn three saves in four days against the San Diego Padres. So he surely will look to get back on track in Sunday afternoon’s series finale before heading to Washington D.C. for the All-Star Game.
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