The Los Angeles Dodgers were forced to be without their All-Star closer Kenley Jansen for the last week and a half due to a heart issue, and they missed him greatly as the bullpen blew several leads throughout that time.
The Dodgers received good news on Monday though when Jansen was cleared by his cardiologist and was activated off the 10-day disabled list ahead of the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jansen’s return was not a good one, however. He entered with the game tied at three in the top of the ninth inning, and served up back-to-back home runs to Jedd Gyorko and Matt Carpenter, resulting in a 5-3 loss for the Dodgers.
After giving up the homers, Jansen retired three of the next four hitters he faced to get out of the inning without allowing any more damage. Jansen did not make excuses for the struggles though, he just felt it took him a bit to settle in, via SportsNet LA:
“I’m not an excuse guy. Everything was flat. … The more I kept going and facing hitters during the inning, I started to feel better. The first two hitters, I don’t want to say uncomfortable, but I wasn’t in my comfort zone. I was battling myself. I finally settled in, so that’s a good thing. Just move forward from this one and be ready for tomorrow.”
This was the first time Jansen had seen game action in two weeks, so it makes sense that he was a little rusty. It came at an unfortunate time, as the Dodgers are in the midst of a tight race in the National League West.
Getting Jansen back is still a big positive for the Dodgers as they will need their closer pitching at his best the last month of the season if they want to return to the postseason.
