Alexander: Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen has a rough night and hears about it
The Dodgers delivered a ninth-inning gut punch to the Giants on Tuesday night, and their rivals returned the favor on Wednesday, leading the home crowd to boo the team's long-time closer several times.
It is undoubtedly small consolation – or maybe no consolation at all – to frustrated Dodger fans, both the ones booing in the ballpark and the ones yelling at their TVs, phones or tablets on Wednesday night while watching him squander a lead to the Giants with a share of first place on the line.
It might drive you crazy that he’s not perfect, as closers are expected to be (and aren’t). It’s likely tough to take that any momentum gained from Tuesday night’s dramatic comeback victory was squandered in the time it took Wilmer Flores to redirect Jansen’s high cutter 406 feet into the left field pavilion, wiping out a 2-1 Dodger lead.
But Jansen doesn’t hide. He displays rare accountability in an era when locker rooms are closed and it’s easier than ever for an athlete to avoid questions about why he failed. He deserves credit for that, at least.
A while after the Giants had closed out their 4-2 victory on Wednesday night and regained a two-game lead over the Dodgers in the National League West, Jansen followed starting pitcher Julio Urias into the Zoom session to answer questions about what went wrong. Most relievers, most players period, wouldn’t have come near the camera and microphone under similar circumstances.
“Obviously, it’s not a good one today,” he said. “You know, you just got to shake it off, let it go and get back on that horse tomorrow. That’s pretty much it. … Can’t overthink it. Can’t let it become a mind game. You just got to move on from it. And tomorrow’s a new day. Brand new day.
“… I didn’t get my job done today. I’m going to focus on getting back tomorrow. Like I say, I worked my butt off. And at the end of the day, I’m just going to come out here and compete and help the Dodgers win ballgames, that’s all. So today wasn’t a great day and we’ll move on from that.”
That last part was in response to a question about the boos, which were loud after the home run and far louder when he was removed after giving up another hit and two walks.
Jansen wouldn’t directly discuss the crowd reaction, which makes sense. That’s a no-win situation. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did, when asked if the home fans’ reaction to Jansen bothered him.
“It does,” he said. “It does. The fans certainly have a right to voice their frustrations, and absolutely I get that. But I do believe that this guy is born and raised as a Dodger. He cares about the Dodgers, the fan base, and he’s shown that on the field, off the field. And no one hurts more than he does, to be quite honest.
“He’s worked really hard to get back and should have been an All-Star this year. And he’s had a fantastic season. So there was a hiccup the other night (Sunday in Denver, when a ninth-inning lead got away). And to have one at home – he was looking forward to pitching at home. And so for it to not go well, yeah, I’m disappointed to hear that (reaction), certainly. He’s not going to say it, but I am.”
For the record, going into the evening Jansen had converted 21 of 24 save opportunities and had a 1.45 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and a .140 opponents’ batting average.
And yet he has walked a thin ledge ever since the 2017 World Series against Houston, when untimely home runs by Marwin Gonzalez in Game 2 (not trash can-aided, as far as we can tell) and Alex Bregman in Game 4 (you be the judge) represented a dividing line. Before that he’d never given up more than six home runs in a season. Afterward, he gave up 13 in 2018 (plus two in his four innings in the World Series) and nine in 2019 and reached a point the last two seasons when he was no longer automatically trusted in key situations.
For the most part, he has regained his manager’s trust. But games like this bring back old, bad memories to the fan base.
On Wednesday night, Victor González inherited Jansen’s mess, got the second out but walked Curt Casali on a 3-and-1 pitch above the knees that resembled a strike to everyone watching except home plate umpire Andy Fletcher and, presumably, those in gray uniforms. That walk forced in the Giants’ fourth run of the night, left González with a stunned look on his face and left Roberts so mad he got ejected after the top of the ninth.
That blown lead wiped out any residue of the euphoria from the previous night, when Will Smith’s pinch-hit, three-run walk-off homer in the ninth completed a comeback from a 6-1 deficit and gave the Dodgers an 8-6 victory and, according to common wisdom, the momentum needed to catch the Giants.
They won’t catch them this week. The best the defending World Series champs can do is win Thursday night to split the four-game series and again pull within a game, for the third time in a week. They’ll get three more cracks at the Giants next week in San Francisco. And Roberts made it clear to SCNG colleague Bill Plunkett that he will not re-think Jansen’s role in the Dodgers’ bullpen … though that can always change.
The trade deadline is now eight days away. The Dodgers’ clear and pressing need is for at least one additional starting pitcher.
But the Cubs’ Craig Kimbrel is available.
jalexander@scng.com
@Jim_Alexander on Twitter
"Obviously it's not a good one today. You've just got to shake it off. Let it go and get back on that horse tomorrow. That's pretty much it." @kenleyjansen74 on his performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/zAeeVspjFj
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) July 22, 2021
Wilmer for the lead!
pic.twitter.com/9pr6IqMHIw
— MLB (@MLB) July 22, 2021